Boaz Daniel

Adaptación cinematográfica de la famosa ópera de Puccini. París, primera mitad del siglo XIX. Cuatro amigos comparten un ático cochambroso. El grupo lo forman el poeta Rodolfo, el artista Marcelo, un músico alegre llamado Schaunard y el filósofo desprendido y un poco gruñón Colline. Los cuatro son bohemios y pobres pero llenos de pasión y con muchas ganas de vivir. En Nochebuena deciden irse al Café Momus para celebrarlo. Este hecho cambiará sus vidas para siempre.

Live performance from Wiener Staatsoper, 2003. Vjekoslav Šutej conducting Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper. Stage director Günter Krämer.

This movie was recorded during the 2002 Salzburg Festival. Valery Gergiev provides a quite good performance, as he uses to do, and the stage presents very brilliant moments, for example, the impressive image of Turandot, especially when filmed from the bottom of the scene by the expert Brian Large. Cristina Gallardo Domas as Liu clearly outcomes in this cast although I cannot help mentioning my favourite Liu, Monserrat Caballé. She did set a so high standard for this role that further performances slightly get to approach her. Good Calaf and Turandot and perhaps a not very remarkable Ping, Pang, Pong trio.

One of the lesser known works by Giuseppe Verdi, Simon Boccanegra is regarded by most opera lovers as one of his finest. The action takes place in the 14th century and deals with the political and personal rivalry between the corsair Simon Boccanegra, who has been elected Doge of Genoa with the help of the plebeian vote, and the local nobleman, Jacopo Fiesco. Arthaus presents a visually alert, musically sensitive and disturbingly coherent (Der Standard) production of the piece on DVD. The staging was directed by one of the giants of the European theatre, Peter Stein. His fondness for atmospherically dense spaces in which the characters can fully develop is particularly well brought out in his Vienna production, not least because he had at his disposal two remarkable singing actors for the principal male roles, Thomas Hampson and Ferruccio Furlanetto.