Search - Armin Kolarczyz, Giacomo Puccini, Gunter Neuhold :: Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Original 1904 Version)

Another opinion

Sven De Boeck | (Flanders, Belgium, Europe | 07/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my (young)life I have listened to maybe 600 opera-recordings (of which many M. Butterflys) and heard this asthonising masterpiece many pieces. So I'm not a beginner.

But I ABSOLUTELY disagree on the two reviews about this recording !

First of the all, this is the Butterfly-version, Puccini wanted to present to the world. When you have listened to the common version, you just feel the second act has to continue 'attaca' after the Humming Chorus in the third act (and together being one act) It's just a dramatically 'murder' when the second act 'ends'.

By the way, in some Butterfly-productions there is no curtain after the second act and the audience doesn't applaud.

And so it should be. The original 1904 version - presented here - has this remarkable effect that Puccini wanted to create with the intermezzo. Cio-cio San waiting and longing all night for her husband. It was this scene that inspired Puccini, when he saw the play by Belasco in London. He knew absolutely no English but that scene set his operatic brain to work. So it's crucial to the opera and it's needs to be heard and respected again, instead of the commercial' version in 3 acts Puccini prepared for the lazy Italian public after the Scala fiasco. Als the stupid arrietta 'Addio fiorito d'asil' is not there. Come on, Pinkerton is an ass-hole and an coward from the first act till the last! Puccini didn't want to show this in another way.

But of course the version itself doesn't make a good recording.

But this IS a good recording!

Who is G?nther Neuhold ? Neuhold is one of these European (German)conducters who do their job humble with all the quality's they have. He doesn't appear on big labels with a lot of commercial gaga. But he is one the best opera-conductors in Europe. A few years ago, he made (on two minor labels, Bella Musica and Brilliant Classics) one of the best dramatic live-recordings of Wagner's Ring (in a minor opera-theater in Karlsruhe in Germany). Two reviewers on Amazon quoted his approach as one the best together with Solti's !

And so is this recording! It's the first time a hear all the details in Puccini's score (the celesta, side-drum, the tamtam).

For heavens sake ! In Sinopoli's reading (DG) you hear only a lot of noise! Is it a side-drum, timpani or bass-strings, cimbals or high strings? You neven can tell for sure. That is so frustrating! And this recording gives us the transparance Puccini really needs.

This is also the first time I hear a good climax in the love-duet. It rises and rises, and really explodes with the FF tutti and clearly quoted cymbals on the top. What a relief to hear this after so many frustrating Butterflys (Sinopoli, Conlon, Karajan etc...all wortless except for the singing).

But I admit the singing is not first class, but it's also not really bad. It gives a good support to the superbe conducting of maestro Neuhold. For Puccini-opera you need in the first place : good an transparant conducting and singers must be at least satisfactory (or very good, of course). And this recording gives us what we need for Butterfly, at least ...





Sven De Boeck (Flanders, Belgium, Europe)

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