Palace Opera & Ballet has launched its 2022/23 cinema season, with almost twice as many HD productions to feature on Australian screens compared to last year. And while the repertoire is mostly familiar, there are plenty of intriguing new takes on old favourites and a host of international talent on display.

Jonathan Tetelman as Rodolfo in Opera di Roma’s film of La Bohème. Photo © Fabrizio Sansoni

The season opens with Mario Martone’s cinematic take on La Bohème. Opera di Roma has teamed up with Italian TV channel Rai Cultura for a filmed version of Puccini’s classic that takes its cue from the 1950s French New Wave movement that produced hits such as Hiroshima Mon Amour. Filmed in and around Rome, and featuring the chic, boho interiors of the company’s capacious scenography workshops overlooking the majestic Aventine Hill, it stars rising-star Chilean tenor Jonathan Tetelman as the poet Rodolfo (most definitely one to watch) and Federica Lombardi as Mimì. When it was broadcast to a TV audience in Italy back in April,...