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Last night's "La Boh?me" at the Metropolitan Opera, first performance of the Puccini work this season, made frenetic attempts at gaiety, achieved some poignancy, and had its unmusical aspects. If the latter were not exactly terrible, they, at least, made this "Boh?me" more sad than it should have been.

It was pleasant to welcome Fausto Cleva, that master of the Italian opera style, as conductor, but he deserved a better fate than Mimi and Rodolfo out of bounds.

Of the three major male Bohemians, Jerome Hines as Colline was the most professional. Gianni Raimondi was the Rodolfo, Mario Sereni, the Marcello. Hines not only sang and acted well. but he added to the ebullience by eating his dinner on-stage: an apple for hors d'oevures; half a fried chicken for entree; a cookie for dessert, and in Act IV, more bread for a midnight snack.

Eons from the Rhythm

Raimondi possesses an excellent lyric tenor, though he overextends himself vocally and doesn't cherish nuance. He is personable if too rotund to be truly handsome. To conduct him, however, was something to give any maestro the jitters. In his act I aria, he was eons from Cleva in rhythm and the conductor knew his business.

Through most of the opera, any relationship between him and the orchestra was accidental.

As Mimi Teresa Stratas was perfectly cast but she seemed bent on showing everybody how she could tranquilize phrases out of their natural rhythmic habitat. She stretched them ad infinitum and sang so vehemently most of the time she was more exhibitionist than retiring. As careers go, she has been singing a short time, yet her voice already shows signs of losing its beautiful natural quality. Too often she is intent on demonstrating power instead of beauty. She could benefit

by listening to Renata Tebaldi's coloring of the voice in this role.

Beverly Bower's Musetta lacked charm and though her voice was full it was not too appealing in quality. Clifford Harvuot was satisfactory as Schaunard.

Lorenzo Alvary was pompously and pathetically elegant as Alcindoro but Elfego Esparza couldn't hide his vocal problems even from the short role of the old landlord, Benoit.

Musically the second act was often pandemonium. In short, this "Boh?me" was alive with misdirected energy.

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