Puccini MADAMA BUTTERFLY Opera in two acts Madama Butterfly....Renata Scotto, soprano Suzuki..............Anna Di Stasio, mezzo-soprano Kate Pinkerton......Silvana Padoan, mezzo-soprano B.F. Pinkerton......Carlo Bergonzi, tenor Sharpless...........Rolando Panerai, baritone Goro................Piero De Palma, tenor Prince Yamadori.....Guiseppe Morresi, tenor Il Bonzo............Paolo Montarsolo, bass Il Commissario......Mario Rinaudo, bass Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma Chorus master: Gianni Lazzari Conducted by: Sir John Barbirolli recorded 1966 2CD EMI ADD 1989 CD1 (72'07") 01 E soffitto e pareti 02 Questa e la cameriera 03 Dovunque al mondo 04 Quale smania vi prende! 05 Quanto cielo! Ancora un passo or via 06 Puccini - Madama Butterfly- Gran ventura 07 L'Imperial Commissario 08 Vieni amor mio! 09 Ieri son salita tutta sola 10 Ed eccoci in famiglia 11 Viene la sera 12 Bimda dagli occhi pieni di malia 13 Vogliatemi bene un bene piccolino 14 E Izaghi ed Izanami 15 Un bel di vedremo 16 C'e Entrate 17 Non lo sapete insomma CD2 (69'49") 01 A voi pero giurerei fede costante 02 Ora a noi 03 E questo e questo 04 Che tua madre dovra 05 Io scendo al piano 06 Vespa! Rospo maledetto! 07 Una nave da guerra 08 Scuoti quella frinda di ciliegio 09 Or vienmi ad adornar 10 Coro a bocca chiusa - Humming Chorus 11 Oh eh! Oh eh! Oh eh! 12 Gia il sole! 13 Povera Butterfly 14 Io so che alle sue pene 15 Addio fiorito asil 16 Glielo dirai 17 Che vuol da me 18 Come una mosca prigioniera 19 Con onor muore Madama Butterfly: opera in 2 acts, libretto by Luigi Illica (prose text) and Giuseppe Giacosa (verses), based on the play 'Madame Butterfly' by David Belasco after a story by John Luther Long, music by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), first performed 17th February 1904 at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan. In the course of composition, Puccini became fascinated with japonaiserie and discussed not only 'authentic' Japanese motifs and folk-songs with the wife of the Japanese ambassador, but also details of Butterfly's behaviour with a Japanese actress on tour in Milan. The opera was slated for La Scala. Rehearsals went well: musicians and stage-hands are said to have been moved to tears after the execution of some passages. The premiere on 17th February 1904, however, was a fiasco. Greeted by the yells of the public, a reaction that was quite possibly 'staged' by rival publisher Sonzogno and the composers he had under contract, Puccini withdrew his opera. The morning after the terrible night before, Puccini wrote: "... It was a real lynching! Those cannibals didn't listen to one note. What a horrible orgy of madmen, drunk with hate! But my Butterfly remains what it is: the most deeply-felt and imaginative opera I have conceived!" Still, almost immediately Puccini started revising it: the second act (initially 90 minutes long) was divided into two scenes, the first ending with the Humming Chorus. Many details were eliminated from the first act and the drama was tightened. This revised version was presented at the Teatro Grande in Brescia on 28th May 1904, with a cast essentially the same as at La Scala except for the Polish soprano Salomea Kruszeniski as Cio-Cio-San. This time it was a stupendous success: seven pieces had to be encored and Puccini was called ten times in front of the curtain. Puccini used to call 'Madama Butterfly' his favourite work, one he was never tired of listening to in its entirety. The libretto of Madama Butterfly is one of those rare instances in operatic history where the text is actually an improvement over its sources. The dimensions of the opera, the finely etched depictions of its characters, its inexorable progress to its dénouement, and the beautiful verses and dialogue constructed by Giuseppe Giacosa all stand in marked contrast to the writings discussed above. Coupled with Puccini's emotionally charged musical score, Madama Butterfly produces an effect at once intimate and overwhelming, a haunting portrayal of the dangers of misguided love. This recording marked the long overdue return of Sir John Barbirolli to Italian opera, the field in which he had served his apprenticeship, first as an orchestral cellist and then as a conductor. Renata Scotto was the leading Butterfly in the 1960s and the combination of Scotto and Barbirolli, plus the outstanding tenor Carlo Bergonzi, produced an inspired performance of Puccini's popular opera. The Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide describes it as a performance that will remind you of the first time you fell in love with this opera. Amazon reviews: Forget about Callas (Karajan), de los Angeles (Santini), Freni (Karajan) and Tebaldi (Serafin). This recording with Scotto, Bergonzi and Barbirolli is not to be believed! It is the definitive recording of Madama Butterfly. Scotto is the best Butterfly on record. She brings her incomparable artistry with her. You feel her as a human being with emotional depth (without overdoing things). Bergonzi proves himself the most stylish Italian tenor in the world. Barbirolli is a master at the score. Preferable to Karajan's Butterfly which is overrated.