Search - Giacomo Puccini, Licia Albanese, Patrice Munsel :: Giacomo Puccini: La Boheme [1949-1951 RCA Victor Recording: 38 Minutes of Highlights/excerpts (on Tracks 9-16 of CD TWO of this two CD set)] [Licia Albanese, Patrice Munsel, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Leonard Warren, George Cehanovsky, Nicola Moscona, Renato Ce

On Naxos Historical 8110252-53; 2 CD's; This is the first time these famous excerpts from "La Boheme" (38 minutes, originally released on a single LP) with Albanese, Munsel, Di Stefano and Warren have been released in their entirety on CD (on Tracks 9-16 of CD TWO of this two CD set). These highlights, recorded by RCA in 1951, are valuable because they give us the golden voice of Giuseppe di Stefano as Rodolfo at the zenith of his powers. He quite simply possessed all the gifts for this romantic rôle in the early 1950's. His top register was exciting and vibrant, his mezza-voce velvety in texture, his diction perfect, his musicianship sound and his stage presence admirable. Sadly RCA did not record him in the role complete as they already had a 1946 Toscanini broadcast performance in their catalogue at the time. His Mimì, the Italian-born Licia Albanese had already recorded the opera twice in 1938 and 1946 but as she was one of the most important members of the Metropolitan Opera at the time and also an exclusive RCA artist, it was natural that she would take part. Leonard Warren was the principal Italian baritone at the Metropolitan by this time and his bronzed, healthy voice together with its huge, vibrant upper register made him ideal for Marcello. Patrice Munsel had been the youngest ever principal soloist at the time of her début in 1943 at the Metropolitan, where she would continue to sing until 1958. She also starred and sang in the film biography of Melba, made in Britain in 1953. The excerpts are as follows: "Che gelida manina," "Mi chiamano Mimi," "O soave fanciulla," "Quando m'en vo," "Donde lieta usci," "Dunque e proprio finita," "In un coupe... O Mimi tu piu non torni," and "Sono andate?" This set also includes, complete, the long familiar Tebaldi "Boheme" from 1949- 1951.