Mitch Friedfeld <[log in to unmask]> writes:

>It was at the end of Act I that the only compromise took place, that
>I can tell.  As Mimi and Rodolfo conclude their aria, they cut those
>excruciatingly high and exposed notes short, allowing the orchestra to
>finish the phrase.  Both Callas/DiStefano and Hendricks/Carerras string
>them out (with even Callas a bit wobbly, IIRC).

No compromise - your soloists were just following Puccini's score. His
subtle, dying fall at the end of the Act (harp and strings pianissimo)
has too often been sacrificed on disc to singers' desire to show off
their contrary oscillations.

In the theatre, fortunately - provided they've gone off stage as
directed before that last note - it's mercifully hard for Rodolfo and
Mimi to indulge in such bad, old gramophone recording habits without
getting totally out of sync with the band. Puccini, as ever, knew precisely
what he wanted, and what he was doing!

Christopher Webber, Blackheath, London, UK
http://www.zarzuela.net
"ZARZUELA!" The Spanish Music Site