Customer Reviews

Puccini: La Boheme (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Anna Moffo, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Again Maria Callas takes us by surprise. We of the post-war generation, so accustomed to seeing her life in "Life" photoessays, so prone to picturing her as Medea, as Tosca---the "fiery" Callas---are forced to re-evaluate her upon encountering her Mimi.

The first two acts may not have the boundless melting beauty of Tebaldi/Bjorling, or of Freni/Pavarotti. What they DO have is a wonderful, atmospheric, authentic BOHEMIAN sound: the characters endear themselves immediately, and are real and wonderfully etched. The mood has some sparkle to it, unlike some of the more recent, somewhat overblown and ponderous sets.

By the third act, Maria Callas' Mimi starts to climb head-and-shoulders over her rivals. Her flood of hurt as she confronts Marcello, seeking knowledge of Rodolfo's whereabouts, simply pours out, and the listener is riveted by a degree of wounded hurt not heard in other Mimis.

One of the most interesting contributions to the set is that of Giuseppe di Stefano's. He conveys something that I've never heard another tenor manage. In "Mimi e una civetta", you hear his scorn, his digust at her flirtaciousness. After close questioning by Marcello, he answers honestly, with painful truthfulness: in "Mimi e tanta malata", you really HEAR, deeply and fully, the full meaning of the opera: he has left her BECAUSE she dying, and he loves her to the point of leaving her, so that she may find a wealthy man who may be able to keep her alive.

In the performances of other tenors, you understand this vital point more from the libretto than from the voice. In Giuseppe di Stefano's rendition, he uses his wonderfully emotive voice to make this point. It is a wonderful and profoundly sad exposition: he tells this "story" with such skill. Hearing it, I felt as though I really understood Boheme for the first time.

The last act is the stuff of which tears are made, nary a misstep from any of the principals. The conductor, Votto, has wisely allowed moments of stillness and never seeks to "convince" through bombast. Callas' Mimi fades away with enormous but tasteful pathos. And in di Stefano's final wrenching cries of "Mimi!", I found the ONLY tenor who brings me to real tears---perhaps simply because his ability to convey a reality through his wonderfully expressive voice is so unique.

Try this set---and see if Freni and Pavarotti can ever again make you FEEL that degree of emotion, the sense you have just shared in some wrenching communal grief. This set has a rare power.

There are many great Bohemes, my favourites are the classical set with Björling and de los Angeles, this set with Callas and the one with Carreras and Stratas. (On DVD) Callas totally surprised me. Unlike her Medea or Tosca she sounds gentle, vulnerable and loveable. There is this precious colour she only used for Mimi, it's so hard to describe... Di Stefano sounds honeyed, passionate and great as Rodolfo, a role that suited him much better than for example Manrico. Moffo dazzles as young Musetta. It's a great addition to every opera-collection.

Okay I admit I'm a huge Callas fan, but this is a great set when you consider the performances of Di Stefano and Moffo. I particularly enjoy Moffo's playfulness in the role of Musetta. Although you wouldn't think this role would be right for Callas, she shows the extent of her genius in the subtle way she portrays Mimi. If you listen to her famous "Tosca", and then listen to this Mimi, it is hard to believe it is the same person singing except of course for her distinctive voice timbre. It is obvious she is completely immersed in the role, a tribute to her versatility.

Votto, almost more than any other conductor I can think of, has a feel for this score that is natural and always in the moment - like no other. I know every note of this score, but that night - on 48 year old vinyl - I was hearing things in the score I'd not noticed before. Act II has never been more fun than in this recording and the young Anna Moffo is a delight - frothy, self-important and able to
strike the perfect balance between sincerity and superficiality.

Callas's Mimi is fine, believable, in Act I, even if not as meltingly sung as her rivals on record (but she's still pretty darned close!).

Then come Acts III and IV - and no one comes close to matching Callas here - Freni and Tebaldi approach this, but Callas's uniqueness is special - if not for everyone. The sense of gravitas she gives to Mimi is made all the more remarkable by her lightness of touch and downplaying of the actual morbidness. Every note is weighted to give the maximum effect of a total
character and Mimi has never come more alive in any recording. Callas knows this character inside and out. It only makes me wonder what she might have been like in this role on stage. Even never having performed Mimi, Callas offers the most complete portrait of this tragic heroine, getting everything just right.

No this Boheme is not Callas alone as Votto's entire, perfectly blended cast, absolutely sparkles. Everyone sings this music as though it were brand new and the ink not yet dry on the score,. There is such youthful vibrancy and freshness to every bar. If the Act III scene between Mimi and Marcello fails to wrest a tear from your eye, well my friends, I can't then imagine what could!

Di Stefano pours his everything into Rodolfo and even with the voice not quite what it had been just a few years earlier - it's still a gorgeous sound and no Rodolfo is more passionate. The scenes between he and Mimi are some of the finest examples of acting with the voice I've yet encountered. Diction, breathing, sense of phrasing, timing and the colors each of them produce give an unusual sense of depth to these youthful characters.

Again, Votto's attention to the tiniest detail without an ounce of fussiness, his sense of propulsion - expanding and contracting the music to optimum effect for the singer is revelatory.

