Puccini's opera retains enough of the amorality of the original Scenes de la vie de Boheme, by Henri Murger, to make the true love and undying passion of Rodolfo and Mimi seem unlikely. Such considerations troubled neither the composer nor audiences who have taken the opera to their hearts.
The Chisinau National Opera, conducted by Nicolae Dohotaru, presented it on Tuesday in a straightforward fashion, leaving the music to dictate the action. Puccini's simplistic and sentimental view of human motives would carry no conviction were it not for his ability to touch one's softer side on the raw, and Rodolfo and Mimi's set pieces did not fail in their effect.
The tedious horseplay that opens the opera was forgotten as soon as Mimi (Manami Hama) appeared and Rodolfo (Alexei Repchinsky) tricked her into remaining in the garret. The scene outside the Cafe Momus, though enlivened by tumblers, clowns and a brightly costumed crowd, hung fire, but the third act got close to the seriousness of emotion that music suggests and supports so powerfully. The two couples - Rodolfo and Mimi, and Marcello (Petru Racovita) and Musetta (Elena Gherman) - are at their most persuasive in this act.
The final act, in which Mimi dies of tuberculosis, could hardly be more sentimental; even a rough performance would move the stoniest heart. Mimi's reprise of Che gelida manina was tender and true, and carried more weight than some of Puccini's more obvious attempts to overwhelm with singers and orchestra in full blast.
