La Bohème 

English Touring Opera                                                 Hackney Empire, London

Touring until June 3                                                                                   2hrs 30mins

Rating:

This is one of the best Bohèmes I have heard in recent years. And it’s all over the country from Exeter and Eastbourne to York and Durham until June 3.

If you know La Bohème well, as I do, there is so much to enjoy here. If you don’t, and want to sample great opera on your doorstep, this is as good as it’s likely to get.

The tragic tale of the love affair between the poet Rodolfo and the tubercular seamstress Mimi never loses its allure for me.

And Act III, where Mimi overhears Rodolfo and his best friend, the painter Marcello, discussing her imminent demise, is I believe not only the finest act Puccini ever composed, but one of the greatest acts in all opera.

Dramatically, the tale is unfolded straightforwardly and without directorial distractions by revival director Christopher Moon-Little, drawing on James Conway’s much praised original.

Anyone who has heard Beecham or Karajan’s recordings of Bohème will know that, like all great opera, the starting point is an exceptional conductor.

Here we get one with the Greek clarinettist Dionysis Grammenos, whose command of Puccini’s idiom is impressive.

Considering the limited resources the ETO has, the casting is excellent, without a weak link. Francesca Chiejina, who has just finished the intern programme at Covent Garden, presents a fine portrayal of the vulnerable, dying Mimi.

She is well partnered by Luciano Botelho as Rodolfo. His fellow Bohemians make up a well integrated team, notably Michel de Souza’s eloquent Marcello.

Jenny Stafford is a bit too British for Musetta, but sings well.

Obviously it’s not easy to stage big scenes such as Act II’s Cafe Momus on Christmas Eve in small theatres with fairly basic portable sets.

But such is the quality of the singing and the dramatic interaction between the characters, I much prefer this ETO effort to some more opulent offerings in grand international houses such as Covent Garden.

Bohème is on tour with a Rimsky-Korsakov rarity, The Golden Cockerel, and, in some places, given it will be Easter, the St John Passion, using local choirs.

ETO plays a vital role in spreading the appreciation of live opera across the country. James Conway, the retiring director, will be missed.