WGBH Radio WGBH Radio theclassicalstation.org

Puccini: La Bohème / Karajan, Freni, Pavarotti, Et Al


Release Date: 10/25/1990 
Label:  Decca   Catalog #: 421049   Spars Code: ADD 
Composer:  Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Luciano PavarottiMirella FreniRolando PaneraiGianni Maffeo,   ... 
Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic OrchestraSchöneberg Boys ChoirBerlin Deutsche Oper Chorus
Number of Discs: 2 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 50 Mins. 

In Stock: Usually ships in 24 hours.  
On sale! $33.98
CD: $26.99
In Stock
On sale!   $33.98   CD:  $26.99 Add to Cart





Notes and Editorial Reviews


This is the most sumptuous of all recorded Bohèmes, with conductor Herbert von Karajan coaxing ravishing playing and singing from the Berlin Philharmonic and his thoroughly-in-their-prime cast. He indulges in tempos that seem oddly slow at first but that soon add to the drama and make us hear Puccini’s orchestration—and drama—more clearly than ever; moreover, his cast can sing the composer’s lyric lines in long, sustained, legato breaths with ease and beauty. He doesn’t stint on the fun of the first and last acts either, with singers and players percolating with excitement. You can practically envision lavish sets. Pavarotti is in full bloom, with golden sound pouring forth and impeccable
Read more diction; vocally this Rodolfo hasn’t a worry in the world, and Pavarotti has ardor and feelings to spare. Freni is, if not the best, then surely one of the best Mimis of the last half-century; she is infinitely believable. The others are just as involved and sound just as good. This recording is a warm, loving experience.

-- Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com [4/2011]
Read less

Works on This Recording

1. La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor), Mirella Freni (Soprano), Rolando Panerai (Baritone),
Gianni Maffeo (Baritone), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Bass), Michel Sénéchal (Tenor),
Gernot Pietsch (Tenor), Hans-Dietrich Pohl (Baritone), Hans-Dieter Appelt (Bass),
Elizabeth Harwood (Soprano)
Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Schöneberg Boys Choir,  Berlin Deutsche Oper Chorus
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1896; Italy 
Date of Recording: 10/1972 
Venue:  Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin 
Length: 110 Minutes 18 Secs. 
Language: Italian 

Customer Reviews

Be the first to review this title
Review This Title