Customer Reviews

Giacomo Puccini - La Bohème: Herbert von Karajan, Franco Zeffirelli, Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of all the available videos of "La Boheme' this one is by far the best. Mirella Freni is nearly perfect as Mimi and all the other singers are excellent as well. This film was made before Luciano Pavarotti achieved world fame, so another tenor, Gianni Raimondi, was selected. He doesn't have quite the vocal allure that Pavarotti could have brought to the role, but he's an excellent and stylish singer. Karajan's conducting is not bested on any other video of this work, and Zeffirelli has never made a better opera film (he has made several far worse ones). There are no visual excesses or contradictions of music or text. The evocation of nineteenth century Paris is entirely convincing. NOTE: A Freni/Pavarotti video of Boheme (San Francisco Opera) is available on DVD but the performance is far inferior to this one, primarily because of uninspired conducting but also because the two leading singers (then in their fifties) take the downward transpositions in Act I. There is a Metropolitan Opera telecast available that might seem promising, but in spite of great conducting by James Levine and a visually arresting production (also by Zeffirelli), the performance suffers from the out-of-condition singing of Teresa Stratas and Jose Carreras (both fine artists but just not at their best on the occasion) and the miscasting of Renata Scotto, at that time in the worst voice of her career, as Musetta. No other Boheme video comes close to this film, certainly not the Australian Opera performance which has routine playing and conducting, and singing that ranges from mediocre to really bad. So, if you're looking for a "Boheme" DVD, Karajan/Zeffirelli/Freni is the one to get.

Freni and Zeffireli need I say more... this is an old classic production, that lacks quality in picture and sound, but there may never be a better Mimi then Freni who's voice could capture the heart of any man, and even the coldest heart weep for her strife... who cares about the others Freni is the greatest... and Zeffireli is well also the best. For any Freni fan, or true Boheme fan this is a must.

I like this best of the four I own. The audio isn't good at all. I get to hear the true Mimi in Freni. Mirella Freni is truly a great singer and it's sad that the audio is the way it is. But that still can't make me subtract any stars because I love her performance so much. Please remaster this DVD and put it out properly. I know I would buy it again. Also buy,Fedora,Don Carlo,Carmen and Ernani with Mirella Freni.

I meant to purchase this video with Pavorotti and Freni but I got the CD by error, which I loved. I became a fan of Mirella Freni after watching Madama Butterfly, where she moved me to tears with her gut-wrenching farewell to her son before taking her own life. Ever since I purchase every Mirella Freni DVD I come accross. In this version of La Boheme Puccini - La Boheme, (I decided to purchase this version vs the one with Pavoritti because this is from the 1960's while Pavorotti's is from the 1980's) she does it again (move me to tears#. It is not just her beautiful voice but the feeling she puts in her singing, and the humbleness and kindness she projects and the way she portrays the characters she plays. Aside from her, the rest of the actors are also very good, Raimondi (Rodolfo) may not be Pavorotti but he stands on his own, the settings, the situation of poverty in which the main characters live, all come together to make for a beautiful work of art; but forgive me, all my flowers go to Freni; I just wish I'd been privileged enough to see her perform live.

One of the many great operas by G Puccini, with the great voices of Mirella Freni, Gianni Raimondi and Rolando Panerai - recorded from La Scala Opera House in Milan,Italy in 1965
I couldn't be happier with it. A great purchase for my collection...Thank you.

I love this Zeffirelli staging of La Boheme and bought it because of Mirella Freni's awesome voice. Will watch this over and over again. A perfect opera in every way.

My very first La Boheme experience is "Puccini - La Bohème / Freni, Pavarotti, Harwood, Ghiaurov, Karajan", which, in my very own opinion, is the best one out on the market. Ever since, I have tried several reditions of CD productions including some historic recordings, none would come as close, not even de Los Angeles or Tebaldi. With this kind of expectation, I must admit that I was a little disappointed in this DVD. Nevertheless, it is one FINE DVD opera movie. True, it is a rather "old" production; the quality of the sound and picture is not that desirable.

Fifteen years or so later, the new interpretation by Karajan and Freni, with the impeccable performance of Pavaroti, added serious depth to this sweetbitter love story.

So if you are looking for a more-or-less historic semi-"offstage" documentary type of film, you would definitely like this DVD. Otherwise, go directly for the CDs - and they will have to be Freni, Pavaroti, and Karajan.

Final note: MET production is fun to watch but once is enough; Australian opera production is refreshing - Cheryl Barker has been a rising star; San Francisco Opera is another fine production worth collecting. But again, we have the CDs. Amen.

I own this,however I just pre-ordered it. It's one of the best La Boheme available. I own 4 of them,but this still is one of my favorites. Don't wait. Pre-order it now. Mirella Freni doesn't disappoint.

I have had this DVD for years. Newer La Boheme's come and go and this one is still my favorite. I like Gianni Raimondi's Rudolfo more than Pavarotti's because I like his voice better. I think he just passed away last year. He didn't miss a note in "Che Gelida manina", unlike the newer versions where the aria is transposed down to accommodate the tenors. Some people say that transposing the original downward is not a crime, but I think it is cheating the audiences.

Yes when it comes to technical aspect like picture quality, this movie shows its age, but the sound is still very good. I can live with the lip-syncing part when the music is this good.

It arrived on time and in perfect condition. I am a bit disappointed, however, with the sound quality. I am not sure if my old equipment is a contributing factor to the poor sound quality, though.