This is somewhat of a disappointment. It was recorded live in April, 2007, two months before Rolando Villazón took an extended break from singing, and there is noticeable strain in much of his portrayal. If you were coming to this opera fresh, you might think, from Villazon’s first notes in Act 1, that Rodolfo was a baritone. It isn’t the normal dark hue of his sound; it’s an unappealing rasp. It clears up quickly enough, but he transposes “Che gelida manina” down a half-tone and ducks the (optional) high C at the act’s close. He is his usual scrupulous self for the entire performance, singing each phrase thoughtfully, with meaning and with a mind toward dramatic urgency, but the somewhat stressful delivery makes the lighter moments less than light. That said, he’s still better–that is, more sensitive–than a half-dozen other Rodolfos I could name, and by the last two acts he’s singing quite handsomely.
Anna Netrebko is not a natural-born Mimi. She sounds less than involved here–a rare thing for her–and her voice does not blossom in quite the manner Puccini sopranos should: The ascents to A in her first aria lack rapture, and elsewhere either she or conductor Bertrand de Billy opt for tempos that do not allow for depth of interpretation. She, like Villazón, comes to greater dramatic life in the last two acts.
Nicole Cabell’s Musetta is well sung and avoids all vulgarity; Boaz Daniel is a sympathetic, honey-toned, if lightweight Marcello; Vitalij Kowaljow’s Colline is good but lacks vocal depth; and Stephane Degout’s Schaunard impresses. As inferred above, de Billy leads a fast-paced performance, but one not wanting in sensitivity. The orchestra and chorus are quite good. The overall impression is not of a star-studded Bohème but rather of a good, workaday one. We had every reason to expect more.
