Customer Reviews

Puccini: Madame Butterfly (Highlights)

5 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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This recording is the best of the best doing the best in Madame Butterfly. It is difficult to find the best recording of Madame Butterfly, which from start to finish is a continuous and integrated dose of Pucinni's most beautiful music. As Madame Butterfly requires a soprano who can SING AND ACT, the best performace is any decent live performance. That's probably why a DVD version is not yet available of this opera. This CD contains the highlights of Madame Butterfly and the highlights are perfectly done by Richard Tucker, Leontyne Price, the chorus and the orchestra. Don't let the age of the recording scare you off, I and others have found that many recordings done originally in RCA's Living Stero have transfered excellently to CD.

With a good sound system or with a portable CD and earphones, you can hear the characters' voices move across the stage as they act their parts, the instruments of the orchestra have their very distintive voices and even the knife clattering on the floor is undeniable.

A friend lent me this recording with the warning that it is extremely addictive. I couldn't give it back to him until I had a copy of this CD of my own and I already had a copy of Madame Butterfly on VHS and an excellent CD version of the complete opera. Borrow this CD from a friend, you will buy it. As an introduction to the opera experience or just as a temporary opera "fix", this CD of Madame Butterfly is the best investment you can make.

Many have written regarding Leontyne Price's classic portrayal on the recording. RCA has re-released the highlights again in new packaging and updated sound....and as always it is a treasure. I have lived with this recording since I was a kid and it is still and always will be my favorite of this opera. I listen of the highlights CD even a little more than the complete recording. Funny, I still have my old mono Dynagroove LPs too. If I was ever asked for a Desert Island Discs list, this would be on it.

This was my first Butterfly, bought in the Sixties, and so Leontyne Price is imprinted in my min for this role, one she neer sang on stage. Her voice is really too big and lush for Cio-cio San, but that hardly matters given her ravishing singing. What does matter, unfortunately, is the stiff, unyielding conducting of Leinsdorf and the trumpet-like bawling of Tucker. both are so bad that it is hard to listen to this set anymore, especially with so many fine alternatives around.