Flavio Trevisan brings ‘La Boheme' to Süreyya

Trevisan said in a statement released this week by the İstanbul State Opera that “La Bohème,” one of the most frequently performed pieces of the world standard opera repertoire, was very fitting for the atmosphere of the historic Süreyya Opera House, originally built as a movie theater in 1927 and converted into its current form in 2007. “The minute I saw the Süreyya Opera [House] I almost traveled back in time to the period when [‘La Bohème'] was composed. I want the audience to experience that atmosphere through this piece. For instance, in some acts, the singers will proceed to the stage from among the rows in the audience, this way the audience becomes part of the stage. Although this might seem as a modernistic approach, the piece still maintains the spirit of the era it depicts, [through] the love story it tells,” he said.

A rotating cast of Gülbin Kunduz, Hande Soner and Ayşegül Karkıner sing the role of Mimi in the production. They are accompanied by Bülent Külekçi and Cenk Bıyık in the role of Rodolfo. Additional “La Bohème” performances are slated for Dec. 11 and 12. The opera will also be staged in February.