Customer Reviews

Puccini: La Boheme

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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...

This recording is fantastic with a cast that is sheer gold.
Bergonzi is a master tenor with a musical sense of vocal phrasing matched by an effortless technique and inspired characterization.
Tebaldi IS MIMI as her splendid and vivid heartfelt characterization attests and her velvety tone is a marvel of vocal beauty.
The two lovers possess magical loving chemistry that is spellbinding and orgasmic in their closing arias of act 1 and the rest of the cast including the great Ettore Bastiannini as Marcello are compelling as well.
This is a cast of singers that truly take possession of their characters and the inspiration is electrifying and memorable whether it be in the comedic aspects of La Boheme or in the romantic and or tragic aspects.
Bergonzi's crys of "Mimi!" when he finds out she has passed will tear your heart to pieces and Tulio Serafin leads the whole
performance with a never ending commitment and passion to the score.
Decca's sound is phenominal especially for a recording made in 1959 with a perfect balance between orchestra and vocals and believable stage sound effects all presented in crystal clear warm analogue stereo sound.
The package of this opera is mediocre as it only gives you a tiny description of what is happening in each track.
You can acquire a libretto through computer but it's kind of a hassle to do so and it would be nicer to have the libretto in your hands.
I guess that's the flaw in acquiring a budget recording but Decca should seriously think of releasing this classic recording with a full libretto as it truly deserves the complete 5 star treatment.
Anyway, please pick up this recording as it is guarenteed to give you great pleasure as it has been doing for almost 50 years.


O.F.

There exists three La Boheme's which I consider to be must listens: Callas' recording, Karajan's with Freni and Pavarotti, and this recording with Tebaldi and Serafin. Many people would say that the perfect recording of this work is the Freni, Pavarotti, Karajan Decca one, but I find that this recording, is a perfect supplement and vision to that. La Boheme is an opera about simple people with grand dreams and thoughts, and Serafin captures the elements that make Boheme such a human and touching opera. I have eluded Boheme for a while because so many people have made chicken feed out of a great opera, but going back to this recording and Serafin's made me rethink the values of Puccini's most loved opera. This recording's virtues are many. First of all, Tullio Serafin was a master of the Italian repertoire. He conducted several premieres by the Italian composers of his day, much like his mentor Arturo Toscanini. He also made a specialty out of Puccini and Verdi operas, and La Boheme was no exception. His sense of Italianate phrasing and his mastery over orchestral dynamics make this recording intimately beautiful and magnificent.

The cast is the perfect exponent of a Puccinian opera. Renata Tebaldi takes the role of Mimi in an interpretation that is simple, beautiful, dreamy, and rightly proud. She also possessed that creamy tone and that powerful spinto voice which impressed Toscanini at the beginning of her career. She is perhaps the perfect Mimi. She is partnered by Carlos Bergonzi's Rodolfo, who is in my opinion an infinitely better Rodolfo than all the other tenors who did the role. He had the poetry, the elegance, the phrasing, and the vocal dramatics to do justice to the role, and for him alone would I buy this recording. A reference performance indeed for both leads.

The supporting cast is taken by Italian greats such as Ettore Bastianini and Fernando Corena who sing with animation and beauty. Along with the Toscanini recording and Callas' recording, this recording completes the triumvirate of Bohemes that must make it to every collection along with perhaps the others mentioned above.

Yes, this was my "first love" at least in opera---this version of "La Boheme"! Some people don't like the "miking" because the microphone is AWAY from the singers as though you were listening from a seat about 10 rows back from the singers with the orchestra closer to you than the singer. At first I didn't like this "perspective" preferring a "closely miked" opera where the microphone is right in front of the singers mouth. But, the "far away" perspective is "more life-like" or "realistic" and it actually AMPLIFIES THE FORTISSIMOS of both the voices and orchestra thus making fortissimos more emotional. A good example is in the aria "O Soave Fancuilla" or "O Beautiful Girl"....the aria starts off with the tenor on stage---the orchestra somewhat "louder" because it is in FRONT of the singer....and you are in, say, the 10th row....and when the music gets louder...as the tenor sings, "Looking at your beautiful face, I see the dream I would dream forever"...when the tenor sings, the orchestra AND the voice get VERY LOUD and it "knocks your socks off"---musically that is. If you can listen to that fortissimo without getting alittle teary eyed you're a more stalwart person than I am, I assure you!

