BaL 23.03.24 - Puccini: Madame Butterfly

[Barbirollians]

Barbirolli

Both HVK recordings with Callas and then Freni

Pappano

[Ein Heldenleben]

Barbirolli

Both HVK recordings with Callas and then Freni

Pappano

Which is the Barborolli recording where you can hear him groaning with pleasure during the Flower Duet ?
The singing (and indeed the playing under his baton ) is so exquisite I don’t blame him. That lovely soaring up to the Bflat at the end. One of the great moments in recorded opera IMHO.

[french frank]

One does wonder though if they don't encourage and revel in it,

My memory is not what it was but I'm fairly sure it was encouraged (pantomime style) at one performance by WNO, possibly at the pre-performance talk. I don't think the audience was ultra cooperative though.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Which is the Barborolli recording where you can hear him groaning with pleasure during the Flower Duet ?
The singing (and indeed the playing under his baton ) is so exquisite I don’t blame him. That lovely soaring up to the Bflat at the end. One of the great moments in recorded opera IMHO.

I must check that out in the big Barbirolli box. The editing team have done a superb join cleaning up that set, so it's possible that they've been able to filter it out (though that will not please everyone).

[Ein Heldenleben]

I must check that out in the big Barbirolli box. The editing team have done a superb join cleaning up that set, so it's possible that they've been able to filter it out (though that will not please everyone).

Just googled . It’s Barbirolli Scotto / Bergonzi.
According to Gramophone

“It is hugely enjoyable, not just in the big emotional outpourings (like the Act 2 interlude, where Barbirolli's passionate gasps and groans spur the orchestra to great eloquence) but in many tiny moments where you can almost see the conductor and his players lovingly and absorbedly concentrating on subtleties of phrasing and texture.”

[Barbirollians]

Barbirolli had more opera recordings planned when he died - Meistersingers definitely . It’s a fabulous performance of Butterfly.

[oliver sudden]

He was to have recorded Meistersinger in 1968 in Dresden but after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia refused to work in the Soviet bloc, as I understand.

There is some lovely remastering in the Warner Barbirolli megabox but there are also some horrible clangers especially in the pitch department on the older recordings. And some strange glitches in the Butterfly which are not present on the GROC release. (I did a thread on what was then Twitter reviewing the box disc by disc. No regrets.)

[gradus]

Just googled . It’s Barbirolli Scotto / Bergonzi.
According to Gramophone

“It is hugely enjoyable, not just in the big emotional outpourings (like the Act 2 interlude, where Barbirolli's passionate gasps and groans spur the orchestra to great eloquence) but in many tiny moments where you can almost see the conductor and his players lovingly and absorbedly concentrating on subtleties of phrasing and texture.”

That Act 2 Interlude is quite something in Barbirolli's hands as is the remainder of the opera. A recording to treasure and return to time and again.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Just putting in another plug for this remarkable Madama Butterfly I saw in rehearsal at Covent Garden this week. A five star review on the Times . Unfortunately I couldn’t see any seats above balcony level on sale . It is however being cinema screened on the 26th March

I thought you would be interested in this story from The Times:
Asmik Grigorian’s Madama Butterfly is a poleaxing five-star triumph.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e...ae868e004f337e 28bf3b

[Pulcinella]

Just putting in another plug for this remarkable Madama Butterfly I saw in rehearsal at Covent Garden this week. A five star review on the Times . Unfortunately I couldn’t see any seats above balcony level on sale . It is however being cinema screened on the 26th March

I thought you would be interested in this story from The Times:
Asmik Grigorian’s Madama Butterfly is a poleaxing five-star triumph.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e...ae868e004f337e 28bf3b

Shareable Times review here (this seems to be a different link):

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e9d0c8d4-2908-4c68-b157-64255b60c621?shareToken=43a01a124da27610d532854886 e02d0d

[gradus]

Just noticed that it is being live-streamed to cinemas on 26 March and a month or so later so is the Met production.

[Barbirollians]

The book about Barbirolli's concert career and recordings ' " A Chronicle of a Career " shows he was booked to record La Boheme in July 1971 and earlier that month to conduct Otello at Covent Garden. I have a vague memory that a Gramophone article shortly after his death referred to the Meistersingers plan from looking at the archive.

PS Nope - there R.Kinloch Anderson mentions the Puccini and Verdi's Falstaff and the St Matthew Passion.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Happy to do a summary of clips played this Sat, Apart from anything else managed to pick up Covid at the Madama Butterfly rehearsal last week and I’ve got nothing else to do. I can’t cut an paste and insert details into the list of recordings above as they are in a grid so this is my guess at the recordings that would make a long list.

Pappano / Georghi
Sinopoli / Freni
Maazel / Scotto
Gatto / Caballé
Karajan / Freni
Karajan/ Callas
Barbirolli / Scotto
Leinsdorf / Price
Santini / De Los Angeles
Serafin / Tebaldi
Kempe / De Los Angeles

(Scotto to win )

[vinteuil]

... this is my guess at the recordings that would make a long list...

... and our reviewer ( #6 above ) has also said he will be considering (or at least 'mentioning') -

Rudolf Kempe at the ROH with Victoria de Los Angeles

.

[Ein Heldenleben]

... and our reviewer ( #6 above ) has also said he will be considering (or at least 'mentioning') -

Rudolf Kempe at the ROH with Victoria de Los Angeles

.

thanks - added .