Whether you’ve seen La Bohème on many occasions or only once, its emotive power goes straight to the heart. In Scottish Opera’s current revival of their 2017 production, which draws to a close with an empty sofa representing all that is left of Mimì as she departs this earth, André Barbe and Renaud Doucet’s staging is one of pathos contrasting with vitality. It’s impossible not to feel sadness for Mimì and the fragility of her life, including a passionate affair with Rodolfo, with this well-matched pairing brilliantly sung by Hye-Youn Lee and Mario Chang.

It is in the orchestra though, conducted by music director Stuart Stratford (currently celebrating ten years in the role), that the intensity of feeling is propelled across this piece. Lush strings, tender wind solos and the shifting tempi of Puccini’s everlastingly popular score not only reflect the onstage narrative but pull its audience into every nuance of emotion. Yet, at the same time, it is the warmth and colour of 1920s Paris that lingers in the mind. Busy backstreet lanes, full of the vibrancy of café culture, set the scene for those youthful bohemians and their impoverished, artistic lifestyle.

More contrast comes in Rhian Lois’ glamorous Musetta as a sequinned flapper in another strong romantic match with Roland Wood, an assured Marcello. Special credit to the fresh voices of the new Scottish Opera Children’s Chorus in their first mainstage performance, and evocative solo accordion from Djordje Gajic.

La bohème, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Friday 14, Sunday 16, Tuesday 18, Thursday 20, Saturday 22 November; reviewed at Theatre Royal, Glasgow; main picture: Mihaela Bodlovic.