Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | La bohème

The Armenian soprano sweeps all before her in a delightfully controlled, touching performance, enhanced by a voice that would melt the stoniest of hearts.

****1

Loading image...

****1

London

25 Jan 2024

Impressive Royal Opera debut by Ruzan Mantashyan in Bohème revival

By Stephen Pritchard

Loading image...

Dublin

A magnificent Bohème at Irish National Opera

By Andrew Larkin, 20 November 2023

Orpha Phelan directs a terrific cast of singers in an inventive and faithful production making for an evening to remember.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Dublin

21 Nov 2023

A magnificent Bohème at Irish National Opera

By Andrew Larkin

Loading image...

New York City

Federica Lombardi headlines the Met's latest Bohème revival

By Kevin W Ng, 10 October 2023

Franco Zeffirelli's perennial Bohème returns for yet another revival, with Federica Lombardi's luminous Mimì the standout performance.

***11

Loading image...

***11

New York City

11 Oct 2023

Federica Lombardi headlines the Met's latest Bohème revival

By Kevin W Ng

Loading image...

Toronto

They’ll always have Paris: a timeless production of La bohème in Toronto

By Michelle Assay, 06 October 2023

Canadian Opera Company’s revival of John Caird’s art-infused production is perfectly realised in singing, acting, and the orchestra’s vibrant yet velvety colours.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Toronto

07 Oct 2023

They’ll always have Paris: a timeless Bohème in Toronto

By Michelle Assay

Loading image...

London

Lights, camera, distraction: Opera Holland Park stages B-movie Bohème

By Stephen Pritchard, 19 July 2023

Natascha Metherell relocates the action to an Italian film studio of the 1950s, which looks great but brings problems.

***11

Loading image...

***11

London

20 Jul 2023

Lights, camera, distraction: Opera Holland Park stages B-movie Bohème

By Stephen Pritchard

Loading image...

Philadelphia

La bohème (in reverse) in Philadelphia

By Linda Holt, 30 April 2023

Yuval Sharon's La bohème for Opera Philadelphia proves a mix of great singing and disorienting navigation.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Philadelphia

01 May 2023

La bohème (in reverse) in Philadelphia

By Linda Holt

Loading image...

Milan

Happy Birthday, Maestro Zeffirelli! La Scala revives a beloved Bohème

By Laura Servidei, 04 March 2023

Marina Rebeka and Freddie de Tommaso are the protagonists in the 200th performance of the historical production of La bohème by Franco Zeffirelli, on the 100th anniversary of his birth, under the baton of Eun Sun Kim, who debuts at La Scala.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Milan

06 Mar 2023

Happy Birthday, Maestro Zeffirelli! La Scala revives a beloved Bohème

By Laura Servidei

Loading image...

London

Strong cast lifts conventional Bohème revival at the Royal Opera House

By Nick Boston, 14 October 2022

Richard Jones' production is revived again at Covent Garden, where Juan Diego Flórez and Ailyn Pérez lead a convincing cast.

***11

Loading image...

***11

London

16 Oct 2022

Strong cast lifts conventional ROH Bohème revival

By Nick Boston

Loading image...

Glyndebourne

Death haunts Glyndebourne Tour's powerful Bohème

By Nick Boston, 09 October 2022

A strong cast led by Bekhzod Davronov and Gabriella Reyes plus an intense production helps Floris Visser unusual staging of La bohème stand out from the crowd.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Glyndebourne

11 Oct 2022

Death haunts Glyndebourne Tour's powerful Bohème

By Nick Boston

Loading image...

Boston

Merrily We Roll Puccini: Boston Lyric Opera presents Bohème in reverse

By Kevin Wells, 30 September 2022

Yuval Sharon’s production of La bohème turns the opera upside down... with captivating consequences.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Boston

05 Oct 2022

Merrily We Roll Puccini: Boston Lyric presents Bohème in reverse

By Kevin Wells

Loading image...

Glyndebourne

Death Becomes Her: Floris Visser's new Bohème at Glyndebourne

By Kevin W Ng, 18 June 2022

An ideal young cast and a thoughtful production bring fresh perspectives to Puccini's tragedy.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Glyndebourne

19 Jun 2022

Death Becomes Her: Floris Visser's new Bohème at Glyndebourne

By Kevin W Ng

Loading image...

