This is one of the classic Puccini recordings. Renata Tebaldi recorded the role of Mimi twice in the studio. This, her second recording made in the lae 1950s with stereo sound is one of her best records. Her Mimi may not give us the insights of Maria Callas (who is less consistent vocally) or the charming Victoria de los Angeles (that soprano's voice being far smaller and less powerful than Tebaldi) but Tebaldi's assumption of the role is probably the finest sung on record. Her velvet voice can strike the high notes with huge power and next be breathtakingly sweet and soft. Her "Si, mi chiamino Mimi" is a classic of the gramophone. Carlo Bergonzi is her Rodolfo. His voice seems rather less focussed than say Pavarotti and Di Stefano but it is sweet and powerful and he is a fine stylist. Ettore Bastianini gives a warm voiced and powerful assumption as Marcello - certainly one of the best alongside Robert Merrill. Serafin as ever, gives us a performance which is italianate and powerful without being brash. The performance is a little slow in places but not to the extent of say Karajan (Decca, 1970s).
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