When I was in college, just beginning to love opera, I earned extra money playing for voice lessons and choir. I decided to use that money to start building my opera scores and recordings library. A very good source for cheap, used recordings in great condition (this was during the late 70's, early 80's, so we're talking about LPs and cassettes) was Half-Price Books, a chain that is still in existence, but limited to certain states. I can't tell you how many wonderful LPs I bought from Half-Price! And I have them still -- fortunately, I also have a turntable, so I can still enjoy the warmth and depth of sound which CDs simply don't have. My very first purchase, for a whopping five dollars, was the 1956 La Bohème with Jussi Bjoerling, Victoria de los Angeles, Robert Merrill, Lucine Amara, John Reardon, and Giorgio Tozzi, commonly known as "the Beecham Bohème." This was the only Puccini opera that conductor Sir Thomas Beecham ever recorded in full, and it is truly a gem and indisputed classic. In fact, many, myself included, consider this to be one of the two or three finest recordings of Puccini's beloved opera. (I'm also very partial to Karajan's recording with Pavarotti and Freni.) Certainly no opera collection is complete without it, and it is an excellent choice for a neophyte's first purchase.
Here is a synopsis of the opera, for those who are not familiar with it. The excerpt below is the second half of Act 3 from the Beecham recording, beginning at Rodolfo's "Marcello. Finalmente!"
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