Not quite great
I had enthusiastically looked forward to this live HD transmission and attended the performance at a local movie theatre. While there is much to enjoy in this version, the shortcomings left me with an overall lukewarm impression.
A big disappointment for me was the transposition of Rudolfo's famous aria, Che gelida manina, down a half step so that it peaks at a high B instead of a C. This is as good of a place as any to explain why I think transposition in a piece such as La Boheme just does not work. Puccini used an almost "through-composed" style in his operas (following the lead of Wagner), which means all of the musical moments are seamlessly attached. Key transitions, of course, are essential for the piece to come off as ... Read More
An excellent La Boheme
This is another filming of Zeffirelli's well-known La Boheme production, but it still looks fabulous. I loved what conductor Luisotti is doing with the orchestra, and it is good to have a recording of Gheorghiu singing Mimi, while her voice is still in good shape. Ramon Vargas is a good Rodolfo and baritone Ludovic Tezier is excellent as Marcello.
Highly recommended!
Beautiful in HD...
I saw this at the local cineplex in HD. These are wonderful events for those of us far from New York. We were thrilled by the performance. This is the same production (different singers) as the Pioneer DVD which has been available for a long time.
When THIS "event" is available in Blu-Ray...I'll buy it.
PS: And I already have the earlier DVD of the Zeffirelli production.
A BOHEME to treasure !! Is it Rodolfo's or Mimi's Boheme ?
Britten - Peter Grimes (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)
This DVD is a recording of the performance of La Boheme at the Met on April 5/2008 which was transmitted in HD worldwide. The first night was on 3/29th with the same cast, and the reviews in NY papers and the one here by Ivy Lin were based on the the opening night performance, not the one used on this disc. I attended the opening and agree with most of Ms. Lin's observations, i.e.: Vargas ' voice being "lyric,bright,ardent" hitting
the high C in Che Gelida Manina "delicately"; Gheorghiu's aggressiveness and sluttishness, and her being out of sync in her Act1 aria. I do not agree with her claim that Vargas was too chubby and phlegmatic to be a believable Rodolfo, ... Read More
One small quibble: Gheorghiu's Mimi
This is one of the better DVD releases of the Met's recent enormously popular live HD moviecasts. The cast sings well, the production is one of Franco Zefferelli's less tacky creations, and La Boheme remains one of the singer-proof operas. Puccini's music is so affecting that even rather average singers can make the experience moving.
Fortunately this La Boheme has assembled a cast that is far from average. I saw the production in its opening night with the same cast. I found both Vargas and Gheorghiu's voice to be a tad small for the large cavernous Met, but one cannot argue with the beauty of their voices. Gheorghiu's voice in particular has a dusky, husky, fragile sounding timbre that gives us the illusion of a consumptive. Her snow-white ... Read More
