Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Original 1904 Version)

Armin Kolarczyz (Performer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Gunter Neuhold (Conductor), Svetlana Katchour (Performer), Bruce Rankin (Performer), Fredrika Brillembourg (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Armin Kolarczyz, Svetlana Katchour, Bruce Rankin, Fredrika Brillembourg
• Conductor: Gunter Neuhold
• Composer: Giacomo Puccini
• Audio CD (May 21, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000631B3
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,870 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another opinion, July 22, 2004

By 

Sven De Boeck ((Flanders, Belgium, Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Original 1904 Version) (Audio CD)

In my (young)life I have listened to maybe 600 opera-recordings (of which many M. Butterflys) and heard this asthonising masterpiece many pieces. So I'm not a beginner.
But I ABSOLUTELY disagree on the two reviews about this recording !
First of the all, this is the Butterfly-version, Puccini wanted to present to the world. When you have listened to the common version, you just feel the second act has to continue 'attaca' after the Humming Chorus in the third act (and together being one act) It's just a dramatically 'murder' when the second act 'ends'.
By the way, in some Butterfly-productions there is no curtain after the second act and the audience doesn't applaud.
And so it should be. The original 1904 version - presented here - has this remarkable effect that Puccini wanted to create with the intermezzo. Cio-cio San waiting and longing all night for her husband. It was this scene that inspired Puccini, when he saw the play by Belasco in London. He knew absolutely no English but that scene set his operatic brain to work. So it's crucial to the opera and it's needs to be heard and respected again, instead of the commercial' version in 3 acts Puccini prepared for the lazy Italian public after the Scala fiasco. Als the stupid arrietta 'Addio fiorito d'asil' is not there. Come on, Pinkerton is an ass-hole and an coward from the first act till the last! Puccini didn't want to show this in another way.
But of course the version itself doesn't make a good recording.
But this IS a good recording!
Who is G?nther Neuhold ? Neuhold is one of these European (German)conducters who do their job humble with all the quality's they have. He doesn't appear on big labels with a lot of commercial gaga. But he is one the best opera-conductors in Europe. A few years ago, he made (on two minor labels, Bella Musica and Brilliant Classics) one of the best dramatic live-recordings of Wagner's Ring (in a minor opera-theater in Karlsruhe in Germany). Two reviewers on Amazon quoted his approach as one the best together with Solti's !
And so is this recording! It's the first time a hear all the details in Puccini's score (the celesta, side-drum, the tamtam).
For heavens sake ! In Sinopoli's reading (DG) you hear only a lot of noise! Is it a side-drum, timpani or bass-strings, cimbals or high strings? You neven can tell for sure. That is so frustrating! And this recording gives us the transparance Puccini really needs.
This is also the first time I hear a good climax in the love-duet. It rises and rises, and really explodes with the FF tutti and clearly quoted cymbals on the top. What a relief to hear this after so many frustrating Butterflys (Sinopoli, Conlon, Karajan etc...all wortless except for the singing).
But I admit the singing is not first class, but it's also not really bad. It gives a good support to the superbe conducting of maestro Neuhold. For Puccini-opera you need in the first place : good an transparant conducting and singers must be at least satisfactory (or very good, of course). And this recording gives us what we need for Butterfly, at least ...


Sven De Boeck (Flanders, Belgium, Europe)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, January 28, 2011

By 

William C. Norvell, Jr. "Fredd" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Original 1904 Version) (Audio CD)

This recording has been the recipient of some unjustified negative press. It is actually a very fine recording, both from historic and artistic vantage points. Those of us that have loved this magnificent opera for many, many years, and have seen many live performances and possess a number of recordings of it, will appreciate this original 1904 performance as it is contrasted with the conventionally accepted so-called "Paris" version. We learn from the origins of this masterpiece just how it has come to be in the present day genre. We will appreciate the many cuts that Puccini made to the original version, creating a smoother, softer opera that makes the personality of Butterfly more focused. The principal singers, though unknown to us, are outstanding, matching on all fronts any of the name performers in other much more popular performances. The orchestra is excellent, and the conducting is passionate, understanding and flowing. What makes this recording so special is the producer's efforts. Great opera as well as other recordings just don't "appear" as a result of signing up singers, an orchestra and a conductor. No, the producer is also an artist, albeit not one that is heard. In this case, the talents of the producer are clearly apparent when one considers the very fine acoustics of the hall selected for the recording. The producer is also responsible for the selection of the singers, and, in this recording, the singers are complimentarily "balanced" against and with one another; they are not just a bunch of individual performers, which sometimes results when selecting just "names" for a recording, in order to better market the finished product. The orchestra plays every note beautifully, probably better than just about any other recording, save the fine performance given by the Vienna Philharmonic under von Karajan ( Decca). This, of course, is saying a lot, but this orchestra deserves such bravos. What a splendid product this is ! A treasure of the highest magnitude. Thank you, Naxos, for this offering. It is a revelation of joy. WCN

3.0 out of 5 stars No translation, July 1, 2010

By 

Bryan Higgins (Albany, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Original 1904 Version) (Audio CD)

Good, if not great, performances of quite a bit of unfamiliar music (over 100 measures were later cut by Puccini). It's great to be able to hear this, but the big drawback here is that no translations of the libretto are provided. Since there is so much that isn't in the standard libretto, this is a serious deficiency. And the Italian-only libretto is full of mistakes and omissions to boot.