Puccini's Madama Butterfly by James Conlon

Back in 1994 stage director Frederic Mitterand decided to film Puccini's Butterfly. The result was an extraordinary movie that I highly recommend to see. In fact it won a Cesar Award for the best production design. I remember to read how exhausted was the casting to select the perfect Cio-Cio-San but when the 27 Chinese soprano Ying Huang appeared everything was clear: her light, silvery lyric voice could never meet the role's demands on stage, but on film it's lovely, and with her delicate girlish beauty and sincere expression she offers and ideal characterization, understated and reserved yet heartfelt and tender. Maybe you will prefer other sets more "adequate": my favorite are both by Karajan (Callas and Freni) and Barbirolli, but I have to add two recordings sang in German (unfortunately just highlights) one with Anneliese Rothenberger and Nicolai Gedda and other one with Pilar Lorengar and Fritz Wunderlich, the first one conducted by Giuseppe Patanè and the second one by Berislav Klobučar. What a shame that they did not recorded them completely! Meanwhile, enjoy this beautiful recording.



If you want this recording send me an email to canariasesmusica@gmail.com and I will send you the link.
 

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