Our Summer BAL : 70 Puccini Madama Butterfly

[Barbirollians]

Thought I'd go from my most recent (Barbirolli) to the earliest - Rosina Buckman and Tudor Davies in English in 1924 (not 1921 as I wrote in #8. And the conductor is Goossens sohn, not pere.

It's a complete delight! Sad that they recorded it just months before the arrival of the microphone and electrical recording, but one can sense immediately why Buckman was so admired as Butterfly, a role she first sang with Beecham's company during WW1. And Tudor Davies - really first rate!

I must give the Pappano another spin.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I too (cf #1) regarded this piece as grauitously cruel and was happy to forgo live performances, and I haven't listened much to recordings.

Well - that’s Puccini, I’m afraid. He generally chose tragic and nasty libretti.

But the music is glorious.

[verismissimo]

Which is your favourite ?

After many years, just listened again to Toti Dal Monte with Gigli from 1939.

As one might expect, La Toti is a total delight as Butterfly - youthful-sounding, delicate, charming. And, although I'm generally a bit allergic to Gigli, he's a highly focused Pinkerton. Altogether, well worth having.

[Barbirollians]

After many years, just listened again to Toti Dal Monte with Gigli from 1939.

As one might expect, La Toti is a total delight as Butterfly - youthful-sounding, delicate, charming. And, although I'm generally a bit allergic to Gigli, he's a highly focused Pinkerton. Altogether, well worth having.

Funnily enough in Gramophone when the Tebaldi/Serafin was released in 1959 the Toti dal Monte and Gigli was re-released at the same time and Andrew Porter clearly preferred their 1939 recording .

[verismissimo]

Which is your favourite ?

On to Callas and Gedda with Karajan in 1955. Neither seems to be a good fit with their roles. Callas too screechy and intense for a plausible Butterfly.

[verismissimo]

I've been pondering why this opera seems to have stirred up such negative responses among some boarders.

It's a highly focused and pioneering morality story: powerfully anti-racist, anti-sexist, even anti paediphilia and sexual predators.

Is all this going too far in some way?

[Barbirollians]

After many years, just listened again to Toti Dal Monte with Gigli from 1939.

As one might expect, La Toti is a total delight as Butterfly - youthful-sounding, delicate, charming. And, although I'm generally a bit allergic to Gigli, he's a highly focused Pinkerton. Altogether, well worth having.

Bought a second hand copy - notably variable hiss levels - Toti’s Un bel di Vedremo one of the hissy bits . Although her voice is nothing like Callas’s her acting is as rewarding
as her singing which is dramatic and nimble if not the prettiest. Gigli is wonderful .

[Barbirollians]

Toti cries a lot but you feel wrung out at the end of this recording . Extraordinarily dramatic a complete classic of the gramophone . So glad to have been introduced to it.