Puccini: Madama Butterfly.

[] Katchour, Brillemburg, Strejc; Rankin, Eikotter, Kilpelainen; Bremen Philharmonic State Orchestra and Bremen Theatre Chorus, Neuhold. Italian libretto. Naxos 8.660878/79

The furor that greeted the premiere of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, at La Scala in 1904, is now the stuff of opera legend. But even if the audience's catcalls were orchestrated, as has been suggested, the composer's decision to withdraw the score for revision implies that he realized the criticism was not entirely without merit. And most of the changes Puccini made seem to have been improvements, though with the 1906 Paris revision rooted so deeply in one's ears, it is difficult to judge with true impartiality. Certainly, listening to Butterfly's entrance in Act I of the original, it is easy to understand why the Milanese shouted "Boheme!"--the violins' little turn does indeed sound like a variation on "Musetta's Waltz." The composer was right to change it, and while the alteration to the melody is slight, the simpler profile fits more convincingly into the opera's sound-world. Puccini's final version of "Tu, piccolo iddio" brings Butterfly's anguish into sharper relief, and if some colorful characterizations are lost in the excisions to the wedding scene of Act I, the snipping also serves to tighten the dramas trajectory.

In 1996, Vox Classics released a lavish four-disc set that included not only the original 1904 ...