London

Bo-ho: ETO takes Bohème to Hackney

By Dominic Lowe, 26 February 2022

English Touring Opera has revived James Conway's production of La bohème to launch the company back to full operations post-lockdown. What this new run lacks in finesse is made up for in bags of heart and spirit.

****1

Loading image...

****1

London

28 Feb 2022

Bo-ho: ETO takes Bohème to Hackney

By Dominic Lowe

Loading image...

London

Chilly revival of Jonathan Miller's Bohème at English National Opera

By Kevin W Ng, 02 February 2022

A well-sung revival of Jonathan Miller's Bohème at the coliseum fails to catch fire.

***11

Loading image...

***11

London

03 Feb 2022

Chilly revival of Jonathan Miller's Bohème at ENO

By Kevin W Ng

Loading image...

Seattle

Seattle Opera rises from the ashes with La bohème

By Erica Miner, 16 October 2021

Colorful sets and lavish costumes greet Seattle audiences as live opera finally returns to the McCaw Hall.

***11

Loading image...

***11

Seattle

17 Oct 2021

Seattle Opera rises from the ashes with La bohème

By Erica Miner

Loading image...

Naples

Tower block bohemians in Emma Dante's new staging at San Carlo

By Lorenzo Fiorito, 14 October 2021

Despite the setting in a condo, Dante’s staging is basically traditional, to the point of even respecting the original story's 1830s fashions.

***11

Loading image...

***11

Naples

17 Oct 2021

Tower block bohemians in Emma Dante's new staging at San Carlo

By Lorenzo Fiorito

London

Pared-down Puccini: The Royal Opera's La bohème gains new urgency

By Kevin W Ng, 23 June 2021

A uniformly excellent ensemble enlivens the Royal Opera House's latest Bohème revival.

****1

****1

London

24 Jun 2021

Pared-down Puccini: The Royal Opera's La bohème gains new urgency

By Kevin W Ng

Barcelona

Àlex Ollé's La bohème gets an unfair reception at the Liceu

By Maria Sánchez, 14 June 2021

Contrasting sensations at the Liceu, where the audience punished a production of La bohème with boos and gave rapturous applause to a cast that performed at half throttle.

*****

*****

Barcelona

17 Jun 2021

Àlex Ollé's La bohème gets an unfair reception at the Liceu

By Maria Sánchez

West Horsley

Consumption or Covid? La bohème at Grange Park Opera

By Dominic Lowe, 12 June 2021

Grange Park Opera's revival of its 2015 production of Puccini's La bohème hits some high notes with a very contemporary feel and some excellent singing from its leading ladies.

***11

***11

West Horsley

14 Jun 2021

Consumption or Covid? La bohème at Grange Park Opera

By Dominic Lowe

Zurich

Juan Diego Flórez successfully debuts as Rodolfo in Zurich's Bohème

By Laura Servidei, 08 March 2020

In a reprise of Ole Anders Tandberg’s somewhat confused production, a solid cast performs a charming bohème, under the baton of Marco Armiliato.

***11

***11

Zurich

10 Mar 2020

Juan Diego Flórez successfully debuts as Rodolfo in Zurich's Bohème

By Laura Servidei

London

Garifullina's Musetta the highlight of Covent Garden's Bohème

By David Karlin, 10 January 2020

This third revival of Richard Jones' production is thoroughly competent but struggles to rise above the routine.

***11

***11

London

11 Jan 2020

Garifullina's Musetta the highlight of Covent Garden's Bohème

By David Karlin

Berlin

Tears in the rain: La bohème at the Staatsoper Berlin

By Laura Servidei, 08 January 2020

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden revives a successful, romantic production by Lindy Hume, with Eleonora Buratto and Benjamin Bernheim as the protagonists.

****1

****1

Berlin

10 Jan 2020

Tears in the rain: La bohème at the Staatsoper Berlin

By Laura Servidei

Sydney

Kang Wang makes a striking Opera Australia debut in La bohème

By Chantal Nguyen, 02 January 2020

Gale Edwards' popular revival, set in the 1930s Weimar Republic, brings visual delight and showcases Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang as Rodolfo.

****1

****1

Sydney

03 Jan 2020

Kang Wang makes a striking Opera Australia debut in La bohème

By Chantal Nguyen

London

HGO serve up a treat with La bohème redux

By David Karlin, 09 November 2019

La bohème may not seem the obvious choice for a very small theatre, but HGO carry it off with aplomb, with the help of Rodolfo sung by a star in the making.

