La Bohème

Wondrous! Magical! As many times as I have seen a production of "La Boheme," I am always moved to tears. "La Boheme" is, I believe, always Number One or Two in any survey or poll as to "Your favorite opera." Deservedly. Stars Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti are matched here by the other performers, who are, simply, among the very best I have ever seen. There is a version of this 1988 production at YouTube among some others. I think I will try to watch each and every one. But I'll return to this one again and again.

This is one of those operas that never can fail. There are not many of them, and two of the others are Bizet's "Carmen" and Verdi's "La Traviata", but Puccini's most popular opera is something different, all verist and revolutionary in some ways, especially considering the second act, the mass scene at the Café Momus in Paris. Puccini made his operas more than their underlying literary works, giving his ladies a finer lustre than their authors ever gave them. That's the general tendency in all of Puccini's operas, like *Manon Lescaut' (totally different from all previous 'Manon Lescauts'), Tosca (making a scenic actress a superstar), 'Madame Butterfly' turning a poor young unsuspecting geisha into a divine heroine, and in 'Turandot', ruining and bringing down the great all powerful Chinese princess by presenting the poor slave girl Liú as a much nobler and more sincere character. Mimi in 'La Bohème' crushed everyone's hearts from the beginning, and she has never ceased to do so. It is one of the universally most loved operas ever, and here it is performed in San Francisco with an almost entirely Italian cast, doing it thoroughly justice, with also a very young and brilliant Italian conductor, Tiziano Severini. Of course, Mirella Freni brings home the prize, and she is always overwhelming in sincerity. It's difficult to think that this opera could be given a better performance.

La Boheme is the most beautiful opera of love, death and pure sadness. I am 17, and I love opera, and this is one of my all time favourites. It is one of those operas where one audience member, if not the whole audience, are in tears in the first bar or so, that is if they know how the opera ends. For those who haven't already seen it, prepare for tears, it is that sad and it has some subtle humour too. And the gorgeous score by Puccini is to thank for that. The finale to act 3 and Mimi's death are two of the most heart-rending scenes in the whole of opera history. Another honourable mention, should go to the Death Scene in Boris Godunov, see the footage of Boris Christoff's 1956 recording, believe me, it's amazing. Back to La Boheme. Mirella Freni is considered by many as the most definitive of all the Mimis, and those who say that are right. She has the frailness and the beauty, plus the big but beautiful voice so much needed for the character. Plus her death scene is done with such grace. The late Luciano Pavarotti gives one of his finer performances as Rodolfo the poet. Sure he needed to transpose "Your tiny hand is frozen", but that's not a crime. Jussi Bjorling did the same thing when he sang it when Renata Tebaldi in 1956.(I have a video of the Art of Singing:Golden Voices of the twentieth century, and Christoff and Bjorling are both featured on it, alongside Caruso and Callas). There are also superb performances of Musetta and Marcello by Sandra Pacetti and Rossini-veteran Gino Quillico respectively, Pacetti particularly starts off delightfully seductive and feisty then turns sensitive and subdued, what a transformation. And Nicolai Ghiaurov is wonderful as Colline, the aria where the philosopher sings of his coat is sung very sensitively here. The end of the opera, and I genuinely mean this, moved me so much, I was in tears, when I promised no I mustn't cry. All in all, a must-see for those who are fans of the opera, Freni or Pavarotti. Without question, 10/10 Bethany Cox

In my opinion, no two people can sing or play Mimi and Rodolfo better than Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti. The two are incomparable. They are simply the quintessential example of operatic excellence. Although, they are a bit older in this production, both in their mid 50s when they should be about 35 or so..., they are flawless in vocal quality and presence. Never has a soprano captured the essence or soul of Mimi as beautifully and gracefully as lyrico soprano Mirella Freni. It is truly her signature role, one that gained her fame notably at La Scalla in the early 60s. She then went on to film the 1963 Boheme and then made the unforgettable, unmatched 1973 recording of La Boheme with Pavarotti, again in my opinion the finest operatic recording of our time coming close to Price's Aida. Pavarotti, as always... is simply perfect. Vocally a stunner and romantically a hunk... he'll sweep any lady off her feet with his piercing vocal vibrancy and masterful control. The Musetta is as well quite charming and comical and Gino Quillico's rich Baritone is a must hear. His acting is as well one of the best interpretations of Marcello seen in quite a while. His artistry is right along in rank with Freni and Pavarotti. Do not miss out on this masterpiece. This is history, a pure piece of operatic excellence. And yes, i sobbed in the end... how could you not? If there is any one solid reason to watch this production however, i would have to say it is just to be able to hear the excellence of Mirella Freni, the finest soprano of the 20th century, with a voice that carries drama as well as innocence, the perfect blend for the perfect Mimi... Her 1st and 3rd act arias are truly the highlight of the film along with Pavarotti's 1st act aria. It reminds one what opera is all about.... passion and beautiful singing.