Classical Music CD Reviews

The Complete Beethoven Piano Concertos (3 CD)
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
Release Date: 2009-05-05
Performer: Richard Goode
Composer: Beethoven
Conductor: Ivan Fischer
Orchestra: Budapest Festival Orchestra
Sales Rank: 56108

Customer Review Summary (Average Rating : 4.0 / 5.0)
・Beethoven rocks!
・Pass
・Beethoven P Ctos 1-5: Richard Goode is himself, BudapestFO under Fischer keeps up
・A top choice among budget Beethoven concerto cycles

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Editorial Review
Goode recorded this three-disc set in June and November of 2005 at the National Concert Hall in Budapest, Hungary, with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. The five concertos were conducted by Ivan Fischer, founder and music director of the Orchestra and principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, DC.

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Customer Reviews
Beethoven rocks!
4 / 5.0
I'm glad i bought the complete Beethoven piano concertos with Richard Goode. I'm not a musician myself and don't understand all the specialized lingo that goes into a proper review, but i AM a Beethoven afficianado and this package provides several great hours of a genius playing music composed by perhaps the greatest musical genius ever.


Pass
3 / 5.0
First and foremost, the late Michael Steinberg's notes for this set are superlative, showcasing, yet again, his ability to say in one sentence what other writers could only say in a book. Direct, clear, and eloquent. If only the performances themselves matched the quality of Mr. Steinberg's writing.



I wanted to like this set, having enjoyed both Goode in his complete cycle of the sonatas and Fischer in his wonderful recording of the Seventh Symphony with these forces. However, I am sad to say that I actually had quite a negative reaction upon first hearing this set, a reaction that has improved little over repeated hearings.



As a technician, Goode cannot be faulted. There are no real issues with his ability to play all the right notes. Additionally, Goode does often shape some beautiful phrases, especially in the slow movements. Take, for example, the stunning opening to the largo of the Third Concerto. The opening is delicate, bordering on precious, but is pregnant with possibility and leads into the orchestral restatement better than many others while the dreamy central section flows magically. Or take the wonderful cadenza of the allegro of the First Concerto; Goode really brings an energy and an improvisatory quality that is all too often missing from this music. Dramatic, sweeping lines punctuated with bursts of humor all register in Goode's hands.



However, on the whole, Goode's matter-of-fact playing sounds overly manicured, precious, and lacking in heft. Indeed, Goode does little to highlight any unique aspects of this music, delivering a performance that is very literal. In essence, his playing is predictable. And I say predictable, not in the sense that we know what is going to happen next (we all know this music well), but in the sense that Goode's playing anticipates what is next in a way that robs this music of its intrinsic excitement. Goode slows down before big cadences, trims Beethoven's thornier edges, and seems to remain within a dynamic comfort zone that, while beautiful, is never exciting. His playing never smiles, never frowns, never jeers, never laughs. It is as strict a reading as you are likely to hear.



Fischer's contribution, if anything, only worsens the effect of this set. There is a difference between a historically informed performance and playing that sounds emasculated, neutered, and uninvolved. The Third Concerto is probably the worst, where Fischer and his orchestra never deliver anything above a mezzo forte. Nor does the orchestra have much color. The strings fail to bite the way they should in the development of the Emperor's allegro. The rondo of the Forth is in bad need of weight from the lower strings and timpani. And the first concertos sound almost desiccated, with puny wind sounds and an uninvolved string accompaniment. Additionally, Nonesuch's recorded sound is about as grey-toned as you'll find from a modern production.



I am sure many listeners may take issue with this review. Indeed, this set was nominated for a 2009 Gramophone Award. That being said, I find this release somewhat off-putting, dare I say insulting, to suggest that performances like this are historically informed. Historically informed performances, as the name suggests, are adopting performance techniques, orchestra layout, and chamber-sized proportions to replicate the performance conditions when these works were premiered. To begin with performance technique, to say that Goode's immaculate playing emulates that of Beethoven, who produced nearly inaudible pianos and fortes so crushing he routinely broke instruments, is absurd. Additionally, the best period instrument and chamber orchestra's alike produce greater forte's and more engaging playing than anything recorded on this disc, where the players just seem to be going through the motions.