****1

****1

London

10 Nov 2019

HGO serve up a treat with La bohème redux

By David Karlin

Kansas City

Laughing on the outside, crying on the inside: La Bohème in Kansas City

By Hilary Stroh, 09 November 2019

Kathleen Belcher's production is well sung and vividly characterized – but a focus on the comedy comes at the expense of pathos

***11

***11

Kansas City

11 Nov 2019

Laughing outside, crying inside: La Bohème in Kansas City

By Hilary Stroh

Leeds

Another sparkling revival of La bohème by Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks, 12 October 2019

Michael Barker-Craven directs and Renato Balsadonna conducts this successful revival of Puccini's La bohème in Opera North's production at Leeds Grand Theatre.

****1

****1

Leeds

13 Oct 2019

Another sparkling revival of La bohème by Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks

Los Angeles

A blast of a Berlin Bohème in Hollywood

By Laurence Vittes, 14 September 2019

Barrie Kosky's stark, spare La bohème gave it a rare spark of humanity focused on Marina Costa-Jackson's haunting Mimì, whose existence became the central focus even when she wasn't singing.

*****

*****

Los Angeles

15 Sep 2019

A blast of a Berlin Bohème in Hollywood

By Laurence Vittes

Toronto

A briskly conducted Bohème revived in Toronto

By John Gilks, 05 May 2019

The COC's revival production of Puccini's La bohème is an enjoyable trip to the opera but it won't blow your socks off.

***11

***11

Toronto

06 May 2019

A briskly conducted Bohème revived in Toronto

By John Gilks

Philadelphia

Opera Philadelphia decorates La bohème with Impressionist art

By Susan Gould, 26 April 2019

Davide Livermore's production of La bohème is inspired by the Impressionist troves at The Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Barnes Collection.

*****

*****

Philadelphia

29 Apr 2019

Opera Philadelphia decorates La bohème with Impressionist art

By Susan Gould

Riga

Four house debuts in Latvian National Opera's Bohème

By David Karlin, 16 March 2019

With four singers making their debuts and two more experienced singers making strong impression, Latvian opera singing appears to be in safe hands.

****1

****1

Riga

17 Mar 2019

Four house debuts in Latvian National Opera's Bohème

By David Karlin

Berlin

When death is an old-fashioned portrait

By Zenaida des Aubris, 02 February 2019

The new version of La bohème at the Komische Oper Berlin follows a hard Verismo-beat.

****1

****1

Berlin

04 Feb 2019

When death is an old-fashioned portrait

By Zenaida des Aubris

London

A house debut to savour: Natalya Romaniw soars in revival of ENO's Bohème

By Mark Valencia, 26 November 2018

Jonathan Miller's production of La bohème is revived by ENO and features an important house debut.

****1

****1

London

27 Nov 2018

A house debut to savour: Natalya Romaniw in ENO's Bohème

By Mark Valencia

Melbourne

Life on the precipice: Opera Australia revives its Berlin Bohème

By Patricia Maunder, 07 November 2018

A fine cast led by Maija Kovalevska conveys the timeless beauty and emotion of Puccini’s Parisian melodrama, but the 1930s Berlin setting remains an imperfectly realised transformation.

***11

***11

Melbourne

09 Nov 2018

Opera Australia revives its Berlin Bohème

By Patricia Maunder

New York City

Fresh talent breathes new life into The Met's traditional Bohème

By Ako Imamura, 25 September 2018

A debuting conductor, two new singers, and a fine ensemble of singers bring unexpected joy to the Met's traditional La bohème with fresh and youthful energy.

****1

****1

New York City

26 Sep 2018

Fresh talent breathes new life into The Met's Bohème

By Ako Imamura

Auckland

Talented young cast shines in New Zealand Opera's La bohème

By Simon Holden, 19 September 2018

It was hard not to be drawn in by the romance and tragedy as presented by such a sincere, credible and vocally talented young cast and a conductor with such strong identification with the idiom.

****1

****1

Auckland

21 Sep 2018

Talented young cast shines in New Zealand Opera's La bohème

By Simon Holden

Blandford Forum

A girl next door: La bohème at Dorset Opera Festival

By Dominic Lowe, 25 July 2018

It's not easy to imagine a freezing Parisian attic when you're in the middle of the rolling Dorset countryside in a baking summer, but Dorset Opera's excellent production of Puccini's La bohème is atmospheric enough to do so.

