Track 6:

Che Gelida Manina (Your tiny hand is frozen)

Performed by David Hobson with The Australian Opera & Ballet Orchestra
Conducted by Julian Smith, Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica/ABC Music Publishing
From the Australian Opera 1990

This magnificent track is the second song featured in Act I of La Boheme. This rendition is sung by David Hobson, an opera singer who starred in Baz Luhrmann's Australian production of La Boheme. This particular track comes from the very first production of Luhrmann's opera back in 1990. Che Gelida Manina is also featured on the Original Cast Recording of La Boheme on Broadway CD, where it is sung by one of three performers who portray Rodolfo, Alfred Boe. I have become a great fan of La Boheme as a result of the Broadway production, and would love to see the opera myself some day. In the meantime, my DVD copy of the Australian production will have to do!

Here's what Baz Luhrmann had to say about Che Gelida Manina (Your tiny hand is frozen):

"Given that we have made so much opera we all thought it was important to have just a taste from one of our productions on this album. Everyone thinks opera is hard to listen to because it is just one long piece of music, but actually it is a lot of songs (or arias) joined up by dialogue that is sung. This is one song from La Boheme."