Three other great recordings
Mirella Freni (Butterfly)
This 1974 recording is all about the glorious voice. Luciano Pavarotti, unmistakeable as ever, is plausibly libidinous – though he can do tenderness too – and his ‘Addio fiorito asil’ is as electrifying as they come. Freni, so often the Puccini soprano par excellence, is perfect here, exuding immense tenderness but without feigned childishness. Every line is beautifully shaped, her multi-hued
‘Un bel dì’ a tour de force. As in the Callas set below, conductor Herbert von Karajan gives us one of the most vivid orchestral readings of the score available. (Decca 417 5772)
Maria Callas (Butterfly) Cio-cio-san was not an obvious role for Callas, but in this 1955 recording she makes a nuanced shift from naïve girl – singing with surprising lightness – to knowing woman, coming into her own with a real sense of foreboding in her exchanges with Sharpless. Nicolai Gedda is a gorgeous Pinkerton: all sweetness and charm, making Butterfly’s devotion actually credible. Karajan’s detailed, flexible reading of Puccini’s score coaxes out its ‘inner
Wagner’ and highlights details that usually go unnoticed. The ending is at once chilling and impassioned. (Warner Classics 2564634099)
Renata Scotto (Butterfly)
John Barbirolli's riposte to operatic snobs who sneer at those who enjoy Madam Butterfly was this loving and honest interpretation of the work, recorded in 1966. Carlo Bergonzi is slightly formal as Pinkerton, even uptight, though he offers exquisite vocal shading. Scotto is a highly affecting Butterfly: endearingly gentle, the despair in her voice as she sings to her son at the end utterly devastating. The shimmeringly lovely flowergathering duet with Suzuki (Anna di Stasio) is a highlight, as is the casting of Rolando Panerai as a rich-voiced Sharpless. (Warner Classics 567 8852)
And one to avoid…
Montserrat Caballé, if a rather ‘full-throttle’ Butterfly, offers vocal opulence and a believable account of a woman in distress. Her real-life husband Bernabé Marti – a rather neurotic-sounding Pinkerton – blossoms in the final show of remorse. The 1968 audience went wild, but this live recording suffers from ragged ensembles, noisy feet, ill-timed coughs and muffled sound-quality.