La Bohème (DVD)

In this new production of the Arena di Verona, Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece La Bohème emerges as an intimate drama. Director Alfonso Signorini contrasts the summer setting of the amphitheatre with a snow-covered vision of 19th-century Paris, placing the tragic love story of Mimì and Rodolfo within a striking visual frame. Audience favourite Vittorio Grigòlo gives a charismatic interpretation of Rodolfo, alongside soprano Juliana Grigoryan, who presents Mimì in her Arena debut. Luca Micheletti and Eleonora Bellocci complete the central quartet as Marcello and Musetta. Under the musical direction of Daniel Oren, the orchestra and chorus of the Arena di Verona bring Puccini’s score to life. “An evening of great occasions, with a cheering audience well in excess of ten thousand” (L’Adige).