This set seems an unsuccessful duplication of Bronfman's cycle with Zinman and the Tonhalle. Both adopt a "HIP" approach to the music, and both play cautiously, but Bronfman creates so much more color and brings out so much more detail than Goode does here. Similarly, Zinman and his band show how an orchestra can play with a consciousness of the past without sounding desiccated. Still, I prefer my Beethoven to have contrasts and energy, where players are not afraid to make daring sounds and play with vigor. In that respect, the legendary Fleisher Szell set remains reference, and rightly so. That set's debonair Second concerto embarrasses the present sets b-flat major. Listeners wanting more energy may also want to turn to either Brendel and Levine or Ashkenazy and Solti, both with Chicago. The Brendel set never made much sense to me because Brendel was, well, Brendel while Levine seemed overly excited. Ashkenazy and Solit eschewed sensitivity and subtlety for explosive playing, which worked in the odd-numbered concertos. However, both sets offered more color than the present. Serkin, either with Ozawa or Bernstein, was a wonderful Beethovenian in the concertos. Perahia Haitink, Uchida Sanderling, and even Ax Previn offer more than this set.



A regrettable pass.


Beethoven P Ctos 1-5: Richard Goode is himself, BudapestFO under Fischer keeps up
4 / 5.0
Let me start with fair disclosure. I've so far had a blind spot when it comes to Richard Goode's highly praised complete set of the Beethoven piano sonatas. I even felt unmoved after hearing Goode play the sonatas live in a local concert. My immobilities have nothing to do with Goode playing poorly or hitting wrong notes or taking eccentric tempos, no, none of all that. I just find him entirely too reticent, also-ran, and the recorded piano sound Nonesuch gave him in the sonatas strikes me as always grey, grey, grey.



I felt this way about Abbey Simon's Chopin, until many years later I reheard the set and felt engaged and moved, whereas I had previously only heard a middling fine reticence. So I guess my individual jury is still out on Goode and Beethoven.



Then, bumped into this complete set of the piano concertos. What's up?



Well. Goode seems far more influenced in this set - through all concertos, one to five - by HIP manners. His playing is not nearly so grey as I recall the keyboard sound to be in the complete sonatas; and he manages quite a bit of sparkle and sway, in tonal silver and in phrasing. All of that I hear as remarkably more engaged with the music, with lovely phrasing in the middle slow movements, too.



Fischer in Budapest with the festival band that he has more or less made him own - check out his BFO Bartok or Dvorak, to hear what this band can do? - keeps up very well with Goode. Again, HIP comes to mind in the best sense, that is in service of rethinking and re-involving oneself musically with the composer. Nothing eccentric, nothing exaggerated. No hyped romantic languishing over phrasing, harmonic narratives, the build ups in musical paragraphs, or those grandly humanist breakthrough moments we think mean, Beethoven that Revolutionary.



All of this goes well enough in the first four concertos. Now I like to hear the third and fourth concertos turning into something besides good classical manners; but Goode and Fischer do run a fine ship, poised and lively, so playing right through to the third and fourth is not being neglectful of the music necessarily.



My own personal big disappointment in this set is the fifth concerto. It goes along, pretty much in the same manner that the previous four concertos have sounded out. Again that is a legitimate musical view; though I feel more charmed and soothed in passing by its HIP manners, than I feel awed and inspired by any sweep that could ever occasion somebody to spontaneously call the fifth, an Emperor among piano concertos.



Good stars then, for the reading and for the sound. If a current catalog comparison for this approach leaps to mind, it surely must be the very good set by Yefim Bronfman, with David Zinman leading the Tonhalle Zurich. They pretty much hold their own and then some, compared to Goode and company. Like Goode, I felt let down by the happy classical approach to the fifth concerto.



Since the Bronfman-Zinman set is also very good at conveying this Hip model or view of the composer, and since the Tonhalle forces induce no quibbles at their fine playing, I guess this set weighs out as mainly for Richard Goode fans. Of whom I am sure we have many.



Do check our the Yefim Bronfman readings, with Zinman briskly helming his Tonhalle players. Their set is even cheaper, with absolutely no loss at all in sound or performance values. If you've heard and liked Zinman's Beethoven symphonies, you will probably like those piano concertos, too. My top Zinman-Tonhalle Beethoven recommendation is, above all, the Missa Solemnis. I can take his violin concerto, too, but for some reason that great mass really gets me going.


