Madama Butterfly
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Free Music Notes for Madama Butterfly
Free Music Review: Second-best among de los Angeles Butterly's
Hit: 3 Stars
The faults of this Madame Butterfly, the second that de los Angeles recorded after a classic mono version in 1954, haven't prevented it from being loved. Butterfly was a signature role for the soprano, who lent it an irresistible innocence and ardent passion. No one in the modern era except Freni has sounded quite so touching. If you want her in stereo, however, you have to ut up with absurdly close miking, which makes Bjorling sound as if he's blaring out every phrase (his counterpart on the mono version is di Stefano, sounding almost as good as the incomparable Bjorling and with a more youthful tone). Santini's conducting is serviceable, although Gavazzeni is much more dramatic on the mono set. finally, the mono version has Tito Gobbi as a great Sharpless where Sereni is fairly rotine. The original CD transfer was painfully strident, but the present issue seems reasonably mellow -- I imagine the close-up miking had a sharp edge to begin with. For me, the advantage of stereo can't offset the deficits here, but to each his own. Free Music Review: Jussi Bjorling master class
Hit: 5 Stars
If you are enthusiastic about the tenor voice of Jussi Bjorling, then this is one of the best quality recordings of his voice you can get hold of. All the spine tingling delivery you found in the Pearl Fishers duet.Free Music Review: De Los Angeles Madama Butterfly
Hit: 3 Stars
I have been listening to various recorded and live performances of Madame Butterfly for years and have several versions in my collection of CDs. Furthermore, both Bjoerling and de los Angeles are favorite singers. This recording, however, is something of a disappointment, largely because of the singing of Bjoerling, but because Bjoerling and de los Angeles are grossly mismatched. De los Angeles,as always, sings beautifully, however, she never seems to get into the character of Cio cio san. Nor does Bjoerling with respect to Pinkerton. Throughout, he sings loudly and dramatically, mostly overpowering de los Angeles. Rather than get into the character, he merely seems in love with the sound of his own voice. There are numerous recordings of this opera that are much better, the outstanding one being that conducted by Sir John Barbarolli with the two principals sung by Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Scotto. In total as a performance on all counts, this recording is a towering work of art, full of thrilling, goose-bump moments. Scotto's interpretive insights are beyond words. Bergonzi, too, sings to perfection. If you don't think he is a great singer, listen to this. You will definitely change your mind. The rest of the cast is equally good in every respect, largely due, I suspect, to the conducting of Sir John, who seems to really love this music. I would say that in order to fully appreciate this recording, acquire a couple of others for comparison. One that comes close is the old one with Renata Tebaldi and Giuseppe Campora. Another is the classic old benchmark with Toti del Monte
and Gigli. There are probable others, but they are all overshadowed by Barbarolli and company. You wil play this one over and over again, each time hearing another wonderful nuance.
John McCormick
Free Music Review: de los Angeles and Bj?rling
Hit: 5 Stars
Victoria de los Angeles has a voice, which is at par with such giants as Renata Tebaldi and Maria Callas in the same role, although she is less known. Bj?rling is ideal for Pinkerton, with a lyric, but strong voice. They performed together just as marvelously here as in the recording of La Boheme. Mario Sereni is also equal to the two main characters. I highly recommend this recording!Free Music Review: de los Angeles a beautiful Butterfly
Hit: 5 Stars
I owned the highlights LP of this recording many years ago. I had never heard the complete recording before I bought this copy, and I am very happy with it.
Certain recorded Butterflys are considered to be definitive, with Toti dal Monte, Maria Callas and Renata Scotto leading the pack. Because of the strong competition, this 1959 recording does not automatically come to mind as a classic Butterfly performance. That is too bad because Victoria de los Angeles, in her second recording of the opera, is wonderfully natural in the title role. While she may not plumb the depths of the part in the way that some other sopranos have, her voice, while still carrying the drama and Butterfly's pathos, sounds more youthful than that of many of her competitors.
I think this was Jussi Bjoerling's last complete opera recording; it may well be one of his best. His aristocratic style is just as valid as the more impetuous interpretation of Giuseppe di Stefano, de los Angeles' first recorded Pinkerton. I only know Miriam Pirazzini, the Suzuki, from her scene-chewing recording of the very different role of Azucena on the old Cetra Trovatore. She's equally effective in this much less showy part. Mario Sereni was a wonderfully reliable Italian baritone who never quite escaped the shadow of the big baritone stars of the time. He's fine in the rather thankless part of Sharpless. The conductor is the underappreciated Gabriele Santini, who gives the singers time and space to make their points.
Still, the opera belongs to the soprano. Big fans of the many sopranos who have left souvenirs of this part will understandably want their recordings. And those looking for a good overall recording of Puccini's favorite of all his operas couldn't do much better than this one. Highly recommended.