PUCCINI: La Boheme (complete opera) – Norah Amsellem (Mimi)/ Marcus Haddock (Rodolfo)/ Georgia Jarman (Musetta)/ Fabio Capitanucci (Marcello)/ Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/ Gwinnett Young Singers/ Robert Spano, conductor – Telarc

by | Jul 22, 2008 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

PUCCINI: La Boheme (complete opera) – Norah Amsellem (Mimi)/ Marcus Haddock (Rodolfo)/ Georgia Jarman (Musetta)/ Fabio Capitanucci (Marcello)/ Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/ Gwinnett Young Singers/ Robert Spano, conductor – Telarc 80697 (2 CDs), 110:17 ****:

This new recording by Robert Spano and the ASO begs many questions, not the least of which is: why? There are a flood of Bohemes on the market today, many of them great and even near-definitive, and for Telarc to jump into the fray with an unknown cast and unproven opera ensemble seems strange indeed.  To top it all off, this is the first live recording ever done by the company in Atlanta, and the results, while not at all unflattering and even excellent in some instances, still leaves some issues hanging.
To compare this set against the releases of Beecham/De Los Angeles, Freni/Pavarotti, or even Caballe/Domingo would be too unfair. So I decided to match it against another upstart issue from about 20 years ago that also purported to present the opera in a “fresh” guise using young, unknown (or almost unknown ) singers, the Bernstein/DGG release that had Angelina Reaux, Jerry Hadley, Barbara Daniels, and Thomas Hampson. The fatal flaw in that recording almost universally recognized among critics, is Bernstein’s incessant stretching of the line, almost to the breaking point. The singers are obviously struggling to meet the Maestro’s demands, and for the most part they succeed. But it is so far outside the mainstream that it is doomed to never be regarded as a primary choice. But what Bernstein does bring is an absolutely gorgeous orchestral palate, the likes of which has not been heard since (perhaps until now), and the ravishing colors of Puccini’s orchestration have never been put forth so magnificently.

Let me list some of the positives of this new recording. Spano proves himself an able Puccini conductor—this is a reading of great finesse and dramatic power (it was a “semi-staged” production), and the conductor has a real feeling for the narrative progression of the opera. The orchestra sounds wonderful—never have I heard the Atlanta strings, often sabotaged by the waywardness of Symphony Hall, sound so ravishing. The singers are very fine, though the Ms. Amsellem is a little vibrato-widened in her presentation, but they actually all hold up well against Bernstein’s cast, even the baritone. The Musetta of Georgia Jarman sings her big waltz easily as confident as Barbara Daniels did, though Bernstein makes the big swell at the end of the ensemble section much more evocative and thrilling. And to top it all off, this two-CD set is being offered for the price of one.

And I think there is a reason for that. Telarc must have realized, as this set is live and has a lot of audience noise, including some humorous murmurings in quiet passages where something amusing happened on stage, that is most distracting, especially on repeated hearings. Even in other live recordings you don’t often hear this kind of general audience clamor. This alone sets it apart as something you will not want for your first choice. Stick with greats for that (and I have not yet heard the new DGG Netrebko/Villazon recording). Another wasted opportunity was the lack of Super Audio. [It will be released on SACD in September…Ed.]  The sound is generally superb—Telarc has recorded it at a fairly low level, at least compared to the Bernstein, but I think I prefer the physical setup of the forces in the DGG better. Telarc has the singers on the stage in front of the orchestra, and you can tell—sometimes it sounds rather recessed, though the powerful passages still come through very well, and the recording itself is clean and smooth and very accommodating to the ears. The Bernstein has the singers behind the orchestra, and overall the balance seems better, though like most DGGs there is a problem with not enough bass presence, something never lacking in a Telarc recording.

So should you buy this? I like it enough to consider it a fine supplement, though you have to have one of the other listed recordings as well, for even if this issue was to take the lead in style and substance (which it does not), the detriments of audience noise (and it is not too bad, but enough to make it noticeable) will preclude it from being something you will always want to hear. But I have to give everyone credit—they sound just spectacular, the pacing is excellent, and there are moment s of fervent passion and great beauty. The Atlanta forces and singers should be very proud of this effort, but I think next time Telarc might want to be a little bit clearer in its goals vis-a-vis the marketing of the disc and its place among the plethora of other competing recordings.

— Steven Ritter

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