A top choice among budget Beethoven concerto cycles
4 / 5.0
Since Richard Goode has earned a reputation for his Beethoven and Ivan Fischer has earned his for giving fresh interpretations of standard repertoire (mostly Czech and Hungarian), this set of Beethoven concertos bids fair to be one of the top choices. The bargain price is another incentive. I should state right away that the bloom is off the rose for me when it comes to both Fischer and Goode, but I will do my best to report what I hear without bias.



Concerto #1 -- As one would expect, Goode takes a classicist's view of early Beethoven, using the same touch and force that he applies to Mozart. In that vein he is very accomplished, although I've heard more sparkling and animated renditions. The pianist feels that he shouldn't provide personal touches where the composer doesn't call for them, so accents and dynamic shadings tend to be spare. Fischer accompanies with a light touch, fully sympathetic to the pianist. Everything is smooth, accomplished, and unadventurous. Within that framework, the nicest part of this Concerto #1 is Goode's lovely phrasing in the slow movement.



Concerto #2 -- Given how placid the first concerto is, I expected the same in the second. Fischer's orchestral introduction is a model of lively classicism, with touches of elegance that must be appreciated -- too many conductors dutifully trudge through this part of the job. Fischer's accompaniments would be lovely to listen to without the piano. Here again I find Goode correct and skilled but without "face." The playing is sleek but colorless, unless you happen to favor his reticent style, which many do. I'm pleased that the slow movement remains a real Adagio and isn't pushed to be Andante. Both conductor and soloist phrase beautifully. Among "touch pianists" Goode deserves the praise given to him. He shows a bit more liveliness in the finale than he did in Cto. #1, but the overall effect is civilized rather than ebullient.



Concerto #3 -- The C minor marks a turning point in Beethoven's concerto writing, and as a transitional work it gives performers the option to look forward or backward. I much prefer the strong, even heroic forward vision of a Serkin, but Leon Fleisher has shown that one can look backward to the classical era while remaining exciting. Although I knew what was coming, it disappointed me that Goode and Fischer are so resolutely classical that the third shows almost no sign of Beethoven's future. Still. they are stylish and alert, and Goode manages to build up some excitement in the development section of the first movement, within limits. As before, the slow movement is beautifully realized, to the point that I found myself being moved for the first time in the cycle. But Goode's measured pace in the finale contradicts what Beethoven wants, I think, which is real force and power (see Serkin and Bernstein in their exuberant reading on Sony).



Concerto #4 -- The Forth brings us into the world of mature middle-period Beethoven and therefore calls upon every shred of imagination and vision that a pianist can supply. Or you can keep going the way you were. With his polite solo introduction to the first movement, Goode announces that he is actually going to be more civilized than he was in the Third Concerto, and unfortunately Fischer doesn't goad him to anything greater. Even Brendel, who is too reserved for me in this work, thunders like Richter compared to this. Goode's best showing comes in the reflective sections of the first movement and, as ever, the slow movement. But don't expect Daniel in the lion's den; the dialog with the orchestra is decidedly tame. The finale is taken quietly but stylishly, if that's your bag.



Concerto #5 -- By now the listener will either take Goode on his own terms or seek more heroic readings. I imagine that many will stick the course. In this era of house-trained Beethoven, even the Emperor concerto can be played at half power and please audiences. Goode shows considerable technical assurance here, but of course his interpretation isn't remotely heroic. I can't argue with the flowing, songful slow movement, here played as soothing night music. Goode fudges the technical demands of the finale with slow tempos and cautious phrasing, but for once Fischer rises to the occasion with a forceful accompaniment where it's called for.



In all, this is a cycle that has few flaws if you accept Goode's well-known classical style. The sound is fine, and Fischer's Budapest orchestra performs stylishly. It's a shame that every concerto seems cut from the same cloth. I don't imagine that Beethoven felt the same as he moved from youth to maturity, and we have every reason to believe that he was a fiery, tempestuous pianist himself. Absent that kind of temperament, Goode acquits himself in a civilized manner. Tea, anyone?

