For all its gorgeous "Jewess" directed by Bernard Arnault, impeccable theatrical work was not. Director could catch a hand on what he with a rather superficial moves trying to create an impression of the play with the idea, as it were through suffering, but if anyone out there and had to suffer, it is not so much the creative director consciousness as the very source. Not that it's fueled expectations in the case of the present "La Boheme", and yet in fact the play was a report of obvious growth. And not only the director, but also the theater.
No noisy highway idea, which you can wrap the Staged details in the "La Boheme" no. From the great desire is possible unless speculate about what costumes the actors hint at the forties, and then known greyness visual solutions hypothetically correlated with the German occupation. But this is from the area of speculation. In fact, Bernard Arnault, manages to deftly balance between concrete and generalization. Want to take a conditional stereotypical Paris - please, here's baguettes and berets, and easels. And the stove, heating unfortunate of the Latin quarter, too. But do not expect the director stoop to the Eiffel Tower at the back side.
He created Wednesday in detail only to the extent that the minimum meet the requirements of the libretto. Attic cubby Rudolph and Marcel designated bed, piano, fake floor for hours and going down to the grate lonely lamp, and even a hatch in the floor covered with papers, through which the characters appear on stage. Public promenade, except compulsory scene extras, this adds to the atmosphere just a few more of the same pieces of furniture, which crosses over the heads of the crowd singing his "Quando me` n vo "Musetta, and a pair of restaurant tables. Tavern at the gates of Paris is depicted standing on the siding cabins, and in the fourth act, returned the same loft environment, but even more Kutsa.
And that's all - no backdrop, no wings, just cleverly backlit background (light disposed of all of the same Arnaud Bernard). Colors too sparsely, mostly shades of gray, and only in a scene of death Mimi director allows himself razgovetsya then coloristic post scarlet spots lying on the stage of roses and syplyuschihsya a finale of petals. Although this seems to be Bollywood depiction creates the impression there was not pretty, and despair, because change the lighting loft situation at this moment unobtrusively into a panorama of the cemetery. Whatever it was, consumed at least director of a sudden every time is very much half-empty stage - like the placement of performers. And not only in a crowded picture of the second act (in which the director even freezes at certain moments hustle-bustle of the crowd in order to highlight this melteshenii main characters), but also in more intimate circumstances.
However, the strong purity of this picture is something external, craft: the level of directing where the geometry itself and the staging itself drawing gestures acquire a psychological tension, Bernard Arnault, has not yet been given, and details of the most lyrical scenes the singers had to fend for themselves. Fortunately, the singers of the composition, which has seen your browser, in this context is enough taste to sentimental story was read freely and naturally. Only Svetlana Moskalenko became rather dull Musetta, but it is fully compensated by an active vocal and touching actor Tatiana Ryaguzov of Mimi, as well as an excellent male staff. What is nice, this compound showed also a good foundation for the future: and versatile tenor Marius Manea (Rudolph), and lyrical baritone Boris Pinhasovicha (Marseille) - a good acquisition for the company. However, in this performance, particularly impressed by not only their vocal opulence, but purely age immediacy, intuitive and impulsive, a marching their heroes. The more so because it smoothly and naturally moderated Orchestra conducted by Peter Feranec, showing perhaps the most undeniable work since his reign as chief conductor of the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
Kommersant 17.5.2011