As Rudolfo, Alok Kumar possesses a rich and very Italianate tenor voice, although he frequently pushed it beyond the limit of where it could safely go. Utilizing a wider dynamic range would have been welcome, especially since this is one of Puccini’s more lyric tenor roles, but he was believable throughout. Elizabeth Caballero was also believable as Mimi, his consumptive love-at-first-sight inamorata, although her fast vibrato sometimes interfered with Puccini’s soaring melodies.
The other pair of lovers were equally effective. As the painter Marcello, Daniel Scofield put his mellowly rich baritone voice to good use. His singing was more modulated than Kumar’s ever-present tenor, and his impatience with his paramour, good-time girl Musetta, was a simmering pot of barely controlled rage. In that role, Meigui Zhang wasn’t quite the usual frisky and flirtatious coquette we usually see, but her more subtle wandering eye was always apparent. Their third-act blowup was a highlight. - EarRelevant
