AVA's "La Bohème'

It's gratifying to see a performance of La Bohème whose singing actors are the age of the characters. In fact, the leading players in this Academy of Vocal Arts production were much younger than the stars of Rent the last two times I saw that version of the Bohème story.

I attended the second performance of the AVA's production because I wanted to see and hear certain singers who had impressed me in smaller roles earlier. Na Li Youm sang Mimi, tenor Sean Arnold was Rodolfo and baritone Steven LaBrie was Marcello. All of them displayed youthful fervor and sang at a level equal to or better than what one sees in professional opera houses.

Their colleagues were excellent, as I expect the alternate cast members were as well. (Six of the parts in this opera were double-cast in order to give more opportunities to AVA resident artists.) The orchestra sounded even better than its high norm, playing with rich tone, crisp attacks and emotional power.

Christofer Macatsoris conducted with propulsive energy, particularly in the opening scene in the Bohemians' garret and in the dramatic duets of Act III. In contrast, during the quieter scenes his orchestra provided hushed poignancy. The moods were so intense that no one in the audience broke the spell with applause after arias. Without the interruption of clapping, La Bohème was even more affecting than usual.

One possible explanation for the orchestra's powerful sound might be the presence of large-voiced singers as Mimi and Rodolfo. Consciously or not, you could sense a synergistic relationship.

Reined in

Na Li Youm owns a large voice that previously soared over ensembles in Verdi's Il Trovatore. It possesses a dark and dramatic color that we don't expect in Puccini's Bohème. So I was curious to see how effective she'd be in an intimate role like Mimi.

(Leonora in Trovatore and Mimi in La Bohème are rarely sung by the same singers. Renata Tebaldi did both, but her Leonora was flaccid. Maria Callas is the only woman I ever heard who did justice to both parts.)

Youm reined in her voice and gave us a sweet and tender Mimi, and she also supplied big high notes at the climaxes of Acts II and III.

Youm may not perform many Mimis as her career progresses, due to a surplus of available Mimis and a dearth of sopranos who can do justice to Verdi's dramatic lead roles. Beyond that supply-and-demand logic, Youm is an attractive woman with an especially lovely smile— just too healthy-looking for a woman who is dying of consumption.

The fact that she is Asian mattered not a whit. The protagonists of this opera, after all, are Bohemians, and we expect them to have no ethnic prejudices.

Black singers' dilemma

We live in an age where opera companies, with their high-definition telecasts, pay increasing attention to appearances. For dramatic plausibility, a black woman is unlikely to be cast as Desdemona in Otello. Brian Stokes Mitchell has the perfect voice for the French planter Emile de Becque in South Pacific but hasn't been cast in that role (except for a stunning concert performance) because the character must be white. It will be interesting to see what roles Youm will be given over the coming decades. Italian verismo operas and Verdi dramatic operas should be her forte.

Attendees who saw Sean Arnold in the comic supporting role of Bardolfo in AVA's Falstaff last year probably didn't expect to hear how well he could sing the romantic lead tenor part here. He was excellent in every way, with soft romantic phrases, ringing high notes and believable acting. Steven LaBrie also excelled dramatically and vocally.

Dorothy Danner's direction was simple, with some interesting small touches and no attempt to impose a "concept."