****1

****1

Blandford Forum

26 Jul 2018

A girl next door: La bohème at Dorset Opera Festival

By Dominic Lowe

Lenox

Nelsons sheds light on Puccini's canvas in a concert performance of La bohème at Tanglewood

By Edward Sava-Segal, 14 July 2018

Under Andris Nelsons' baton, the musical canvas was remarkably supple with proper light shed on Puccini’s melodic inventiveness and wondrous orchestration.

****1

****1

Lenox

16 Jul 2018

Nelsons sheds light on Puccini's canvas

By Edward Sava-Segal

London

La bohème at the Royal Opera: a simple tragedy, heart-rendingly told

By David Karlin, 16 June 2018

A committed cast make this a beautifully performed ensemble piece in which the tragedy of young love cut short by untimely disease is compellingly put across.

****1

****1

London

17 Jun 2018

La bohème at ROH: a simple tragedy, heart-rendingly told

By David Karlin

Sydney

Boho chic: Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour returns

By David Larkin, 23 March 2018

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour returns with La bohème, in a fine production by Andy Morton, with star turns from Iulia Maria Dan and Ho-Yoon Chung in the lead roles.

****1

****1

Sydney

26 Mar 2018

Boho chic: Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour returns

By David Larkin

New York City

The Met's Bohème: As if it were new

By Robert Levine, 21 February 2018

A terrific cast in the Metropolitan Opera's revival of La bohème... “near the top of a lifetime of Bohèmes” for our reviewer.

*****

*****

New York City

23 Feb 2018

The Met's Bohème: As if it were new

By Robert Levine

Bologna

Vick and Mariotti refresh Bohème in Bologna

By James Imam, 20 January 2018

Vick enjoys working with young singers, and in with the young second cast he is spoiled.

*****

*****

Bologna

23 Jan 2018

Vick and Mariotti refresh Bohème in Bologna

By James Imam

Naples

A warm Mimì in a cold Bohème in Naples

By Lorenzo Fiorito, 11 January 2018

Only soprano Eleonora Buratto’s Mimì added real warmth and pathos to Mario Pontiggi's staging.

***11

***11

Naples

13 Jan 2018

A warm Mimì in a cold Bohème in Naples

By Lorenzo Fiorito

Hamburg

Guy Joosten’s La bohème a feast for voyeurs in Hamburg

By Jonathan Sutherland, 19 December 2017

Johannes Laiacker’s inspired set designs were a perfect example of how a modern setting can avoid being gratuitously iconoclastic.

***11

***11

Hamburg

21 Dec 2017

Hamburg Bohème a feast for voyeurs

By Jonathan Sutherland

Adelaide

A Mimì to die for: La bohème in Adelaide

By Brian Angus, 08 December 2017

Co-Opera have discovered some treasures of young talent in this carefully crafted La bohème, none more so than Victoria Coxhill, who sang an outstanding Mimì.

****1

****1

Adelaide

09 Dec 2017

A Mimì to die for: La bohème in Adelaide

By Brian Angus

Amsterdam

Dutch National Opera revives a musically gorgeous La bohème

By Jenny Camilleri, 01 December 2017

Gifted conductor Andrea Battistoni and a vocally seductive cast made this revival of Benedict Andrews’s flawed La bohème a musical triumph.

****1

****1

Amsterdam

02 Dec 2017

A musically gorgeous Bohème in Amsterdam

By Jenny Camilleri

New York City

Angel Blue impresses in her Met debut in an enthralling Bohème

By Vishnu Bachani, 06 October 2017

A revival of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1981 production was graced by an impressive case, including the Met debut of soprano Angel Blue.

***11

***11

New York City

08 Oct 2017

Angel Blue impresses in her Met debut in an enthralling Bohème

By Vishnu Bachani

London

No moonlight, no magic: Richard Jones directs a vanilla Bohème for the Royal Opera

By Mark Pullinger, 11 September 2017

After his affectionate treatment of La fanciulla del West for ENO and his devastating Suor Angelica for the Royal Opera, Richard Jones’ new La bohème is disappointingly bland.

***11

***11

London

12 Sep 2017

No moonlight, no magic: a vanilla Bohème

By Mark Pullinger