La Bohème

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)

DESCRIPTION

It is a shame that casting a larger voice as Mimì has fallen out of fashion today, because a voice like Gilda Cruz-Romo that can scale itself as well as fully meet the vocal and emotional demands of Puccini’s score proves a revelation. She is well-balanced by Carol Neblett as Musetta, whose ample voice and glamorous tone give the part added dimension. Enrico Di Giuseppe’s ardent Rodolfo manages to rise to the high bar set by his female counterparts, and Julius Rudel brings nuance and style to the score the likes of which you rarely hear at major opera companies that tend to rush this opera to the stage.

CAST

Mimì – Gilda Cruz-Romo
Musetta – Carol Neblett
Rodolfo – Enrico Di Giuseppe
Marcello – Abe Polakoff
Schaunard – William Ledbetter
Colline – Michael Devlin
Benoit – Don Yule
Alcindoro – Jack Bittner
Parpignol – Joaquin Romaguera

DETAILS

Location: New York
Date: February 28, 1970
Conductor: Julius Rudel
Catalogue Number: OD 12232-2
Label: Opera Depot
Number of Discs: 2
In Mono

BONUS

Gilda Cruz-Romo sings “Quando men’ vo” from La Bohème — Mexico City, 1965.

Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

BONUS