Search - Puccini, Tebaldi, Bergonzi :: Madame Butterfly (Dig)

Romantic, melancholic and beautiful as Puccini should be!

06/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Decca's new Compact Opera Collection would be poor without this unique Butterfly recording. The score couldn't be in safer hands than Serafin's. He knows exactly when to be lyrical and when dramatic while always caring for his soloists. Tebaldi and Bergonzi, as in their La Boheme recording, are unsurpassed! Their phrasing and sense of Puccini's drama combined with their gorgeous, warm voices is what makes this Butterfly recording stand out. Some argue that Tebaldi doesn't sound girlish. True, but that was not her intention anyway. In any case I prefer her to some others who change their voice and try to sound girlish; the result is not convincing because that's not their voice. Only Cotrubas in my experience had a naturally girlish tone. Back to Tebaldi, some of her high notes were securer in her earlier recording but overall here she's more moving. And she's the only Butterfly I know, who also shines in the dramatic parts. It's no wonder Butterfly fell for Bergonzi's Pinkerton; he is superb! This man's musicianship transforms any role he sings! The young Cossotto makes an excellent Suzuki, simply the best on records. Sordello is vocally not in the same league as his colleagues but makes a credible Sharpless. This is a Butterfly recording in the, sadly today, lost Grand Italian Tradition. Get it and enjoy the magic of Puccini!"

Mature and Inspiring...

Grace Polichar | Hayward, CA USA | 08/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have three copies of Butterfly now. I love them all for different reasons. In this recording, Tebaldi is not attempting to sing the role as a 15 year old girl, but her passion and heartbreak is unsurpassed. She sings

her final aria in an almost triumphant, heroic burst, mourning the loss of Pinkerton and her son, but going to her death brave, with conviction. True, she was already past her early glowing tone, but she is a master of nuance just the same. Bergonzi is at his freshest and most pleasing. What a glorious voice, what phrasing!

In his Addio fiorito asil, he realizes that after all his glory, he is nothing but a damned fool and it's a lesson that he will live with his entire life... he will forever be scarred by his realization of how many people he has

ruined and his intense sense of loss. There is never a time that I am not thrilled to hear his voice. With all of

opera's superstars, Bergonzi carried on and above with a solid and very long career. Always the artist, always in the best of taste, always telling the story with his voice and the colors and shadows in it. What a master."

Marcia, Owls Head NY

Marcia Hennessy | Owls Head, NY USA | 06/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Madama Butterfly is wonderful---I had forgotten how magnificent Renata Tebaldi's voice was and Bergonzi is one of my favorites---cool,clean, powerful and oh, so moving. Highly reccomend !"