Symphony review: Orchestra is the wellspring in ‘La Boheme’

This weekend, audiences at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox had the rare opportunity of seeing a complete performance of Giacomo Puccini’s much-loved opera, “La Boheme” (1896). This was the second in what one hopes will become a long series of collaborations between the Spokane Symphony, under its music director, Eckart Preu, and Opera Coeur d’Alene, under its director, Aaron St. Clair Nicholson.

The question can reasonably be asked why a theatrical work like “La Boheme” should be included in a series of concerts centered on the orchestra. But, as Saturday’s performance proved, it is the orchestra that is the principal source and repository of all of the thoughts and emotions that make up the world in which Puccini’s characters live.

The orchestra does not simply support or accompany the vocalists, but is the wellspring from which the dramatic action flows, supplying the rhythmic and thematic materials that the characters weave into their peppery conversations and lyrical outpourings. As such, the orchestra demands as much attention from the audience as any of the characters. By placing the musicians in the midst of the activity onstage, Nicholson made sure they received it.

These performances were “semi-staged.” That is, there were no sets and only a few props. Lighting changes were minimal, and costuming appeared to come primarily from the closets of the performers themselves, though choices were supervised by costume designer Denise Leonard. Still, the skillful ability of the soloists and chorus, abetted by Nicholson’s crafty stage direction, allowed the audience to enter completely into the passionate existence of the characters.

The drama was played out on a narrow strip of stage in front of the orchestra, and on a raised platform behind it. In the center stood Preu, precisely molding the playing of the instruments into phrases as full of meaning as those created by the singers. One could detect a more complex and refined use of body language than he usually employs in conducting purely instrumental works, as he sought to capture precisely the expressive rise and fall of the voices.

Maestro Preu’s own training as a singer may be the reason he works so successfully with singers. The Spokane Symphony Chorale, for example, surmounted several challenges in these performances. Puccini wrote music for the chorus, which is extremely difficult to bring off in the best of circumstances. In this case, however, the chorus often had to perform without being able to see the conductor. Even so, their performance was not only clear and accurate, but dramatically convincing, as though arising from spontaneous feeling and excitement. This could only result from many hours of careful preparation. Some of the credit must also go to Brian Vaughn, who prepared the chorale while their director, Julian Gomez Giraldo, was on sabbatical.

Their spontaneity and dramatic focus complemented that of the principal singers. As Rodolfo, Eric Margiore displayed both a uniquely attractive vocal timbre and an exceptionally high degree of musicality. Such complete commitment to the emotional specificity of the text and to the integrity of character is found in only the greatest of contemporary singers, and by no means in all of them.

Making a welcome return to our region after his unforgettable portrayal of Rigoletto with Coeur d’Alene Opera in 2013, baritone Mark Walters commanded the stage to a degree greater than what his character seems to make possible. He accomplished, through the natural beauty of his voice throughout its range, total mastery of the dramatic nuances of his role.

Leah Partridge’s command of the role of Mimi appeared to deepen as the tragic engine of the plot progressed. Appearing to have some difficulty during Act I at getting fully in touch with the lower part of her voice, and connecting to the emotional elements of the role, she intensified her focus to the point that the eyes and hearts of everyone in the house were focused on her throughout Mimi’s final minutes of life in Act 4.

The Musetta of Elizabeth Caballero made a lasting impression on everyone Saturday night, as must happen every time this soprano opens her mouth to sing, so sweet and sumptuous is her voice, and so immaculate and expressive her diction. The audience was left hungry to hear more from this artist, as they were to see further fruits of the newfound partnership between Opera Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane Symphony.

Listen to a recording of this concert at 7 p.m. Monday on Spokane Public Radio, 91.1 FM.