With Puccini's La Bohème we continue our classic opera recordings series with another brilliant recording featuring Jussi Björling, this time starring alongside Victoria de los Angeles and under the baton of Sir Thomas Beecham.
The two lead soloists had recorded together previously, and appeared together on stage, but never in these roles. Björling's Rodolfo was his most frequent and longest-lasting stage role, and as usual he's magnificent here. De los Angeles is the perfect Mimi alongside Björling, whilst Beecham brings decades of experience and his direct knowledge of Puccini, with whom he'd discussed the opera, to bear in this his sole recording with Björling.
XR remastering coupled with Ambient Stereo and a modicum of real opera-house reverberation gives a sound is much more comfortable and natural, allowing you to concentrate fully on enjoying Puccini's brilliant music and the artists' fabulous performances.