BaL 15.02.25 - Puccini: La bohème

[Barbirollians]

Agreed. In addition to HvK/Pavarotti/Freni I only have Serafin/Tebaldi/Bergonzi, which will probably suffice unless I encounter the Beecham in a charity shop. I haven't heard Bohème in the opera house since the last outing of John Copley's classic ROH staging in 2012, was it ? Great cast headed by Joseph Calleja and Carmen Gianattasio.

Yes that was a great evening - went on the last Saturday .

The Richard Jones staging ( apart from its almost complete copy of Act 3 ) is not a patch on the old Copley.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Yes that was a great evening - went on the last Saturday .

The Richard Jones staging ( apart from its almost complete copy of Act 3 ) is not a patch on the old Copley.

You are so right . It’s just too lacking in any subtlety . I think I went to the final run of the old production with Calleja and Netrebko in 2015 . She sing the final act almost as one long diminuendo. The control she showed was extraordinary. I’ve only heard Georghiu sing it better.

[Barbirollians]

The best thing nowadays about BAL is being prompted to listen to what you already have . Heavens above Bjorling’s singing in Act 1 , de los Angeles showing Mimi’s fragility and such sensitive conducting from Beecham .

[Wolfram]

The best thing nowadays about BAL is being prompted to listen to what you already have . Heavens above Bjorling’s singing in Act 1 , de los Angeles showing Mimi’s fragility and such sensitive conducting from Beecham .

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether you choose Beecham, Serafin, Karajan, Pappano, or even Berrettoni - for Gigli and Albanese - you won’t be disappointed with any them.

Increasingly on these threads people are beginning to question the raison d’etre of BAL. Without wishing to raise the spectre of Interpretations on Record yet again, it’s simply that music isn’t a competitive sport.