[Met Performance] CID:291250



La Bohème
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, January 22, 1988

Debut : Carlos Kleiber, Jonathan Summers, Claudio Giombi




La Bohème (928)
Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa
Mimì
Mirella Freni

Rodolfo
Luciano Pavarotti

Musetta
Barbara Daniels

Marcello
Jonathan Summers [Debut]

Schaunard
Thomas Hampson

Colline
Gwynne Howell

Alcindoro/Benoit
Claudio Giombi [Debut]

Parpignol
Stephen O'Mara

Sergeant
Mitchell Sendrowitz

Officer
Ray Morrison


Conductor
Carlos Kleiber [Debut]







Review 1:

Review of Bill Zakariasen in the New York News

MET DELIVERS MASTERPIECE

Conductor Carlos Kleiber is as famous for his cancellations as Montserrat Caballe, and therefore pundits were taking bets last week whether he'd show up for his Metropolitan Opera debut Friday in Puccini's "La Boheme."

But he did-after, according to Met scuttlebutt, he got the rehearsals and the cast he wanted. The former showed in the precision of the whole performance, and in the latter, no one could hope for bigger names than Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo and Mirella Freni as Mimi. In fact, this was an altogether superior presentation of "La Boheme" which showed the Met in the best possible contemporary light.

Kleiber's conducting was very much in the Toscanini mold-brisk overall, yet within its tight framework very resilient. He worked most attentively with the singers, who never once got away from his beat. I'm sure Pavarotti was used to a more relaxed tempo in "Che gelida manina" (which he sang transposed down a semiitone as usual these days), but he has never sounded more ardent or vocally ringing in the role. Freni is of course vocally and dramatically the dominant Mimi of our time, and perhaps because of Kleiber's attentive conducting, she seemed better than ever in the part.

Australian baritone Jonathan Summers debuted as Marcello, showing an assured technique and stage presence. The other debutant, bass Claudio Giombi, appeared in the roles of the landlord Benoit and the dirty old man Alcindoro. He played the parts with good tone and proper befuddlement, and interestingly he was made up for the latter character to look like Verdi. Barbara Daniels sang brightly and gave a spunky yet sympathetic portrayal of Musetta, Thomas Hampson was outstanding in the usually negligible role of Schaunard, and Gwynne Howell made a strong if somewhat gravel-voiced Colline.



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