Barbara Cook at Carnegie Hall
Manufacturer: Sony
Release Date: 1996-03-19
Brand: Sony
Sales Rank: 40683

Customer Review Summary (Average Rating : 5.0 / 5.0)
・An auspicious concert debut by a Broadway favorite
・Wonderful artistry
・A dazzling, unforgettable all-time concert classic

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Customer Reviews
An auspicious concert debut by a Broadway favorite
5 / 5.0
When you ask someone who their favorite Broadway soprano is, some say Audra McDonald, Rebecca Luker, Marin Mazzie or even (unfortunately) Sarah Brightman, however most are quick to say Barbara Cook, the legendary soprano who graced the Broadway stage from 1951-1971. She won good reviews in all her shows, regardless of how the shows themselves were received. Beginning with the disastrous "Flahooley", and the moderately successful "Plain and Fancy", to her City Center roles as Ado Annie in "Oklahoma!" and Carrie Pipperidge" in Carousel", she hit became a Broadway legend when she switched to coloratura soprano "ingenue" (a false stamp for this actress-singer) in the unsuccessful original production of "Candide". Her death-defying vocalize in the mock aria-jewel song "Glitter and Be Gay" is definitive (her Eb's above top C are impeccable). There's also her Tony-winning performance as Marian the Librarian in the original production of "The Music Man". "The Gay Life", her signature role as Amalia Balish in "She Loves Me", her acclaimed Mrs. Anna in "The King and I" at City Center and her final Broadway appearance (to date) as Dolly Talbo in the pleasant musical flop, "The Grass Harp". (She made other recordings and appearances in book musicals: "Follies in Concert", "The Secret Garden" - London Studio set, among others, but never another extended run).

Cook embarked on a highly successful new career as a cabaret artist beginning with her live Carnegie Hall concert debut, which was wonderfully preserved on this recording. She gets things off to a marvelous start with her signature tune "Sing a Song With Me" - that top C bookending the show. She displays that pure (and rangy) lyric soprano combined with her trademark emotional intensity; a combination for which she is most respected and admired.

In her first outing, Cook showcased much of her musical theatre repertoire, revisiting many of her most famous shows. She presented "Magic Moment" from The Gay Life", her familiar medley from "She Loves Me" ("Dear Friend", "Will He Like Me?" and the fact she can still hit the high B natural in "Ice Cream' today is incredible, let alone how marvelous it sounds here) But the real curio on this recording is an original version of "My White Knight" from "The Music Man". The song is almost twice as long as the famous original, adding an extended patter list prior to the actual ballad. It begins with "All I want..." and continues in a rather comic tone, before making a transition to the familiar ballad of yearning. Quite a display of emotions there. It is a real treat and worth the price of the CD alone.

Also offered is a chance to feel her interpretation of Carrie in "Carousel" as she delights with "Mister Snow". Also standing out "Who Are You Now?" from "Funny Girl" and "Time Heals Everything" from "Mack and Mabel". She also dabbles in pop music by intrepeting "A House is Not a Home". Cook also brings down the house with "Carolina in the Morning". There isn't one dud on the entire album.

Cook cannot fail to please on this recording, which is made more evident by the overwhelming response of the live audience. She proves that it takes more than just pretty notes to convey a song. (Also look into her second Carnegie Hall concert on disc: the charming "It's Better With a Band") She is a living legend.

For any serious fan of Broadway or Ms. Cook, there is no excuse to exclude this mandatory recording from any collection.


Wonderful artistry
5 / 5.0
This CD captures the artist at her peak. The concert is thoroughly enjoyable. A CD to be listened to again and again.


