Customer Reviews

La Bohème

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All singers simply superb! There is no doubt that Tebaldi is the perfect Mimi together with the ideal lyric tenor Bergonzi for our jealous Rodolfo.Tebaldi is supreme in All Arias and Duets.Even without reading the libretto her singing will make you cry (personal experience).Such performances make me consider her (together with Montserrat Caballe)as the greatest soprano of the century.D'Angelo and Bastianini form our perfect funny couple of the cast.Just listen to them whenever they argue..the perfect Match! On the whole, THE BEST RECORDING OF THE BEST PUCCINI GET IT!

Others have commented on the performance. There are things I could imagine being done better -- Serafin, while generally excellent, can be a bit syrupy; I'd prefer a less thin-voiced and soubrettish Musetta than D'Angelo; the Schaunard muffs a couple of good comic opportunities. But overall, this has as high a standard of performance as any BOHEME recording -- and the best part is, it's an ALL-ITALIAN performance (or nearly all; I think D'Angelo may have been Italian-American), and it really does help, especially in the comic scenes, that all the singers know what they're singing about.

Next, the sound. It took me a couple of listens to get used to the style of sound used here, but I soon came to be impressed by it, and finally to love it. The singers are not really distant; it's just that they're recorded in somewhat realistic perspective, as you might get in the opera house. This creates a real feeling of a stage picture, helped by the fact that the recording was "staged" in the studio: Most of the sound effects were done simultaneously with the music rather than being superimposed afterwards, and the stereo stage movement is meant to simulate a stage performance, so that you hear not only entrances and exits, but movements that correspond to all sorts of stage actions (though of course the singers are usually dead-center for their arias!). The sense of atmosphere conjured up by producer Erik Smith is quite phenomenal: The beginning of act 3, with the offstage and onstage action played out in differing perspectives, makes you almost feel like you're there watching and >feeling< it happen before you. Many audiophile friends of mine consider this the best-sounding opera recording ever made. I'm no audiophile, but I'm inclined to agree; in sonic terms it outclasses even Decca's Freni-Pavarotti recording, and runs rings around most of today's claustrophobic digital recordings.

Even at full price, this would be my first choice among BOHEME recordings; at this price, it's one of the great bargains in the operatic catalogue (though you'll have to find a libretto and translation somewhere else).

All I can say about this album is that Renata Tebaldi is the greatest Mimi I've ever come across (and I have 6 copies of Boheme). Her lyricism is unbeatable. I cannot listen to this album without weeping. BUY THIS NOW!!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

Surely there are aspects of other Boheme recordings that one might find preferable, but it is hard to beat the sheer beauty and Italian glow offered here. Tebaldi and Bergonzi, who performed regularly together in the 1950s and 1960s, are presented here at the height of their vocal prime. Serafin, who conducted Callas on many occasions, conducts here with gorgeous warmth of tone so that each scene is truly touching and alive. There are surely newer Bohemes in the catalogue but I have to admit I never tire of this recording...I suspect Puccini would have given two thumbs up!!!

For a 1959 recording, the sound is quite good. The early experimentation with stereo is interesting and one gets used to it after a couple of listenings. The cast is superb. The CD was a pleasant surprise. For the relatively low price, I was expecting mediocre quality, but instead I got a beautiful recording with an excellent cast. I'm sure this particular version of Boheme will become a staple in my operatic listening.
Addendum: I have listened to this recording many times since I wrote the original review. It gets better with each listening. Bergonzi is unsurpassed in his rendition of Che gelinda manina (track 8 on CD 1). This aria alone is worth the price of the recording.

Marvelous all the singers, chorus and orchestra. La Tebaldi and Bergonzi are superb! Also very interesting seem Marcello (Ettore Bastianini) and Musetta (Gianna d'Angelo). I strongly recommend this recording to all opera lovers.

I first heard this recording as a result of borrowing the LP records from a local library. I was in my mid-teens then and possibly just a little 'swept' along by the emotion of discovering such glories as Italian opera. I have listened to many versions and watched many performances of this opera, but only this recording makes me cry. Bergonzi was probably the finest tenor of his day and in my opinion could teach many of the 'new' generation a thing or two about controlled, quality singing. Tebaldi is superb, maybe a little too full-throated to convey the fragility of Mimi, but who cares? As a recording, this is one of the most atmospheric you could ever wish to listen to. I thought that we had lost the opportunity of ever hearing it again. Well done to Decca for re-releasing it to a new generation of listeners. It would be hard to beat, even with all the Pavarotti's and Domingo's of the world.

This has got to be my favorite opera next to Bizet's Carmen. The sound is perfect and the CD comes with a nce little booklet that tells you alot about whats going on during each song. If you love opera you really should buy this! Puccini's music is excellent and the cast is very spectacular! A must have!

After sampling other La Boheme's I came back to edit my review. I'm still giving this recording 5 stars because it is my personal favorite, though it is by no means the popular choice among musicologists.
Pavoratti/Freni/Karajan is the one you always hear about, but it tends to splat on high notes and though Karajan's conducting is deep, Pavarotti's voice, though shattering and passionate, has way too much edge and has always sounded strained.
So, I still recommend this recording to first time buyers. There is enough variation in the principles to get a good feel for who was who in opera, but it isn't a specialty recording to be bought because of one person or ensemble. There is great musicianship and camraderie among the cast that shines through every moment.
Tebaldi and Bergonzi are the immortal pair every time they make a recording; it's always pure magic with the two greatest spinto voices put to good work. Both are in their primes and sing quite touchingly, especially in the breakup scene in Act III. Their tone is beautifully matched and this is one of the few recordings where Rodolfo is a spinto instead of a lyric tenor; it makes a BIG difference as he doesn't sound thin-bodied and whiny next to the heavy-hitting role of Mimi.
Ettore Bastianini has the most incredible (and rare!) voice ever to be heard and this is one of the few recordings he made. He is in good company with Gianna D'Angelo who also made very few recordings. Both of these artists bring fresh timbres to Marcello and Musetta, roles that can get dull when simply sung through.
Probably the best part of the entire recording is when Bergonzi and Bastianini sing "O Mimi, tu piu...". There are several notes that hit certain resonances and make it sound as though there is a soprano joining them from somewhere above. Truly divine musicmaking here.
... is right about Serafin being static, especially compared to Karajan or Solti. But he is still a smart conductor who follows the singers and NEVER gets in their way, providing a perfect orchestral backdrop for beautiful singing to bounce off of.
The recording is old and there is a slight hiss throughout the entire thing, but I can't say that about the other versions I have heard with Pavoratti and Carreras which are full of splats, static, and certain nuances that try to make the recording sound live, but hinder it. After all these years, this is still the best stereo Boheme you can buy.

I have listened many "La Bohême " but to my taste never heard so beautifull. Tebaldi and Bergonzi are marvellous .