Puccini: Madama Butterfly

There is no reason to expect consensus on a work as richly and as often recorded as "Butterfly," but this 1957 recording (from what would become the golden era of RCA's opera catalog) is arguably one of the most complete interpretations of the work. By "complete" I refer not to the musical score (and its revisions) but to the consistency of the performances, both vocal and orchestral. Leinsdorf's handling of the score is one that repays repeated listening, precisely because it is unsentimental, amazingly responsive to the conversational character of much of the drama, while also capable of soaring lyricism at just the right moments. For example, Leinsdorf's pacing of the duet between Pinkerton and Butterfly at the close of Act 1 is rapturous, more so than any other recorded version apart from Karajan's reading in the 1955 EMI recording with Callas and Gedda. As other reviews have noted, the casting of the lead roles is simply miraculous -- not because each singer is best in category (whatever that would mean) but because the ensemble works so well together, throughout the performance. Almost every other recording I can think of (with a couple of exceptions) depends on star turns by individual singers, but Leinsdorf's recording gives us a completely realized world --Puccini's fantasy of a delicately exotic, dangerous, and emotionally devastating encounter between East and West. Valetti and Moffo are perfectly matched as Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-San. Only Bergonzi (in the lovely '60s recording under Barbirolli) surpasses Valetti (and this by a margin). Rosalind Elias is peerless as Suzuki (and more involved here, in fact, than in the later RCA recording with Leontyne Price). As for the Butterfly, Moffo's performance may well be the best reason to hear this recording. There's no denying that her voice is light for the role. She cannot quite manage the vocal avalanche that Tebaldi and Callas and even de los Angeles could summon in the pivotal, traumatic scenes in the last two acts. And she doesn't convey the same degree of textual nuance displayed in both of Scotto's mainstream recordings. But she possesses something that none of these sopranos quite had, a voice with a timbre and color capable of conveying youthful innocence and powerful sensuality and emotional ambivalence at the same time; in purely vocal terms, Moffo knows how to convey the transformation from girl to woman in a way that practically no other soprano on disc has done. In my view, Callas' performance is the only exception -- and it's a wonder, exponentially more powerful than Moffo's in the last act, but far less believable in the first two acts (Callas' simulated "little girl" voice is not for all markets, but Moffo's is simutaneously gorgeous and touching without being affected, as both Callas' and Scotto's performances tend to be in the early scenes). Moffo's Butterfly is uniquely "complete" because it presents a consistently plausible vocal and dramatic portrait of Butterfly. This isn't to say there aren't rivals in key scenes: listen to Leontyne Price's entrance scene (RCA, again with Leinsdorf), Mirelli Freni's "Un bel di" (with Karajan), Renata Scotto in the painful Act II encounter with Sharpless (especially in the recording with Maazel), and Callas (Karajan) in the final scene.

I have mixed feelings about this recording, which I bought on LP 50 years ago (July '71), since it was budget priced, and the only one I could afford at the time. The praise here for Anna Moffo is unanimous, and she is as young and fresh-voiced a Butterfly as you are likely to hear. I'm assuming Caesare Valetti would never have sung Pinkerton onstage; his voice is just too light. But he certainly conveys the vanity and callousness of the character in the intimate studio setting. Elias is a wonderful Suzuki..first-rate. The Argentinian baritone Cesare is lacking in the vocal "gravitas" that I feel the role of Sharpless requires; it's such a beautifully written part, and his very crucial interaction with both Butterfly and Pinkerton requires a sort of avuncular weight and maturity (check out the Met's Clifford Harvuot on the abridged 1958 Reader's Digest version with Mitropoulos).And-- call me crazy---but Mario Carlin is the greatest GORO of all time, IMHO. Totally charming, humorous, sly, whimsical; Mr. Carlin was one of those unsung comprimarios of the day whose artistry added SO MUCH to any role he sang, however brief (check him out along with Corena and Ercolani as Ping, Pang and Pong on the 1955 Borkh/DelMonaco Decca Turandot; they are the BEST Trio I've ever heard; no one comes close).That leaves Maestro Leinsdorf and his orchestra. The playing is pretty rough, especially the woodwinds. I literally have to cringe every time the principal oboe enters; many are the subtle, lyrical passages that are totally DESTROYED by this substandard, biting, nasally sound. Too bad. Another notable aspect of this recording is the fact that the Orchestra is EXTREMELY present throughout, to the point that the soloists are sometimes pushed into the background...in important passages! I thought for sure that the re-mix crew for this CD would have re-balanced a bit, but they didn't.But..having said that, I really have no problem with it. I HATE opera recordings (which is most of them) where the orchestra is relegated to a distant, often-indistinct background track, when in fact Puccini created a continuous, complex mosaic of orchestral sound in every one of his operas, which he clearly intended to be heard...EVERY NOTE, if possible. And this recording very nearly accomplishes that goal. But, then there's that damn' oboe.Also, a couple of comments here describe the acoustic of the recording as "boxy", to which I would add "dry", "hard-edged", and totally without any bloom to the sound. And yes, Leinsdorf is hardly the ideal guy to conduct Puccini, since there is SO LITTLE "GIVE" to his rigid, business-like approach. Only occasionally does he allow things to expand..most of the Act 1 duet is good; it's never allowed to drag, and thus the conversational quality of the vocal writing is effectively paced, and its much easier to follow the architectural design of the scene as you listen. And the BONZE SCENE...with Fernando Corena tearing up the place, Goro and the chorus scattering about, and Valleti finally taking charge with "Eh, dico basta, BASTA!" is VERY POWERFUL. The savage energy of this scene, and Leinsdorf's command of the gradual return to calm, is remarkably effective.A mixed bag of a recording, but one which occupies a very fond place in my heart. LR

I have always considered Butterfly rather boring. First, things move too slow. Next, I dont consider 'Un bel di' the best of Puccini and I feel Act II slows down the drama. Also, I don't feel Puccini was as inspired here as in the magical first act (the duet is glorious). The surprise then is that Act II here sounds quite right because of Moffo's great acting and Leinsdorf swift conducting. Lastly, and invetably, the feelings of self-pity and attitudes might sound dated and tough to relate to.The sound is very good, early Stereo separation works extremely well for Puccini's marvelous orchestration. But you feel there is more punch to the recording. Why BMG has not remastered it since 1988(!) is a mystery, and a pity.Moffo is certainly the star. Valletti is very good. The rest are serviceable and much better represented in other recordings. If you are a Puccini completist, this should be in your collection.