Who would have thought that Callas, who had the great voice for Verdi, Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, Spontini, Cherubini, Bizet, Giordano, Gluck, Massenet, Haydn (yes, she performed a world premiere for a long forgotten opera called Orfeo ed Euridice), great Puccini roles, and Wagner, would have succeeded at an AMAZING Mimi, a frail role associated with light sopranos who play around with the character. From her very first breath to the last utterance by the flower girl in her death scene, no other soprano could have bettered Callas in both voice and dramatization in this indelible recording of Puccini's favorite opera (ask around, it's not Madama Butterfly). Of course, since Maria Anna Sophia Cecilia Kalegoropoulos was born a natural tragedienne, she was undoubtedly going to succeed in this role. This is one of the many reasons, possibly the most important reason, why this Boheme should not be overlooked.

Then there is Giuseppe di Stefano, the passionate Italian tenor who sings Rodolfo like no one ever did or ever will. He sang it with an ardour which would leave one in tears. He is the ideal Rodolfo voice, with his ability to color phrases with shades and tones of passion and love and hate and anger. In this aspect, he was almost Callas' equal. He doesn't sing it like Pavarotti, who I believe sings Rodolfo like a cow being dragged into the slaughterhouse. Pavarotti screams too many of his high notes, and he only became world famous for his nine high C's in the Pour Mon Ame aria from Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. He fails however, in darker composer works like Puccini and Verdi. He should have stayed in the bel canto repertoire where he could have done more wonders with his voice.

Then there the HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT and FIERY Anna Moffo as the controversial Musetta. How fortunate we are to have this first-rate prima donna in this recording side-by-side with Callas and di Stefano. And Rolando Panerai...stellar cast!

Not a recording to miss.

I just finished listening to this for the first time. Act III&IV are so beautiful, I'll never forget this experience. Callas and di Stefano, what a pair! Please buy this gem to know what La Boheme is all about!

Callas wasn't too fond of Puccini even though she sang all his great heroines on disc and some of them to never surpassed perfection. She never sang Puccini at La Scala and sang Madama Butterfly only three times. Even though she did record Mimi and Manon Lescaut, she never sang them on stage. This Mimi is great surprise of gentle, yet dramatic singing. This Mimi isn't just vulnerable and loving but also a strong woman. Remember Mimi leaves Rodolfo for the Baron? Callas shows why Mimi is doing this. In Act I&II she sounds lovely and charming but her greatest moments are in act III and especially act IV. For her "Sono andanti, fingeva di dormire" she can be called the definite Mimi. And this is only one of her great moments in this touching role. Listen how she has lightened her voice, how Mimi's consumption is portrayed by vocal colours only... Musicians call this quality morbidezza. The glowing "Si, mi chiamamo Mimi" isn't a showcase here but a vivid life-story of a precious girl. Callas' perfect diction, infallible phrasing and immense vocal range make Mimi an "easy" part for her. But Callas sings Mimi not as veristic as others, her singing is based on Belcanto, which she was taught by her teacher Elvira de Hidalgo. Callas cleared many verismo-prejudices (She works without sobs, overdone sighs and vocal tricks) but with the VOICE. Colouring, spinning the most gentle, soaring pianissimi... Act IV alone is worth the set.
Di Stefano sounds CHARMING and less icy than Björling as Rodolfo. (As much as I love Björling but I think his voice lacked charm and the sunny quality so necessary for Puccini's poet) A golden voice, IDEAL for Rodolfo. The only Rodolfo that sounds even more beautiful is young Carreras.
Anna Moffo sounds wicked and gorgeous as Musetta, I prefer her Musetta over her late recording of Mimi. Panerei is a great Marcello. Votto conducts well, even though Serafin could have done more with the score.

One word to summarize: SUBLIME! One of the best Bohemes ever!

Callas finds vocal character in every phrase -- beyond the big arias, musical pleasures to savour everywhere (don't miss moments such as Act I, "Ma quando vien lo sgelo" and Act IV, "Sono andati? Fingevo di dormire"). Full-hearted singing from di Stefano. Moffo fresh and sassy. Panerai robust and true. Votto paces all to let the music breathe, with tempi that know of the theatre. Not a stage role for Callas, but her dramatic instincts are unerring. A truly Italianate performance. This one will stay with you for years. The mono sound is quite good. (The review above from Greece is wrong -- there is indeed an accent as listed in the title.)

I have several recordings of this opera: Callas, delosAngeles, Freni and Tebaldi. The reason to own this one is for Acts III and IV.
Callas and DiStefano are at their best here. The scene which opens Act III, between Mimi and Marcello (Panerai)is the best I have ever heard. Similarly, the scene between Marcello and Rudolfo eloquently sets the stage for the exchange of emotions between Mimi and Rudolfo. You understand the sacrifice that Rudolfo knows he has to make.
Act IV is all the more moving because of what has come before.

This is a great treasure of musical theater. The Freni/Karajan and the delosAngeles are also wonderful-but the second half of this recording really gets under my skin.

Why did Tebaldi record Elisabetta in Don Carlo, a role she never sang on stage? If you use such parameters, you'll expose yourself to ridicule. Callas doesn't have a nasty voice, the foolish Californian couldn't even mention a single phrase where Callas sounds "nasty". Let me agree with the previous positive reviewers in here. This is a gorgeous La Boheme with Callas in her prime, di Stefano in his best role and Anna Moffo as lovely Musetta.