A dazzling, unforgettable all-time concert classic
5 / 5.0
I'm close to exhausting my superlatives on Miss Cook - but words can't really do justice to her marvelous recorded output over the years. While virtually every record she made is special in its own way, this particular recording of her "comeback" at Carnegie Hall in 1975 may be her very finest recording. I give it pride of place in my collection as the finest popular music concert recording of all time- the first time I heard it I was stunned, and I have never ceased to be amazed. Where can one start? Every song is a gem. The arrangements by Wally Harper are perfect. Cook, who has one of the finest Broadway and cabaret voices of all time, was in exceptionally good voice. And she had learned to connect with the meaning of a song in a deeper way than in her Broadway career. She's in a great mood, and so is the audience - it makes for an entrancing evening. Her signature song, "Sing a song with me" is sung with confidence, feeling and a merry, jaunty air. "Wait till you see him" is sung with breathless wonder. She delivers the complete lyrics and the definitive version of "My White Knight" - it soars and shimmers like the white knight in the song. There are sad, sweet renditions of "A Song for You" and "My Father". There's a pensive, deeply felt "Who are you now?" and a light, reassuring "It takes nothing away from me". There's a "Carolina in the morning" as full of brio as Judy Garland's, and of course the classic "She Loves Me" medley of "Dear Friend", "Will he like me?" and "Ice cream" - splendidly, deliciously sung. There's a version of "A house is not a home" that's very different from, but every bit as good as, Dionne Warwick's and Luther Vandross's versions. "My White Knight" is for me the highlight of the recording, but it's closely followed by her classic medley of "He was too good to be true/ Time heals everything" (when she sings that last "Time heals everything" my heart just breaks) and her remarkable "When I marry Mr. Snow". A merrier, more sparkling and utterly delightful rendition of this song has never been sung - she would have been the ideal Carrie in the musical.

Everyone has their favorite singer - Barbara Cook is definitely up there with the greatest in my personal pantheon - but this concert was more than just a great performance by a favorite performer. The joy, the artistry, the technical skill, the complexity of arrangements, the variety, the incredible rapport with the audience - all of these make it an unforgettable performance. I would love to have been there, but I'm grateful that I have the recording and my imagination to take me there whenever I wish. For this recording, 5 stars are not enough!

Karl Czerny: The Art of Finger Dexterity, Op. 740
Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
Release Date: 2006-02-28
Composer: Carl Czerny
Performer: Francesco Libetta
Sales Rank: 99900

Customer Review Summary (Average Rating : 4.0 / 5.0)
・"Anti-musical"
・uberpianism
・Mind Boggling
・Incredible pianism!
・In awe of Libetta's pianism

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Customer Reviews
"Anti-musical"
1 / 5.0
This rendition of Czerny's Op.740 Etudes is typical of a pianist who has reached a certain skill level with one composer's type of technique, but is completely lacking in anything artistic. The interpretation is shallow at best, and the sound quality is superficial. Libetta has only two colors: loud and soft. I would hate to hear this pianist attempt to interpret any of the great performance masterpieces.



Libetta's technique is by no means flawless, either. For example in the 1st Etude the beginning tempo is brilliant, but by measure 10 it starts to go downhill, and not for structural reasons - the pianist simply has a technical problem when the left handed chords enter. In other places he rushes, not for a natural flow of the music going forward, but because he does not feel the inner rhythm.



Altogether it is a colossal waste of money to buy this CD. The playing is not enjoyable to listen to, and it promotes the idea that "as fast as possible" is the goal, even if it cannot be sustained throughout. Additionally, and most importantly, it is in the great words of Martha Argerich, "anti-musical".




uberpianism
5 / 5.0
All my life I have started my piano practice with Czerny finger exercises, like so many other people. Once I had a tape of some brilliant Czerny duets, but lost it, while keeping a feeling that there was more to Czerny than I knew . . . Here is the proof! These brilliant and brilliantly played studies are in the direct line of Liszt (Czerny's pupil), Alkan and Debussy. In fact Czerny may have been the first one to create artistic technical studies. Never dull, ever rushing onwards, such verve. A total delight.


Mind Boggling
5 / 5.0
I got this recording out of interest because I started work on some of these studies last Summer. Quite apart from (soundly) putting me in my place by a dazzling display of technique the performance also adds considerable amounts of musicianship to what should be just dry, boring, exercises. This is piano playing at its best.



I will now have to go back and revisit the "School of Velocity".....






Incredible pianism!
5 / 5.0
This is some of the most technically amazing playing I've heard, not to mention that this is a live recording. I think this CD should be required listening and Czerny's op. 740 should be required study for all serious pianists. I'm kind of tired of the Chopin Etudes and it is refreshing to hear these brilliant studies, which have pretty much been neglected and forgotten. Compositionally, no note is out of place in any of the pieces. Libetta's tempos are inhumanly fast, since he does take most of Czerny's metronome indications literally. Czerny was obsessed with speed, but I think many of these studies could benefit musically by slightly slower tempos. This is excellently crafted music and a joy to listen to (and play) and serve as a great alternative to Chopin's more complex harmonic style as demonstrated in his Etudes. They are also more playable and easier to listen to and understand than Chopin's often melancholy and elusive musical language. Libetta is one of the world's "super pianists" and belongs in the same company as Andre-Hamelin and Berezovsky. He is also apparently very intelligent and wrote his own illuminating program notes. Buy this CD!


