Puccini: La Boheme

Tebaldi (Artist), Bergonzi (Artist), Puccini (Composer), Serafin (Conductor), Saint Cecilia Academy Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Saint Cecilia Academy Orchestra
• Conductor: Serafin
• Composer: Puccini
• Audio CD (August 20, 2002)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00006469L
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,569 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #68 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Operettas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous singing at a fabulous price, August 29, 2002

By 

tenordan (rural, old fashioned, small town Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Puccini: La Boheme (Audio CD)

Tebaldi and Bergonzi make this cd more than worth the price. You will not regret this purchase. Tebaldi's reputation is that she never made a good studio recording. Baloney! She and Bergonzi shine here. They are the singers heard on the soundtrack of the movie Moonstruck, by the way. This is a classic.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An All Time Great Recording, October 24, 2006

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Puccini: La Boheme (Audio CD)

I can remember the exact moment I purchased the Tebaldi/Bergonzi LA BOHEME and the first time I listened to it. I was in high school and went to the counter with my purchase. The cashier said "This has to be the best cast ever assembled for this opera. Certainly better than the cast of that other set." She then pointed to a display with the horrible "other set." The other set she was referring to was the Pavarotti/Freni cast under the direction of Karajan. It was not a new set at the time, but it was featured on sale. Truth to be told, I had no idea I was purchasing such a superior set. It was already released at mid-price, the box was damaged so it was further marked down, and it fit my high school budget. I went home, listened to it from start to finish, and to this day, I'm not sure if I've ever been as mesmerized by a musical recording as I was that evening as a high school student listening to my first BOHEME. Puccini's beautiful music, even if it's not as sophisticated as some of his later works, has power. How many people claim that LA BOHEME is what hooked them on opera, and it's a sentimental favorite of millions.

I'm not going to argue as to whether this is the best cast ever assembled for this opera. This is an argument that could never be settled. I will say that the principals are phenomenal. Throughout the opera Mimi goes from an innocent to a woman in love to a woman hurt to a woman dying. Renata Tebaldi is able to bring forth the nuances of Mimi in a sweet yet forceful manner I believe is unsurpassed. Carlo Bergonzi is able to convey vocally a young man of youthful energy and bravado who in a short time loses the woman he loves, knowing that even if he finds love again, he'll never find another a Mimi. The twisted antics of the lovers Musetta and Marcello come across through the performances of Ettore Bastianini and Gianna D'Angelo. I particularly enjoy D'Angelo's Musetta. All too often she's portrayed in a too brassy manner. I suppose it's a natural temptation for a soprano to play her a bit over the top, and many audiences expect it, but that's not the case here and I believe it is an advantage of the recording. D'Angelo is a Musetta with a multi faceted personality and not just a bold woman who does a few good deeds. She's still a flirt, she's still bold, and she's still comical. Yet she sings in a smooth manner that allows her personality to come across through the music. Listening to this set helps us understand not only why the men find her attractive: she is a girl who knows more than her prayers, so to speak, but also understand why Marcello loves her. When I've followed this recording with the libretto, it's believable that she a bit wild but is also compassionate enough to care for Mimi when she's ill. Tullio Serafin is a conductor in control. There are small orchestral details in this recording that are ignored in other sets. This is one of his later recordings and for me, it has historical significance. Puccini died in Serafin's lifetime and the conductor actually knew the composer. This could be the sort of recording the composer would have had in mind.

I've listened to many recordings of this work and have a number of sets I love, including the Pavarotti/Freni set which I don't believe is the abomination the cashier made it out to be. Still, there's something about this set that has been released in a number of different formats over the years that still moves me. I know it's a set loved by opera lovers and may be the best set for people new to the work. This set does not have the printed libretto which previous released included but the disc can be used in a CD Rom drive and read with Adobe Acrobat.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The unsurpassed, 100% Italian La Boheme!, April 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Puccini: La Boheme (Audio CD)

This is an essential recording of Puccini's most beloved opera. Tebaldi's second recording of Mimi is warmer, even if she was in marginally better voice for her first recording. She may not sound as fragile as Freni (another thrilling Mimi) but there is no soprano who can surpass the beauty and luxury of Tebaldi's instrument. Listen to her dramatic outbreak "Rodolfo m'ama" in her duet with Bastianini. Her vocal caliber produces shocking experiences rarely heard! Her "Mi chiamano Mimi" is responsible for my first tears when listnening to opera recordings.

If one can argue that Tebaldi is the best Mimi since Freni is certainly not less memorable, the role of Rodolfo is a closed matter. Bergonzi is the poet for whom the role of Rodolfo was written. It's mostly used for vocal fireworks forgetting the lyrical sound. (P. Domingo has also stated this) but Bergonzi has both. Along with Renata, they'll make with their duets the most demanding listner cry. However, beyond them the cast includes legends like E. Bastianini, C. Siepi and the less popular G. D'Angelo. T. Serafin's SUPERB, PERFECT conducting completes this legendary La Boheme.

Keep in mind that you'll have to print out the libretto yourself. That's the cost for this set's reduced price...