Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3159 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-15
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Colour, DVD-Video, PAL
• Original language: Italian
• Subtitled in: Italian, German, English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 136 minutes

Synopsis
Puccini's opera LA BOHEME is the story of the lives, loves, trials and tribulations of a group of 'bohemian' artists in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1830's. Performed by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

Customer Reviews

Is this the definitive version of La Boheme?
Puccini - La Boheme [The Metropolitan Opera HD Live 2008]I have several versions of this opera and in my opinion this illustrates the character of Mimi and Rudolfo better than any other version I have seen. "A Must Have" for lovers of opera.

La Boheme
I assumed that Angela Gheorghiu singing the role of Mimi would be enough to carry the production through, no matter who took the role of Rudolfo... in this case Ramon Vargas. I underestimated! Between them they, and not forgetting the rest of the cast, give a heart-rending performance that leaves the viewer as emotionally exhausted as they all obviously are at the end of the final act. Bravo! Magnificent! Puccini would approve.

In general high quality and most important, very touching.
MET gave a series of very high quality live opera video for cinema/TV boardcast. Il Barbiere is one, here we have another one.
This production is not totally new but it looks like a new one because the color is so fresh and framing is very professional as a movie.

Vargas was a cute big boy and has a really lovely voice. Gheorghiu was the star of the night. Her voice was a bit too heavy for ActI and she was a bit overacting when singing her aria, however she was so beautiful and very convincing in later duet. She and this production show that Mimi is not a simple mind girl, but an brave woman who dares to love and to ask for love, even til last minute of life. In the later acts she was perfect and really touching. Her acting in 4th act was heartbreaking.

Among all videos of this opera my favorite is 1979 La Scala one under C. Kleiber's conducting. However that video doesn't have good enough sound and screen quality, not to mention you can't really get that from Amazon. For other videos, some are too old style, some are good singing but bad production... This one is in general the highest quality one.
Whether you are already an opera fan or a new person, this video can give you a lot of fun (or tears because of being touched).