Customer Reviews

Puccini: La Boheme (Great Recordings of the Century)

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This is THE La Boheme to own, and regardless of what others say, the Pavarotti/Freni version will never ever come close to the beauty of this recorded version with de los Angeles and Bjorling. Sir Thomas Beecham is also one of the main reasons to buy this recording, as his graceful musicianship gives this Boheme an insight that no other recording could ever provide. Truly a beautiful Boheme. De los Angeles is touching, and Bjorling is amazing as Rodolfo, truly passionate! Mimi has never been sung better by any other singer. Another great Boheme would be the Caballe/Domingo version, sung with great pianissimos, and if you want fire and drama, go for the beautiful Boheme by Callas and di Stefano, with Anna Moffo as the foxy Musetta!

'Tis the season for LA BOHEME in opera houses around the world. One of, if not THE, most popular opera in the repertoire, LA BOHEME can endure even lackluster casting (as is the case with the present LA Opera production) and still the music is satisfying. Though there have been many recordings of this 'warhorse', this older version recorded in mono still satisfies on every level more than the rest. The conducting by Sir Thomas Beecham is free of his usual manipulations of scores and he is bent on allowing the flair, comedy and pathos of this near perfect creation to stand on its own. For the age of the recording the sonics are still as wondrous as a live performance.

As if the vision of Beecham weren't enough, this Boheme captures some of the greatest singers of the last century in their prime.
Victoria de los Angeles as Mimi is soaring, shy, broken hearted and ultimately sweet voiced in her demise. Jussi Bjorling rings to the rafters as Rodolfo in one of the most beautifully recorded documents of his artistry: try to keep a dry eye as he weeps when Mimi dies. Lucine Amara finds the finessed midpoint of Musetta's role and vocal line, and the Marcello of Robert Merrill is her perfect match. To cast Giorgio Tozzi and John Reardon as the other bohemians and even place Fernando Corena as Benoit gives you an idea of how important the casting is.

Sit back and enjoy every nuance of this perfect recording. It is a solid, reassuring reference point of just how this opera can sound - especially after lackluster performances occasionally encountered on stage. Grady Harp, November 2004

I have heard several Bohemes in my time - my favorites being the versions with Pav and Freni; Tebaldi and Bergonzi; and this one. Neither of the first two can match this recording in overall effect. Karajan with Pav/Freni, while firmly in possession of his own wonder, misses by a hair Beecham's sensuous conducting logic. Also Pav is not the best Rodolfo: he sings too opulently to convey a blue, starving poet. The Tebaldi/Bergonzi set is a sure contender, and might have stood right with this one if its sound weren't so bad.

Now as for this set itself - three words say it: Bjoerling with Beecham. These were two of the finest artists of the last century, and it is a blessing to have this record of their collaboration. Jussi, while perhaps not as romantic as Bergonzi, was a Rodolfo for all time. That ringing golden tenor truly could build castles in air. And hell, he was romantic enough for comfort. Add Beecham, and, if you please, you've got glory. His pacing is perfect. Just listen to about midway through "che gelida manina," where Bjoerling soars and Beecham expands the tempo to let Jussi's voice raise the rafters and burn deep. And I tell you what, Jussi could burn. The quantity of air that man had was astonishing at the least, and he didn't waste it: his phrases are easy, well-drawn, and thrilling.

I have no important complaints about anyone else in the cast. I actually prefer de Los Angeles's Mimi, though I think she sometimes doesn't support high notes with enough air. As for the orchestra, there are a few mishaps where accurate entrances with the singers are concerned, but that is hardly surprising - the ensemble was assembled in roughly two days and its memebers had barely played with one another or with Beecham. The sound of the set isn't as good as one might expect from the Great Recordings series, but it is acceptable, and a well-informed ear can fill in any lacking overtones.

Buy it. You'll love it for many years, and then pass down through your family.

