This chamber opera version by the Center City Opera Theater succeeded by deftly steering a well-balanced course through these perilous waters. Whatever the individual strengths of the performers, and they were considerable, the real triumph of this production was the ensemble performance. This was the most cohesive and focused performance that this young company has yet staged and a memorably affective La Boheme. The epitome of this synergistic aura occurred in the Act 2 scene at the Café Momus, as the young starving artists pooled their sous to enjoy a carefree evening of revelry (and eventually stuck the bill with the sugar daddy of the shamelessly pleasure-loving coquette Musetta). The energy generated in this setting was genuine and infectious; you wanted to be up there on the stage sharing a glass of champagne with the kids. The scene ended with a brio that verged on messiness, in a way that only made the music seem more accessible.

That same gusto characterized the singing of Christian Sebek, as Rodolfo, who chose to sacrifice a degree of vocal control to tonal exuberance, a successful trade-off in this situation. The part of his doomed lover, Mimi, was taken by the young New York City soprano Shira Lissek, who rendered the role with a lovely, creamy legato. Her characterization was somewhat underplayed, however, and the essential fragility of Mimi, both emotionally and physically, was not fully conveyed. As is usual with artistic director Andrew Kurtz's casting, the lesser roles were very well done, including the secondary couple of Musetta and Marcello, both portrayed with touchingly honest feeling by Jody Sheinbaum and Troy Clark.

Kurtz led a chamber orchestra that threw out a sweet, lush sound that belied its small size. He was able to rely on his excellent soloists to anchor his broadly lyrical sense for the score. Director Jonathon Loy used sparse resources to maintain a thoughtful and elegant momentum, with no undue distractions.

LA BOHEME June 9, Center City Opera Theater at Perelman Theater