In awe of Libetta's pianism
5 / 5.0
I am shocked at the success of this entire recording. Having received it yesterday and having listened to just about all of it, I am astounded once again by Libetta's pianism. He has given so much attention and care to each of the 50 etudes in Czerny's Op 740 that the effect is entirely musical and no way pedantic. If the Vivien H. Slater recording that's been floating around the internet has turned you off, please forget that and give this a listen. Every piece in this recording is enjoyable.



Libetta plays Op 740 twice as fast as Slater does and the effect is breathtaking. Even if you aren't a fan of a particular etude, it's pretty much over as soon as you hit `play.'



And of course harmonically, it's Czerny, so you won't find anything groundbreaking here, however, this truly is sensitive virtuoso pianism at its best.



And note: this is a LIVE recording. The sound is very good and Libetta is pretty much note perfect, using little pedal. What more could you want.

Bizet: Carmen and L' Arlesienne Suites
Manufacturer: Sony
Release Date: 1997-10-28
Composer: Georges Bizet
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Performer: Julius Baker
Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
Brand: Sony
Sales Rank: 10915

Customer Review Summary (Average Rating : 4.5 / 5.0)
・The best of Georges Bizet and Leonard Bernstein, too, at a super all time low price!
・Bizet: Carmen and L' Arlesienne Suites
・Fine Bizet recording
・Love the music!
・Great Instrumental Carmen

List Price:
$7.99
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Lowest Used Price:
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Customer Reviews
The best of Georges Bizet and Leonard Bernstein, too, at a super all time low price!
5 / 5.0
This amazing CD has both of my favorite Bizet suites, the Carmen and L'Arlesienne Suites I and II, performed by the New York Philharmonic with the great Leonard Bernstein, all for the low price of $7.98! What more could you ask for? This CD should be a part of every classical music CD collection, and would serve as a great gift to those new to classical music or Georges Bizet, as it is loved the world over. Amazon currently has some of the best classical music compilations on CD for under $10, so why not add a few to your collection and receive free shipping in the deal? I am considering buying a second one for when I've worn out my present copy, which often happens to my favorite CDs. Highly recommended for everyone!


Bizet: Carmen and L' Arlesienne Suites
5 / 5.0
The wonderful music of Bizet and Leonard Bernstein conducting - what a terrific recording. It is an older recording, but fantastic!I am so happy I found it!


Fine Bizet recording
5 / 5.0
Not every famous conductor is good with everything. This is certainly the case with Bernstein who excelled in French music, Sibelius, Dvorak, but not really with Beethoven and Brahms. This is one of the finest recordings of the two suits by Bizet, Carmen and l'Arlesienne. There are other good recordings, but Bernstein's reading and conducting is fascinating here. The sound is very good too. You may buy this CD and compare it with other recordings. Five stars.


Love the music!
5 / 5.0
I was already very familiar with the music, and this version of it is absolutely perfect!


Great Instrumental Carmen
5 / 5.0
How can you go wrong with this? The NY Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein....perfect together.

Puccini - Madama Butterfly
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
Release Date: 2005-06-14
Cinematographer: Ernst Wild
Cinematographer: Wolfgang Treu
Writer: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Producer: Fritz Buttenstedt
Writer: David Belasco
Writer: Giuseppe Giacosa
Writer: Jean-Louis Martinoty
Writer: Luigi Illica
Actor&Actress: Mirella Freni / Pl?cido Domingo / Christa Ludwig / Robert Kerns / Michel S?n?chal
Director: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Sales Rank: 18206

Customer Review Summary (Average Rating : 3.5 / 5.0)
・Despite the film, Puccini conquers.
・Mesmerizing
・Emotional
・A response to the other reviews
・The Many Faces of Madame Butterfly

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Editorial Review
Of all Puccini's major operas, the intimate tragedy of Madama Butterfly is least in need of elaborate staging and might therefore benefit most from the close scrutiny of film. The story is domestic, the setting Spartan, the incidental characters kept to a minimum. This 1974 version, however, demonstrates that Butterfly still needs a healthy injection of proscenium arch melodrama. Director Jean-Pierre Ponelle's production strives for realism but remains unfortunately studio-bound, having neither the benefit of location filming nor the heightened reality of an opera stage. The exterior is a perpetually fog-shrouded heath of indeterminate locale; the interior is cramped and unadorned. The setting is just too prosaic to contain the epic emotions of grand opera.

