O soave fanciulla-La Boheme by Placido Domingo/Montserrat Caballe

In the previous trilogy (love songs from opera, operetta and musical), we listened to the three tenors (Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti) sing the aria “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot in concert in 1990. Now, we would like to turn our attention to the harmony produced in duets. One of the most beautiful is the duet between Mimi and Rudolfo in La Boheme. Both are impoverished, young and impulsive. They meet, they fall in love. In a very nuanced recording in 1973, Montserrat Caballe and Placido Domingo sing “O soave fanciulla” with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Sir Georg Solti. Many people commented on the joy of hearing the harmonic line as Puccini wrote it. This recording was made about three years after I heard Domingo sing the role of Rudolfo at the New York City Opera. He was one of the finest actors I have seen on the stage, and he broke your heart at the end when he went to adjust the blinds so that the sunlight would not disturb his beloved Mimi. She seemed so peaceful; he thought she was just sleeping; and when his back was turned, her hand fell from her muff to the side of the sofa. We saw her die; he didn’t. As I said, his grief broke your heart because you felt that Mimi had just died a second time.