The Paris of love and art. A poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher. Living hand to mouth in a freezing garret. Christmas cheer and a heart won by girl next door. The tragedies of love and poverty. Puccini’s best-loved opera is touching, comic, realistic and romantic, true for any time in which deep bonds can flower in the face of adversity.
Experience the power of Puccini’s sublime score in this new concert performance by Irish National opera, featuring celebrated Irish sopranos Celine Byrne and Anna Devin, in the roles of Mimì and Musetta.
“The quality and clarity of this recording are exceptional – every note is pin sharp – while the singing is truly excellent. Bizic is particularly good as Marcello, his voice rounded and clear, with great diction.Byrne’s Mimì, too, is superb. Her voice really soars in her Act I aria ‘Si. Mi chiamano Mimì’…Devin’s impressive coloratura in Act II’s ‘Ch’io beva del tossico!’ (‘I’ll drink some poison!’) also deserves special mention…[This production] will surely appeal to those global listeners.” – Opera For All
“This recording has one of the finest third acts I have heard, brilliantly sculpted by Alapont to include moments of held-breath emotion – and certainly one of the tenderest endings, with the Rodolfo and Mimì in perfect accord. The recording is spectacular…We hear everything, and in beautiful perspective” – Classical Explorer
★★★★ Performance, ★★★★ Recording “Celine Byrne is a touching Mimi…Vitulskis is capricious, jealous and head over heels with the girl upstairs…It’s Sergio Alapont in the pit who really makes the difference, subtly stretching Puccini’s tempos for maximum dramatic effect, finding orchestral details in a familiar score that you had forgotten, or never properly heard, and above all letting his singers lead” – BBC Music Magazine