Thankfully, the cast is a superb one, headed by Pl?cido Domingo's rakish Pinkerton and Mirella Freni's rubicund Butterfly. Their singing is incomparable, as is Herbert von Karajan's musical direction of the Vienna Philharmonic. The singers mime to prerecorded music, which is occasionally disconcerting since when film demands close-ups, opera provides broad gestures. Musically, this Butterfly is impeccable. Visually it adds nothing that could not be seen to better effect in a stage version. --Mark Walker

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Customer Reviews
Despite the film, Puccini conquers.
4 / 5.0
Not having read the brief message on the back of the cover, it came as a surprise that this was a film not a photographed live performance. The opening scene, as some reviewers have pointed out, was hardly an inducement to stay the course. (It showed a disheveled Pinkerton in T-Shirt running out of what we learn is his Japanese house, obviously in the grip of strong emotions for whose cause all who know the story of Madame Butterfly immediately register.) Customarily, I do not like filmed versions much preferring photographed live performances.

To be fair, I did not mind the unmoving mouths indicating introspective rather than objectified expression. What I did mind was the failure to take advantage of the possibilities inherent in film making but denied to the stage. This lack of adventurousness made for a lack of vigor and creativity in the production.

Yet, regardless of being an example of routine film-making, I had quite a good time. The reason is simple enough: the ravishing music by Puccini, which never goes stale, and the top-notch singing by the two stars, Domingo as Pinkerton, Freni as Butterfly. Having the likes of Christa Ludwig in support strengthened the positive response. Frankly, while I would have preferred seeing them sing live, with all its risks, but yet with its spark of spontaneity, I still could not resist that music, so endowed with the spirit of love dominant and love betrayed.If you have seen numerous versions of the opera, probably you should pass on this one and take another look at a production with which you are familiar. If you have never seen the opera in full, or have seen it only a few times, it is quite likely this will provide you with a most satisfying experience. Later you can take on one of the more full-blooded live performances.


Mesmerizing
5 / 5.0
This version of Madama Butterfly is simply astonishing. Freni and Domingo are magnificent and Von Karajan, once again, proves to be the great maestro of all times. I watched this dvd with some friends and all of us were moved,some to tears, at the power of the performances.


Emotional
5 / 5.0
I am very familiar with the music of this opera but had never seen it performed until receiving this DVD. Instead of being performed on a stage, it is done as a movie which makes it even more realistic. It is truly beautiful. It was 'filmed' in 1974 and Freni & Domingo are young & their voices AND acting are wonderful.


A response to the other reviews
4 / 5.0
This isn't a full review but a response to the other reviews here - I read all of them. The singing is excellent and listening to it with the video turned off is not a bad idea as some have suggested. The visuals are not uniformly bad. There are bad moments - I agree with those others have noted. Few have noted the good moments - there are some! One example is the morning scene after Butterfly has waited all night for Pinkerton to return. It is a lovely movie moment. There are lots of moments that are perfectly fine - like the flower scene in the garden - not great movie-making, but perfectly fine. Most of the scenes in the movie fall into the "more or less good" category. Of course it is the embarrassingly bad (or just puzzling) ones that stick in the mind of most reviewers here. If you watch this movie, bring a big helping of forgiveness for the visuals and you'll enjoy it. If something offends you, close your eyes and enjoy the singing!


The Many Faces of Madame Butterfly
3 / 5.0
From the David Belasco play to Puccini's opera to Schonberg's Miss Saigon, there are many faces of Madame Butterfly. But none is any more exquisite than that of Mirella Freni-- especially as she sings the near-perfect aria, "Un bel di" and the Flower Song duet with Suzuki. However, Ponnelle, who staged and directed the film version, made Placido Domingo as Lt. Pinkerton a little too caddish for my taste. This version seems to resemble a faded memory that speaks not to the intellect but to the heart. It certainly deserves a place in any opera collection.