La Boheme

[Barbirollians]

This has been a very lucky opera on record .

All the four recordings I have are splendid in very different ways Beecham ,Karajan, Serafin and the Callas ( with Votto I think.

I have recently come across a live recording on Sony from the Met in 1958 poignantly including Albanese and Bergonzi and quite stupendously conducted by Schippers .

Albanese was clearly the Met star and gets wild applause and although she sounds a bit old for the part and edgy in tone until she seems to get going in O Soave fanciulla heavens is she moving in Act 3 and the finale . As for Bergonzi absolutely fabulous from first note to last .

What is your favourite recording ?

[makropulos]

This has been a very lucky opera on record .

All the four recordings I have are splendid in very different ways Beecham ,Karajan, Serafin and the Callas ( with Votto I think.

I have recently come across a live recording on Sony from the Met in 1958 poignantly including Albanese and Bergonzi and quite stupendously conducted by Schippers .

Albanese was clearly the Met star and gets wild applause and although she sounds a bit old for the part and edgy in tone until she seems to get going in O Soave fanciulla heavens is she moving in Act 3 and the finale . As for Bergonzi absolutely fabulous from first note to last .

What is your favourite recording ?

What a lovely question. I think Serafin (Decca) is probably the one I play most often, but it's a close thing, not only with the versions you mention, but also with Schippers (EMI), Chailly (Decca), Pappano (EMI), the DVD with Cotrubas/Schicoff/Gardelli at the ROH, and a treasured bootleg DVD gloriously conducted by Carlos Kleiber.

[verismissimo]

It's Melba's Farewell from Covent Garden on 8 June 1926 (after 40 years) that I treasure most. The Gramophone Co had strung up a new-fangled microphone or two and the sound went down a telephone line to a windowless room where they more or less had to guess when to start and stop the recording machine (wax discs, of course) for the 3-4 minute chunks. Packed house filled with the great and good including King and Queen.

Melba was noted for her singing, not her acting, but these recordings of her are filled with the emotion of the occasion.

She was 65 and still in remarkable voice. Anyone heard these treasures?

[makropulos]

It's Melba's Farewell from Covent Garden on 8 June 1926 (after 40 years) that I treasure most. The Gramophone Co had strung up a new-fangled microphone or two and the sound went down a telephone line to a windowless room where they more or less had to guess when to start and stop the recording machine (wax discs, of course) for the 3-4 minute chunks. Packed house filled with the great and good including King and Queen.

Melba was noted for her singing, not her acting, but these recordings of her are filled with the emotion of the occasion.

She was 65 and still in remarkable voice. Anyone heard these treasures?

I've just listened (for the first time) to some extremely touching extracts online from Melba's farewell - and you're right - her voice is still in amazing shape. What a marvellous occasion - thanks for mentioning it.

[umslopogaas]

I have versions conducted by Schippers, Beecham, Erede, Toscanini, Votto, Karajan and Serafin. Impossible to say which is the favourite, but Karajan on Decca with Pavarotti and Freni is hard to beat. I havent listened to any of them for ages. Its a great work, but having played all of those at least once, I think it needs a long rest. Besides, the ending usually reduces me to tears.

The Rough Guide to Opera recommends Serafin, Beecham, Toscanini (with a caution about rather antique sound), Karajan and a 1995 version by Nagano with Te Kanawa and Richard Leech. They criticise Karajan for sluggish tempi, but praise the singing.

[Conchis]

I have Erede Votto, Beecham, Serafin, Schippers, Karajan, Davis and Chailly. All have something to offer but i think the combination of the Pavarotti-Freni partnership at its peak, the BPO and vintage Decca recording shades it for Karajan for me. Plus, Karajan was a great Puccini conductor!

[makropulos]

The Rough Guide to Opera recommends Serafin, Beecham, Toscanini (with a caution about rather antique sound), Karajan and a 1995 version by Nagano with Te Kanawa and Richard Leech. They criticise Karajan for sluggish tempi, but praise the singing.

I'm no big Karajan fan in general, but his spacious conducting (*not* sluggish!) Bohème is pretty marvellous - as is the singing.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm no big Karajan fan in general, but his spacious conducting (*not* sluggish!) Bohème is pretty marvellous - as is the singing.

Karajan's Tosca and Madama Butterfly are right out of the top drawer too. However, his Turandot is a different matter.

[makropulos]

Karajan's Tosca and Madama Butterfly are right out of the top drawer too. However, his Turandot is a different matter.

Agreed on all counts - including, alas, the Turandot.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

What a lovely question. I think Serafin (Decca) is probably the one I play most often,

That's my favourite - well nigh perfect and the BaL winner the time before last. However, in the 2008 BaL, it was dismissed within the first few minutes.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Glad the Karajan is getting so many endorsements: I bought it on LP when it came out (a certain High St chemist had put out a lot of Decca 2-LP sets at the price of one disc and as an impecunious student with expensive tastes I took advantage).

As someone who feels very guilty about owning any Puccini at all, it's done the job for me till this year when (a) I couldn't resist it on CD for £4 in a charity shop; (b) I was given the Beecham on LP

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

As someone who feels very guilty about owning any Puccini at all, ….

????

[Barbirollians]

I forgot I have the Chailly too - then again I have not listened to it for a good while as I have only had it back a few weeks from a friend who borrowed it about ten years ago !

[Pianophile]

Think I'd go for the Karajan first with it's spacious tempi and the most gorgeous singing from Freni and Pavarotti and the much-missed British soprano, Elizabeth Harwood as Musetta. I'm also drawn to the Beecham version with Victoria de Los Angeles as close to being a perfect Mimí as can be, IMO. I also have on vinyl the Votto recording with Callas who is rather wonderful in a role she never sang on stage.

[LeMartinPecheur]

[As someone who feels very guilty about owning any Puccini at all, ….]

????

I loathe how he seems to love making women suffer.