Search - Giacomo Puccini, Arturo Basile, Turin RAI Symphony Ochestra :: Puccini: Madama Butterfly

"[Scotto's] portrait is that of a lovely, sad, victimized girl who retains her dignity to the end. Remarkable! Renato Cioni ... is at his best-behaved here as Pinkerton, sounding lusty in the first and rueful in the last acts. Alberto Rinaldi is a workaday Sharpless, but Franca Mattiucci, without a particularly distinguished sound, nevertheless manages to make Suzuki a major player. The conductor is Arturo Basile, hardly anyone's favorite, but he seems to follow Scotto's highly dramatic lead, and the opera takes a firm hold on the listener. And at this price, this is irresistible." -- Robert Levine, CLASSICSTODAY

Recorded live in Turin, Italy in 1967, this is the latest installment in the ongoing acclaimed series of Grand Tier releases from Opera d'Oro. Cio-Cio San (Madame Butterfly) has long been one of the very best roles of the great soprano Renata Scotto. In fact, in recent decades she has virtually owned it! In her prime, Scotto had the unique ability to lighten her voice to sound convincingly young and innocent, and then to focus her tone at other times to command the full impact of the dramatic climaxes. This live 1967 recording finds the soprano at the height of her powers both as singer and actress particularly suited to this vivid role. Many opera lovers find this supercharged live performance superior in impact to Scotto's studio recording, famous as it is. Grand Tier presents the most popular titles from the budget Opera d'Oro catalogue at mid-price with complete librettos newly translated, stimulating essays by eminent music writers, and deluxe packaging with striking artwork commissioned from Rafal Olbinski.