This is in my opinion one of the best recordings of Puccini's opera 'La bohème', along with Karajan Freni-Pavarotti recording on DECCA. The orchestra is rich and Beecham's direction is masterful. The wonderful instrumental work goes its own way despite of what is going on on the stage, like if Beecham was more interested in the singing, but not in the acting, in what happens on stage. The Catalan soprano Victòria dels Àngels is a perfect Mimì, sweet and fragile, and she finds a perfect balance in the warm and fierce Rodolfo of Björling, making a good couple Mimì-sick woman / Rodolfo-vigorous man. Merrill sings very well and his role is very well represented in here.
This is a remastered edition in the wonderful Great Recordings of the Century collection by EMI, and again, highly recommended along with the Karajan version. Also, while I am writing this review, the amazon price is $13,97, which is an absolute bargain! So perhaps this is your first choice for Puccini's Bohème.
Bottomline: Along with Karajan's, this is the Bohème to go. And it is a bargain! Thanks for reading.
P.S. If you find my review helpful, vote YES (It does not mean you agree. It just means you found it helpful). You can read all my other reviews if you wish to. I modestly write them to help people form an opinion about movies, music and books, but if nobody reads them (if you don't vote I do not know if you did) there is no point in writing them.

Although Toscanini conducted at the premier and had a close relation with the composer, Beecham later received correspondence from Puccini that indicated he preferred a more leisurly pace to the opera as opposed to the almost frantic pace of Toscanini. The result is this marvelous recording; the slower tempo renders the music voluptuous and sensual. Probably would have been given an X-Rating if such a think existed at that time. The principal singers are in top voice. Well worth adding to your collection.

I've seen Thomas Beecham called the best conductor of the 20th century. Now, I wouldn't go quite that far, but this performance of La Boheme is, I think, one of the top 5 classical recordings I have ever heard. Until just a few weeks ago, I absolutely hated opera - art songs are great, plays are great, orchestral music is great, but art song + play + orchestra = bad! was my logic. So a few weeks ago, I went out on a limb and bought Karajan's recording of La Boheme - and suddenly I was converted.

Then, I bought this recording. Sure, the sound is worse (about 30 years worse if I recall correctly) but don't be fooled - this is a magnificent performance, one I think everyone - opera buffs, classical music fans, none of the above - will love. The opera itself is a classic, if you somehow didn't know that already - some classical works are acquired tastes (Shostakovich, Stravinsky...) but there is a reason that La Boheme is the 2nd most performed opera in the US. Musically, you can just sense the passion in the conductor, the orchestra, the singers... and apparently they only had a few days to rehearse it, which is probably why it sounds almost as spontaneous a live recording!

I think this recording is self-recommending for established opera fans, but for the rest of you - buy this recording!

Nearly everyone praises this famous Boheme recording as the best ever. I think it is necessary, however, to make the important distinction between an outstanding recorded performance (which this is), and an excellent recording. This mono recording, sadly, was made shortly before the dawn of stereo, and therefore does not offer anything even close to the lush sound that modern ears are accustomed to. Mono is to stereo as black & white is to color. As a result, I consider this recording to be somewhat of a museum piece, albeit a beautiful one. I enjoy it, but it isn't my first choice because the sound does not fill the room or my head the way stereo does. Alternatives? Many people consider the London/Decca recording with Freni and Pavarotti to be the best, but I find Karajan's tempos too slow and his overall interpretation less than Italianate. My favorites include Leinsdorf's realistic interpretation with a cast led by Moffo and Tucker (RCA) and Solti's robust recording featuring the ravishing Caballé and a young Domingo (also RCA). For the truly modern listener, Chailly's detailed account with Gheorghiu and Alagna conveys breathtaking urgency and dramatic variety (Decca).

La Boheme has it all: wonderful (and subtlety complex) melodies, fast action, comedy, and a three hankie ending. For me La Boheme is the test-if you don't like it you'll never like opera.

The Beecham recording is the perfect encapsulation of this close to perfect opera. If you want to show someone what all the hubbub is about opera, sit them down and play Che Gelida Manina. It is simply glorious. They just don't make tenors like Bjorling any more. Matched with a magnificent orchestra and an outstanding conductor, this to me is close to the top of recorded opera moments. If your opera skeptic is still with you after this, let the recording go through Si Mi Chiamano Mimi, another wonderful moment, with both great singing and acting by Victoria de los Angeles.

And that's only Act One!

is what you'll shed when you listen to this boheme. and why not? you've got the tenor who was famous for the 'tear' in his voice, and the soprano adored for the 'smile' in hers. bjorling and de los angeles are the perfect couple. bjorling, especially, is simply amazing as rodolfo. if you think pavarotti sounds great, you have to listen to this. no-one could sing this role like bjorling!

