La Bohème

Renata Tebaldi, Richard Tucker, and Puccini’s La Bohème. That says it all. Two greatly beloved singers in roles they made their own—but seldom got to sing on the Met stage together. For many opera lovers, Tebaldi was the quintessential Mimì. The Italianate warmth and generosity of her voice ideally expressed every facet of Mimì’s character: her trusting simplicity as she falls in love, the anguish of parting from her beloved Rodolfo (Tucker at his ardent best), their brief poignant reunion, and finally her tragic death. The supporting cast includes Cesare Siepi as Colline.