Soprano Nelly Miricioiu made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimi in LA BOHEME on October 28th, 1989. My friends Richard and Kenny joined me for this memorable matinee performance.
Like Alessandra Marc, who had debuted exactly two weeks earlier as Aida, Ms. Miricioiu scored a great success with the audience; but neither soprano had a substantial Met career. Perhaps their voices were too unique to be understood and appreciated by the general public.
Here's my diary entry about the Miricioiu debut, written the evening of the performance:
"Excellent performance at The Met, and the first time I've really enjoyed this production. The only slight letdown was Donato Renzetti's conducting, which tended toward slowness and did not always bend with the singers. On the other hand, Renzetti underlined certain passages of the score quite beautifully, and the orchestra - playing very well - gave a more cushioned legato sound to the music than in sometimes the case with this very familiar score.
In her Met debut, Nelly Miricioiu created a perfect Mimi. From the moment she stepped onstage, the character and the singer were totally merged both physically and musically. The Miricioiu voice is unusual: not sumptuous nor rich-timbred, but hauntingly uneven, with a Callasian veil over the tone at times. Olivero was frequently brought to mind, but Miricioiu's voice is darker and more reedy that the great Magda's
With this strange and unpredictable instrument, Miricioiu was able to summon a fascinating palette of colours, from delicate pastels to a acidic silver-blue. Bewitching turns of phrase kept one riveted to her every utterance...Mimi's tender and pathetic love was expressed in a multitude of vocal details, yet there was no trace of artifice at all. To this was added her rather plain yet attractive face, her graceful figure, and her total perfection of movement and gesture, leaving me to think that no one else today could touch her in the role.
"Mi chiamano Mimi" was so natural...not really an aria, but a portrait deftly drawn. The final high-C of the love duet had a pronounced beat but somehow it still seemed beautiful. The soprano made the most of all the little phrases in the Cafe Momus scene, and gave a thrillingly desperate account of her woes to Marcello outside the inn. Miricioiu's "Addio senza racor" was so hushed, so resigned, and so full of despair ("...torna sola Mimi..."), with the ending barely breathed out, her back to the audience, and taking Rodolfo's hand. The opera's final scene was so poignant, with Mimi's vulnerability - the underlying quality of the soprano's portrayal - hauntingly expressed.
Spellbinding, captivating...insufficient words for what Miricioiu accomplished. She simply became Mimi.
The soprano's fully equal partner was the splendid Richard Leech. This part belongs to him now. The sweetness, clarity, power, and emotional tug of his vocalism was matched by his ardent acting in a deeply satisfying portrayal. Leech's vocal generosity made for a thrilling "Che gelida manina", winning him an enthusiastic ovation. He is also a singer who has the gift for making even the little throw-away phrases in this role become significant thru the sheer beauty of his sound.
Rodolfo's final anguish as Mimi's life slipped away was wrenchingly portrayed; the tenor won a huge reception from the crowd at his bows.
Baritone David Malis, Cardiff Singer of the World in 1985, made a very successful Met debut as Marcello, with his handsome, hunky presence and ample, rich voice. He established the character from note one, and stayed on course all afternoon, providing many wonderful phrases in his duets with Mimi and Rodolfo. He is a most appealing artist in every way, and he was very well received.
Myra Merritt was very well-cast as Musetta, her voice finely placed and secure, with a trace of metal in the highest notes. She looked well, and the Waltz was effectively staged. In the final scene, her brief prayer for Mimi was touchingly done, as was her embrace of Marcello as the curtain fell.
Stephen Dupont as Colline fared much better today than he had as Ramfis two weeks ago, though the voice is not free of problems. He played the production's rather greasy, lazy concept of the philosopher perfectly. Vernon Hartman's Schaunard was a success, and Italo Tajo's Alcindoro/Benoit was a gem.
The opera moved me to tears - it doesn't always nowadays, but it should. Brava Miricioiu!!!"
No recording of the Miricioiu Met debut was forthcoming, but here are some samples of her delicious and highly personal way with music:
Nelly Miricioiu - La Boheme ~ Donde lieta usci
Nelly Miricioiu - Ebben ne andro lontano ~ LA WALLY
Nelly Miricioiu - Duparc's L'invitation au voyage
Nelly Miricioiu - Duparc's Chanson triste
Nelly Miricioiu - Vissi d'arte ~ TOSCA
The Met careers of Alessandra Marc and Nelly Miricioiu were oddly similar. Ms. Marc, a Met Auditions finalist in 1983, sang five Aidas in her 1989 debut season. She was not heard at The Met again until 2000, when she sang four performances of Turandot. Ms. Miricioiu's debut was her first of four Mimis in 1989; she returned to The Met in 2004 for two performances as Elena in I VESPRI SICILIANI.
~ Oberon