To summarize, this version contains alot of emotion and beauty. Try it, I think you'll like it...or maybe you might even "love it" as I did when I first heard it some 40 years ago!

PS: I read someplace that the libretto is "online" and is many pages long. I do know that you'll enjoy this opera more if you can "read along" with the libretto and understand the poetry of the words. Email is gourmet72141@yahoo.co

Boheme is easy to pull off, but nearly impossible to get right. It requires more than just a great cast and a great conductor. It requires a certain something more, a sort of magical spark that makes it ring true. Most productions fail in this. This one gets it right...
This is my third copy of this particular recording of La Boheme: I first heard this recording in bits and pieces in the movie "Moonstruck." All of the Boheme moments from "Moonstruck" are from this recording, and even the live scene at the opera is dubbed from this.
Though I have owned many rare and wonderful Boheme recordings, this one outstrips them all. The fireworks between the voices of Tebaldi and Bergonzi make them possibly the greatest opera duo ever to collaborate on stage. They match each other magnificently. Bastianini is flavorful and funny as Marcello, and the soprano playing Musetta is perfect for the role. All of the supporting cast is marvelous.
It's an older recording, from a time when tempos weren't precise and it was common to take liberties with the material that we wouldn't take today. But this doesn't diminish the wonderfulness of the recording.
Buy it. You know you want to.

The recording is wonderful in every way, just as the previous review says. Just one complaint which is why it's not getting 5 stars. The box says the libretto is included, however, it's on the first CD and must be accessed by computer. It's 109 pages long so printing it is not a viable option. There's no way to follow the libretto while listening to the opera. If you have a copy of the libretto from another recording, or if the libretto doesn't matter to you, by all means buy this version.

This performance can certainly be called the superlative La Boheme. The previous reviewers have written all the praise it needs. However, be warned that the audio engineering on this recording is surprisingly bad. Sometimes the singers - even in important arias like "Che gelida manina" sound too distant. One might argue that this is a more "opera house" sound - which can be a good thing. But well-engineered live recordings don't have as much echo as this studio one does. This is an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise lovely performance of La Boheme.

On no account should you ignore this recording because the sound is below good engineering standards. The performance is among the best. Do buy it.

It is very quite difficult to pick just one Boheme of all those available in the market. I personally own the Pavarotti/Freni/Karajan set and the Bjoerling/Beecham but I also have heard that of Domingo/Caballe/Solti and the Callas/DiStefano in EMI.
I have heard the Bergonzi/Tebaldi Boheme some years ago in a version with a very hard-to-bear sound. In that version (I agree with the other reviewer) the singers are heard so far and it really doesnt allow you to enjoy the music, but this enhanced new cd version has improved the audio and now you can hear everything and it is a pleasure!!!
I must say that I am not a complete fan of Tebaldi because of -in my taste- her top notes are strange and not very pleasant but she makes beautiful piannisimi to die for. But you can find in her Mimi a very delicate touch and sensibility, needed requests for Mimi. Bergonzi is stilystic and his phrasing is amazing. His Che gelida manina is pretty enough! and I love the duet between bergonzi and bastianini at the first of Act four. D'Angelo is convincing as Mussetta and makes you thinnk she is flirting to you too... Nice conducting of Serafin. The end of the opera is thrilling and always makes me cry but in that point I must admit that Di Stefano in the Callas Boheme is unsurpassable, though Bergonzi has a very good end for the opera (and I think it is much better than Pavorotti's in the Karajan set). Something else: the price. It is very affordable and you can enjoy it for just some coins!!