PUCCINI: “LA BOHEME.” Montserrat Caballe, Judith Blegen,...

PUCCINI: “LA BOHEME.” Montserrat Caballe, Judith Blegen, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes; John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Georg Solti. RCA Red Seal RCD2-0371 (two compact discs). This CD transfer of the 1974 performance boasts sonics too brittle to placate audiophiles, but it should bring cheer to the hearts of Caballe fans. The Spanish soprano delivers one of her finest recorded portraits, offering a Mimi of unaffected poignancy and Italianate urgency floated on gossamer pianissimos. By comparison, Domingo’s robust Rodolfo rarely brandishes his poetic credentials, contenting himself with merely strenuous vocalism. Blegen’s brittle Musetta sounds like she drives the hardest bargain in the Cafe Momus. Overall, the recording suffers from a chilly studio ambiance, fatal to an opera that so trades in youthful spontaneity. Blame Solti’s aggressive, unidiomatic, attack-and-retreat conducting for that failure, a mismatch of material and maestro, if there ever was one.