The Advent atmosphere is in full swing in Berlin. Bright white lights sparkle in the trees and shop windows glitter with gold and silver. Over 60 Christmas markets are on offer. From the grand and gaudy, to the fairy-tale or funky, the urban or eco, there is something for everyone. The scent of roasted nuts and Glühwein fills the air and all that remains to complete the scene is a light dusting of snow. But it’s not cold enough yet…
Christmas lights on the Ku’damm
This is where the Deutsche Oper comes to the rescue with their lavish and beautiful production of La Bohème, originally created by Götz Friedrich in 1988. This romantic opera is a Christmas treat to rival The Nutcracker. Snow falls on the rooftops of Paris and the young Bohemians are freezing and starving in their garret, drinking wine and warming their hands to a fire stoked with burning poetry.
Rodolpho falls in love with Mimi, as snow lightly falls in the background
The Christmas Eve café scene is a riot of people, children with toys, a marching band of soldiers, flame-throwers and fireworks. The entire opera seems to come straight from a Lautrec painting brought to life. The audience only need to focus on the era and the music without any directorial distractions, just as Puccini intended.
The entire cast take a bow at the end of Scene Two
It goes without saying that the soloists, the chorus and the orchestra are all sublime. The Deutsche Oper never falls short of the mark and last night in a full house the applause was thunderous. There are seven more performances of La Bohème this December, so catch it if you can – or next time it comes round. The Deutsche Oper is such a fabulous, welcoming place to be. Wonderful, easy to read surtitles are provided in both English and German for every production and the technical effects are always superb. For tickets and further information in English follow this link.
