“La Boheme” – Selected reviews – Maria Sartova

“La Boheme” by Giacomo Puccini at the Podlaska Opera in Białystok, Poland, directed by Maria Sartova.

Kurier Poranny nr.61 28.03.2017

(…) Maria Sartova brings scenes of Parisian bohemian life of the 1930s back to life on the stage of the Bialystok Opera House. The stage design is bountiful. The costumes stand out from the backdrop and a very lively orchestra makes the music sparkle and soar. (…)

Jerzy Doroszkiewicz

Gazeta Wyborcza 27.03.2017

(…) It’s as though the spectators were swept off their seats by the protagonists’ passionate feelings and drawn in by the magic of the colours. The vocal and instrumental magic perfectly blends in with the artists’ acting. (…)

(…) The singers brilliantly depict the insouciance of youth and the magic of the characters’ feelings which flutter about and whisk in unison with the orchestra which, in turn, supports their vocal performance. The finale aptly shifts from insouciance to the gravitas of life and demonstrates that nothing lasts forever. (…)

(…) The fullness of the sound wondrously intermingles with the stage design of Mariusz Napierala, a multi-storey construction that instantly changes into the Café Momus and represents the dwelling of Parisian artisitic bohemian life. It is majestic and conceals mysterious aspects, thereby symbolising a declining world. Life takes place on several levels. The compelling nature of the construction heightens the intensity of the artistic expression on stage. (…)

(…) For her direction, Maria Sartova found inspiration in the Parisian Ruche, or hive, a building made from materials left over from the 1900 World’s Fair and consisting of small artists’ studios. She thus conveys the inventive and creative atmosphere of Paris while avoiding overstated costumes and pathos. (…)

(…) Costume designer Agata Uchman used photographs by Brassaï who captured the cinematographic illusion of daily Parisian life, images of Paris in the mist, or chiaroscuro images of Paris in the rain. (…)

Monika Żmijewska

OPERALOVER 26.03.2017

(…) The painstaking direction enables the spectators to relate to the story narrated in La Boheme (…)

(…) The premiere of La Boheme at the Białystok Opera is a vocal and acting delight for the spectators. The youthful cast first expresses juvenile energy that is full of insouciance and then it shifts to the tragedies of life. (…)

Magda Grzybowska

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