"[T]his is Zeffirelli at his best" - musicalcriticism.com
"[Gheorghiu] was superb as Mimì. From her first notes, sung from behind a closed door, she was distinctive and alluring. She sang with extraordinary precision, subtlety, control, nuance, and, above all, musicality. She is a natural, having gifts that are simply unearned — they are, indeed, gifts. She put a number of colours in her voice, all to a purpose. And her soft singing, as usual, was exemplary." - New York Sun
"The Zeffirelli La Bohème just might be the best investment the Met ever made… Its magic shows no sign of diminishing." - Opera News Online
"Angela Gheorghiu, returning as Mimi…revealed exquisitely veiled tones in a performances that was as tenderly touching as it was vibrant." - New York Post
Angela Gheorghiu leads a magnificent cast in Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production of Puccini’s La Bohème - filmed live at the Metropolitan Opera.
This grand, sumptuous production of Puccini’s timeless masterpiece is brought to you on DVD by EMI Classics, continuing its collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera and its hugely successful Metropolitan Opera : Live in High-Definition series.
La Bohème, set in Paris around 1830, depicts a society fraught with conflict. Amid the turmoil, it is the love that blossoms between two young artists in a time that appears both bleak and turbulent that makes this story so very special.
Mimì and Rodolfo, sung by Angela Gheorghiu and Ramón Vargas respectively, charm as the young couple that fall in love while Marcello and Musetta are sung by Ludovic Tezier and Ainhoa Arteta.
Gheorghiu, the leading Puccini soprano of our time, reprises the role of Mimì at the MET for the first time in twelve years. She sings the role with the beauty and perfection that is expected by an artist of her great stature and experience.
Following its debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1981, Franco Zeffirelli’s stunning production is as loved and as magnificent today as the day it was first staged over 27 years ago. This live broadcast is therefore the 347th time Zeffirelli’s Bohème has been performed making this, the most performed production in the MET’s history.
Conducting, Nicola Luisotti is described as "a man who knows what he is doing in this repertoire: the way he can control the orchestra to move with the singers' expressive tempo fluctuations is breathtaking, a quality which helps to show Puccini at his best." - musicalcriticism.com
Disc Format: DVD9
Subtitles: English / German / French
Created by White Label Productions
© EMI Classics, all rights reserved.
