Puccini: Madama Butterfly.(Video Recording Review)

Kabaivanska, Jankovic: Antinori, Ferrara, Saccomani, Zacchillo, Brunelli; Orchestra and Chorus of the Arena di Verona, Arena. Kultur DVD D2103, 144 mins., color, subtitled

Raina Kabaivanska possessed a full lyric instrument able to stretch to spinto roles, as well as a commanding stage presence, which combined to earn her a major international career and a particularly loyal following in Italy. Her greatest roles were considered Tosca and Cio-Cio-San, and when she bid farewell to the latter at the Verona Arena in 1997, it made the headlines in Italy.

This performance of Butterfly is also from Verona, but in 1983, closer to the soprano's prime years. Her interpretation of the role is very much her own, and one will either warm to it or not. This is also true of her voice, which spun out dependably, featuring a rapid vibrato, secure high notes and the ability to switch gears into a piano when called for. By the time of this filming, Kabaivanska's instrument had hardened a bit, losing some of its warmth and ability to caress. But she had no trouble with stamina in this enormously demanding role, only occasionally suffering from intonation problems.

The vast Verona Arena is hardly sympathetic to intimate operas. And when cameras are brought in, they tend to exaggerate the broadness of approach favored in such a colossal venue. Even the gifted television director Brian Large cannot mask entirely the fact that there is a lot of physical ground for the singers to cover, and a certain amount of frantic searching for the conductor's beat is reflected in the faces of the soloists.

Kabaivanska, to her credit, keeps her concentration and focus, gliding ...