{"product_id":"callas-puccini-la-boheme-1956-paco102","title":"CALLAS Puccini: La Bohème (1956) - PACO102","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003ePUCCINI \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eLa Bohème\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D772E90\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eStudio Recording · 1956\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 1hr 45:23\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eMaria Callas \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e- Mimì\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eGiuseppe Di Stefano \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e- Rodolfo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSoloists, Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eAntonino Votto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e, conductor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"bodybigblue\" data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D776290\"\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fI treasure this CD and I think most opera lovers will want to own it578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eOpera fans who want to understand the\ntradition of the art will want to be aware of Pristine Audio’s newly\nremastered recording of the 1956 Maria Callas-Giuseppe di Stefano \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLa bohème\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e.\nNot only does it give us a chance to hear Callas’s intensely expressive\ninterpretation of Mimì, we also hear her singing with a cast of her\npeers. Having lost almost 80 pounds a few years earlier, in 1956 Callas\nwas svelte and sounded vulnerable as she sang her tragic role with\nplaintive vocal colors. She touches your heart, especially if you are a\nvisual listener who tends to picture the artists playing their parts\nwhen you don’t see them. The singing of all-time great vocalists such as\nVictoria de los Angeles and Renata Tebaldi is wonderful to hear, but I\nprefer the art of interpretive artists like Callas or Mirella Freni who\nsing and act with equal ability. Freni and Pavarotti sing with exquisite\nphrasing on the somewhat less emotional recording conducted by Karajan.\nDi Stefano portrays Rodolfo as an ardent, passionate lover and he has\ngleaming high notes as well as excellent diction. I find Giuseppe di\nStefano’s bright Italianate vowels more interesting than Jussi\nBjörling’s less sensuous sound, which is heard on the EMI remastered\nrecording from 2002 with de los Angeles, Robert Merrill, and Thomas\nBeecham. On the recording with Tebaldi conducted by Tullio Serafin,\nCarlo Bergonzi sings with exquisite taste, but he does not have the fire\nof di Stefano. Pavarotti has more power than di Stefano but Karajan\ndoes not allow his tenor as much room to emote as Antonino Votto. With\nboth sopranos and tenors, there are no wrong choices here. Preferences\nare simply in accordance with listeners’ individual tastes. Anna Moffo\nis a dazzling Musetta who can be totally self-absorbed one minute and\nprayerfully charitable the next. Although she acts the part of a\nharridan at times, her tones are always sweet and smooth as silk.\nRolando Panerai is a fresh-sounding Marcello who loves Musetta despite\nher faults and portrays his role with burnished tones. He does not have\nthe rich tones that Merrill had, but I found his interpretation more\ncredible. Manuel Spatafora tells Schaunard’s bird story in an amusing\nmanner, and Nicola Zaccaria sings Colline’s overcoat aria with velvet\nlow notes. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ePristine Audio offers this recording\nin several different formats. If you are a true audio buff, you will\nwant either the compact disc or the ambient stereo 24-bit FLAC download.\nFor those who listen on less efficient equipment or in their cars,\nthere are lower priced alternatives, including 16-bit stereo or mono and\nMP3. The lively ambient stereo sound on the CD gives listeners the\nsense of space on a stage and makes this recording sound as though it\nwas made much later than 1956. Pristine Audio discs do not come with a\nbooklet of information, but the company’s web site has excellent\nbackground material and scores as well. I treasure this CD and I think\nmost opera lovers will want to own it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003eMaria Nockin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 37:6 (July\/Aug 2014) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO102.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBringing fabulous new life to La Bohème - one of Maria Callas's finest recordings\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I found Callas’s Mimì one of the most moving I have ever heard\" - The Gramophone, 1958 \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis classic recording of one of the most popular and oft-performed\noperas ever written was very well recorded for its day (though one can\nonly wish somewhat at headquarters in 1956 had pushed for stereo at this\npoint). Alas the current EMI issue, although generally clean and clear,\nis a rather dull, lifeless affair to listen to. This new transfer with\nXR remastering brings real life and sparkle to the production, with a\nsense of real space on the stage especially present in our Ambient\nStereo version.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the basis of painstaking investigations of residual electrical\nhums found on the original recordings I've concluded that the orchestral\ntuning used here was around 445.5Hz, and this remaster has been tuned\naccordingly - taking into account, for the first time, tape speed drift\nand minor speed variations between tape machines over the course of the\nrecording. The result is, I hope, definitive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Cast Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePUCCINI La Bohème\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMimì - \u003cb\u003eMaria Callas\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRodolfo - \u003cb\u003eGiuseppe di Stefano\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarcello - \u003cb\u003eRolando Panerai\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSchaunard - \u003cb\u003eManuel Spatafora\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColline - \u003cb\u003eNicola Zaccaria\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBenoît\/Alcindoro - \u003cb\u003eCarlo Badioli\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMusetta - \u003cb\u003eAnna Moffo\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eParpignol - \u003cb\u003eFranco Ricciardi\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCustom House Officer - \u003cb\u003eEraldo Coda\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSergeant - \u003cb\u003eCarlo Forti\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChorus \u0026amp; Orchestra of La Scala, Milan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChorus Master: \u003cb\u003eNorberto Mola\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConductor: \u003cb\u003eAntonino Votto\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOriginally issued as UK Columbia LPs 33CX.1464-5\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PACO102.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PACO102.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064779108442,"sku":"zdp1789304789925","price":24.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064779141210,"sku":"ein1789304789926","price":19.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":44064779173978,"sku":"kmt1789304789927","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/3807\/0874\/files\/callas-puccini-la-boheme-1956---paco102_1.jpg?v=1789304797","url":"https:\/\/vestorawear.shop\/products\/callas-puccini-la-boheme-1956-paco102","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}