Puccini - La Bohème - Barker, Hobson - Luhrmann 1984Kultur Video 2006
Featuring: Cheryl Barker Mimì; David Hobson Rodolfo; Roger Lemke Marcello; Christine Douglas Musetta; Gary Rowley Collin; David Lemke Schaunard. Conductor Julian Smith, Director Baz Luhrman, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Recorded live at the Sydney Opera House, February 25, 1993.
"This is surely one of the most engagingly inventive, thoughtfully witty and vital productions ever to enliven the Australian operatic stage." Sun Herald
"Tenor David Hobson and Soprano Cheryl Barker bring the lead roles thrillingly to life, playing on audience's heartstrings with their sweet duets and convincing acting." Telegraph Mirror
For this production, the story is moved up to Paris in the 1950s. A veneer of existentialism, a sense of the absurd, can be detected in the young men's lifestyle, but the implicit message is that, even with electricity (e.g., a massive neon sign celebrating "L'Amour"), bohemian life in the 1950s was essentially unchanged from the 1830s. There are good performances throughout, particularly by David Hobson (Rodolfo) and Cheryl Barker (Mimi), and the direction of Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge) is outstanding. --Joe McLellan
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