The Tung Auditorium proves the perfect intimate venue for l’Orchestra dell’Arte’s performance of Puccini’s timeless masterpiece of unforgettable music that tells of love, friendship, and death, under the direction of maestro Edward Peak and featuring vocalists from Flat Pack Music.
Set in the Latin Quarter of Paris in about 1830, it is Christmas Eve when we meet four struggling bohemians living in a garret: a poet, Rodolfo (Joseph Buckmaster); a painter, Marcello (Matthew Durkan); a philosopher, Colline (Conall O’Neill); and a musician, Schaunard (David Cane) who arrives having had some good fortune and they agree to celebrate by dining at Café Momus. They are interrupted by their landlord, Benoît (Martin Lamb) but cleverly trick him into revealing he has been playing around which allows them to throw him out in comic moral indignation without paying their rent.
Whilst the others leave, Rodolfo remains but is interrupted by a knock at the door: a young girl needs to light her candle but then becomes faint and drops her key. As they search, Rodolfo discovers her name is Mimi (Heather Buckmaster). As his impatient friends call for him, Mimi is framed in moonlight, and they declare their love for each other.
As the party dine in the hustle and bustle of the Latin Quarter, a former lover of Marcello, Musetta (Rachael Hughes) appears with a rich and elderly admirer, Alcindoro (Lamb), in tow, and, to his embarrassment, she sings a risqué song to garner Marcello’s attention.
The opera resumes some months on with a clearly unwell Mimi searching for Marcello who is working in a nearby tavern. She tells him of Rodolfo’s jealousy although we discover this is a sham: he is too poor to care for her and hopes she will find love with a wealthier suitor. They are reunited in their love whilst, in contrast, Marcello quarrels with Musetta over her flirtatious behaviour.
Some weeks later we return to the garret where Marcello and Rodolfo are caught up in nostalgia for their girlfriends who have found new, wealthy lovers. Suddenly Musetta appears with Mimi in tow: reconciliations seem in order but will it all end too soon?
Peak’s passion and flair saw great contributions from all sections of the orchestra, with the harp a particular stand out for me, resulting in a timely, sensitive, and moving production, performed in its original Italian, with the beautifully soft playing of the orchestra suitably underscoring the dramatic tension of the piece at every turn as it segues through its rollercoaster of emotions.
The venue throws up challenges for fuller productions so the choice to semi-stage was inspired with the scenes of the cramped garret and the square both wonderfully presented upstage with excellent attention to detail.
All the vocalists performed strongly, embodying the varying moods from humour and hope, to love and despair. There were some cleverly choreographed routines that caught the camaraderie between our four artisans, and I particularly enjoyed the playful baguette duel between Cane and O’Neill, whilst Lamb got the balance just right in capturing the absurdity of his two characters.
Durkan’s Marcello leant more towards earnestness than I’ve seen before, which made his relationship with Hughes’ suitably brash Musetta deeper and all the more believable, and I have to say I rather enjoyed the result including their own choreographed little duel in the square.
The Buckmaster’s bring their natural chemistry to the stage and with moving performances, their heartfelt renditions of love poetically remind us of the joy of that first kiss: an absolute delight and certainly brought a tear to the eye.
Founded in 2010, L’Orchestra dell’Arte is a group of highly talented musicians performing as a salon or symphony orchestra, be it for intimate musical evenings or full-scale concert performances. Further details http://www.dellarte.co.uk/
Flat Pack Music is a North-West England music charity focused on providing a positive change in the perception of and engagement with music and the performing arts. Further details https://www.flatpackmusic.co.uk/
Owned and operated by the University of Liverpool, The Tung Auditorium is a remarkable space for solo, chamber, choral and orchestral performances whose adjustable acoustics allow it to accommodate other musical forms too. Further details https://thetungauditorium.com/
Reviewer: Mark Davoren
Reviewed: 9th November 2024
North West End UK Rating: