Search - Giacomo Puccini, Herbert von Karajan, Vienna State Opera Chorus and Orchestra :: Puccini: La Bohème

A live Boheme from Vienna proves to be golden

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 03/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Opera d'Oro now boasts two great accounts of La Boheme with the young Freni, this one from Vienna in 1963 (mono) and another from Rome Radio in 1969 (stereo). I suppose this one has gotten overlooked because the other boasts the young Pavarotti as Rodolfo while this one features the much less stellar Gianni Raimondi. However, in every regard this is a great performance and an unbelievably exciting one, too. Karajan is at his very best in the pit, which means the best the world had to offer then.



He ignites his cast to give their best. Freni owned the role of Mimi and seemingly never gave a bad performance; in this case she is at her luminous peak. Raimondi sounds uncannily like the young di Stefano in his ardor and vocal daring. The voice gets slightly squeezed on top, but he's an outstanding Rodolfo nonetheless. Rolando Panerai could hardly be bettered as a hot-tempered Marcello, and his Musetta, Hilde Gueden, was an acclaiamed member of the Vienna State Opera, not as idiomatic as the other lead singers -- Italians all -- but fine in her own right.



The whole enterprise throws off high spirits from the first scene onward, which is something that doesn't fit the stereotyped image of Karajan. The audience goes wild at every opportunity, and there's lots of stage noise. Even so, the sonics are very clear andd detailed for the era. I can't imagine a Boheme that could extract more laughter and tears."