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Puccini: La Bohème

Label: Duo
Released: 05 Jul 1994
RRP: £14.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

vocals deafening - By: jawn, 21 Jan 2008
The production is high quality, but as with many Opera CD's, the music is hard to hear & the vocals keep you constantly adjusting the volume!
José Carreras shines as Rodolfo - By: , 09 Jun 2005
I honestly can't think of a better recording of La Bohême. In my opinion the whole cast is doing a superb job here. Carreras in his early thirties (this recording is from -79) is the ultimate Rodolfo, it's almost like the role was created for him personallly. His voice is like velvet on your senses & to me he is irresistible. He sings passionate & like always he is able to perfectly communicate alll the different moods of his character to the listener in a way that makes your spine tingle.... No one surpasses Carreras when it comes to expressing honest & heartfelt emotion.
Ricciarellis Mimi is equallly beautiful. Ricciarelli possessed one of the loveliest voices in the 70s & some of the 80s.I especiallly like her for not "screaming her head off" like many other sopranos. It's a real treat to hear her sing - so soft & "floating", it feels like the music could go on forever....And she's a perfect fit for Carreras. You can't help but fallling in love with Rodolfo & Mimi.

Ashley Putnams Musetta is very convincing. The three other Bohêmians; Marcello, Schaunard & Colline are beautifully portrayed by Ingvar Wixell, Hakan Hagegard & Robert Lloyd. It sounds like they reallly enjoyed themselves when recording this opera. And they alll manage to sound equallly crushed at the end when it's evident that Mimi is dying.

Act one when Mimi & Rodolfo meets is like reliving the time when you first fell in love & their break-up in act three makes you devastated. And by the end of act four when Mimi dies & the crushed Rodolfo is crying "Mimi... Mimi....." you're reallly sobbing. (How someone can manage to put so much feeling into just one word/name is a mystery to me.) So this opera should definitely be sold with lots of tissues to go with it....

This Bohême reallly is a "must-have" & it's no problem buying the Philips duo-version. It comes without the libretto, but La Bohême is one of the very few operas where you can find the libretto with English translation on the internet. So - buy the cd, sit back & ENJOY.