Away with revisionist deviationism, say I. For most of my life Beecham's has been regarded as the Boheme to end all Bohemes, and I maintain resolutely that it still is that, for all the advances in recording techniques since 1956. The digital remastering dates from as recently as 2002, but Beecham used to obtain very good technical quality of sound for his day, and for the usual reason that he demanded it and there was no use in arguing. I also offer the following consideration as regards sound-quality - when it is a matter of large forces, say a symphony orchestra let alone the battalions necessary for grand opera, the nature of the sound that can be offered to us in our sitting-rooms simply cannot resemble other than distantly their real sound in the concert hall or opera house. The effect resides to some extent on power of suggestion over the listener's ear, and although I routinely welcome every extra ounce of sound-quality that I can get, in the last resort once a certain level of quality and realism has been attained anything over and above that is secondary so far as I am concerned.

In fact I thought that this set started very promisingly in the matter of `real presence'. The sound is quite forward and it `socked it to me' quite effectively. However as matters advanced the general impact (in the technical sense) seemed to recede somewhat. I believe that this is due in part to the style of the performance. I never heard a more beautiful or affecting Che gelida manina than I do here, but I have certainly heard many that were more vigorous. I believe, simply, that Beecham and Bjorling have decided to ration the quota of `can belto' in their presentation, and it is let loose principally in duets and ensembles. This in turn, I'm inclined to think, is of a piece with the policy on tempi, which have drawn comment for being on the slow side. By way of a comparison in that respect I replayed my old Toscanini LP set, and the difference is admittedly marked, with Beecham taking 107 minutes and Toscanini, renowned and to some extent properly renowned for fast tempi, clocking out after barely 95. Without going through more exhaustive comparisons I suppose I can take Toscanini as representing the opposite extreme, which leaves me wondering how significant the issue of tempi can really be. At any speed this is a distinctly short 4-act opera, and I hope that anxiety regarding the extra 12 minutes is not a matter of the pace of modern life and fitting in La Boheme between other commitments, much as Sir Malcolm Sargent was suspected of speeding up symphonic finales in the interests of finishing before the 9 O'Clock News.

Myself, I could take any amount of musicianship like this. The performance came about at all through the alertness of a musical agent who spotted that Beecham, de los Angeles and Bjorling were all simultaneously in New York, and with awesome efficiency an orchestra and chorus together with a supporting cast were conjured up. It would have been worth hearing this Boheme for the sake of Merrill, Corena and above all Tozzi alone, as anyone ought to concur who has heard Tozzi's colossal `For He is like a refiner's fire' in Beecham's Messiah. However what most of us want it for above all is of course that sublime trinity. De los Angeles had possibly the loveliest soprano voice of her generation, and Bjorling, whose voice will bear comparison with any later tenor I can think of, even Pavarotti, did not live long enough to leave us the legacy we would have wanted. When I say, not for the only time, that I think Beecham the greatest conductor of the 20th century what I mean is this. His work has about it a peculiar sense of God-given grace (Beecham was of course an unbeliever), an aura of pure and abstract music, that is irrespective of the `weight' of the compositions he handles. He did not turn out complete Beethoven cycles (largely because he did not greatly like Beethoven) but he cast that special radiance on music of all kinds, finding and even sometimes implanting a shining particle at the core of works that had seemed base metal in other hands. At the very pinnacle of musical creation, this is the characteristic with which Mozart invests both his most obviously awesome inspirations and his seemingly lightest pieces.

I am in no hurry to get to the end of La Boheme, but there is another aspect to the matter too. The libretto is witty and the self-mocking banter of the penniless artists in their Parisian garret requires a certain kind of sophistication in the way it is sung and acted. When I ask myself Which conductor is most in tune with this kind of idiom, I reflect that greatly as I revere, say, Furtwaengler I can hardly envisage him in this context, and indeed for this question to be answered it only has to be asked. I could point also to Beecham's handling of Puccini's orchestration, which he admired to the extent of rating it more highly than Strauss's, suggesting as I do so that you will hear good enough sound-reproduction in this set to appreciate what it is that differentiates Beecham from, say, Karajan, and which is far more important than any niceties of digital recording.

I have never yet wept at La Boheme, because to me it is not art imitating life but just Italian opera being itself. The gale of life blows high among this community of impoverished creators, but clearly they need youth on their side to sustain such a precarious existence, while in the meantime l'haleine de la mort (in Maeterlinck's chilling phrase) is there to envelop the weakest of them, catching the rest by surprise. Vita brevis, ars longa, and this is a recording for the ages.