La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera

Few opera goers can resist the charms of Puccini's La Bohème - it is, after all, the most popular opera of all time. And few opera houses can resist the boost to the coffers that Bohème brings - all tickets sold, and no need to book high-profile - and expensive - international stars.

Like most operas, of course, La Bohème had a rocky beginning. Many of the first critics found its exhuberant portrayal of sexual promiscuity a bit much to take. As the Met's programme notes remind us, one of the first British reviewers described its morals as 'foul'. Now it is the opera that even the straitest-laced of grandparents are most likely to take their grandchildren. The 'culture wars' in action, I suppose.

It is hard to go wrong with Bohème - so gorgeous is its music, so attractive its personalities and so hopelessly weepy its ending. And although the Met's production is not an unalloyed triumph, it nevertheless packs the necessary punch to ensure that only the flintiest eyes remain dry through to the end of Act IV.

Following the feast for the ears given by Falstaff last week, I must admit to being a bit underwhelmed musically by this Bohème. The cast was good, but by no means exceptional, and Philippe Auguin conducted the Met orchestra with more speed than insight. Indeed, there was a moment during the more complex choral scene in Act II when I feared the whole thing was going to unravel. Luckily, catastrophe was averted.

The American soprano Hei-Kyung Hong was a sweet-voiced Mimi and was paired with Roberto Aronica's charming if slightly underpowered Rodolfo. Their two big numbers in Act I failed to make the usual impact. Perhaps they were saving themselves. Certainly, they seemed to gain confidence as the performance went on, and by the end of Act IV, when Mimi lies dying, they were both able meet fully the musical and, just as importantly, emotional challenges that Puccini's score poses.

If your taste is for super-realistic, overwhelmingly pretty stagings completely devoid of anything interesting to say, then Franco Zeffirelli's production may well suit. I found it over-fussy - indeed, in Act II there was so much business going on on stage that it was well nigh impossible to make out who was singing what at any given moment. And, of course, the Met menagerie, in the form of a horse and a donkey, was dragged into the proceedings for no other reason than to annoy me (or so it felt). Please, please, let the poor beasts alone.

One the problems for La Bohème is that, as it is so popular, opera houses often seem to put less effort into it than they would into other, more challenging works. This was the feeling I took away from this weekend's performance. Nevertheless, even a mediocre Bohème, and the Met's is way better than mediocre, is a magically moving experience.