Search - Giacomo Puccini, Francesco Cilea, Domenico Scarlatti :: Puccini: La Bohème

Revisiting the Gigli ?Bohème?

madamemusico | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 02/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This fascinating recording of "La Bohème," made in 1938 just before the outbreak of World War II, is either loved or vilified by collectors: loved because of the unusual amount of warmth and humor evident in the performance, vilified because of its several score inaccuracies. Yet returning to it after listening to other "classic" recordings of the opera, by Toscanini, Beecham, Karajan and the recent Chailly version, one comes to a greater understanding of what this performance is really about and the various traditions that contributed to it.First and foremost, it is a performance indigenous to its time and place. These are all native Italians performing what was, even then, the best-known and loved of Italian operas, so for them the characters were real, the operatic language natural and idiomatic, the music a means of personal expression. It has been claimed for so many decades that Gigli was a "terrible musician" that it is good to hear him in a complete role dear to his heart and to analyze his good and bad points. Among the bad, a tendency to break the vocal line with chuckles and sobs, some of them called for but many of them not; the interjection of spoken words not in the score (mostly in act one); and an ingrained habit of attacking high notes cleanly but using a portamento to slide DOWN from them. But here are his good points, which in my view are considerable: the ability to reflect the various moods of the character through vocal placement and coloration; a rhythmic acuity-the ability to hit his rhythms dead-on and use them to "bounce" the music when appropriate-much greater than Caruso or Bjorling; and an impetuosity of forward momentum, even in tragic and legato passages, that keeps him from lingering unnecessarily to wring greater pathos out of the score. Aside from those interpolated spoken words, his most grievous musical flaw is to jump into "Che gelida manina" one beat earlier than he should, which Albanese told a friend of mine was artistic choice and not a mental lapse.As for the rest of the cast, they are superb, especially Afro Poli as Marcello, the young Albanese as a less innocent Mimi than we are used to, and Tatiana Menotti as the most interesting and well-developed Musetta on records. The other musical "infractions" all occur as the result of the cast applying the time-honored traits of Italian opera buffo to those sections of "Bohème" that sound good with it: turning occasional written notes into parlando, imbuing the characters with life and sparkle. Toscanini loathed the buffo style and Beecham never understood it, so between them they drained much of the life out of this unique little comic-tragedy. Umberto Berrettoni's orchestra is not as unified or as sharp in attacks as we have gotten used to, yet his brisk approach is very much in keeping with the tradition that Puccini all but imposed at La Scala in the 1910s and early '20s. (Puccini was famous for yelling at conductors in rehearsal when they took passages too slowly.) Thus, in some ways, the performing traditions of this recording have their roots in the composer's wishes. Of modern recordings, only the Chailly captures some of the briskness and humor of this one. Beecham, for all his luxuriousness and tonal beauty, is to be faulted for sentimentalizing "Bohème" for modern audiences, of turning a brisk, vital work into romantic sentiment....not to mention that de los Angeles, Bjorling and Robert Merrill had absolutely NO personality or concept of who and what these characters are. Albanese, Gigli and Poli get them right.The dry studio sound of the era, though considerably improved by Ward Marston, is indeed a detriment, and I am sure there are many modern listeners who will cringe at it; but, for those who don't, this is certainly a "Bohème" to be treasured, if not the only recording one would want."

BOHEME FOR THE AGES

Music lover | Philadelphia | 11/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Superb performance that enshrines several legendary interpretations as well as a performance style that is fast becoming extinct. These people sing and act as if they have actually met before this recording, maybe performed their roles a few times and even, dare we say it, like Puccini. A perfect antidote to today's antiseptic run throughs
Gigli is fabulous. Honeyed voice near its prime, plenty of personality, including ad-libs and a few vulgar sobs, but who can sing and act like this today? Albanese is her usual touching self with crystalline diction, an easy legato, and one of her heart-wrenching death scenes. Supporting roles well taken, conducting by de Fabritiis, who I was lucky enough to see conduct his last Bohemes in Philadelphia with Pavarotti, round this great performance out. Superb remastering by Ward Marston. There is an added bonus of arias and solos by Albanese further demonstrating why she was so beloved and why she should be mandatory listening among today's aspiring prima donne."

The very best recorded La Boheme

A. J. Moulfair | usa | 02/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To my ears, the superb 1938 La Scala La Boheme starring Licia Albanese and Beniamino Gigli is the finest recording of this work available, their two beautiful voices blending miraculously to portray the tender passion and poetry of this moving love story. The generous bonus tracks in this 2CD Naxos set contain all the arias and songs that Albanese recorded for HMV 1936-40 and are an excellent example of the early Albanese voice before the launching of her famous Metropolitan career (she made her Met debut February 9, 1940 as Madama Butterfly). The transfers and digital re-mastering are also very fine in this set that will bring you much pleasure.A. J. Moulfair"