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This traditional production of Puccini's enduringly popular opera Madama Butterfly should give much pleasure. It was recorded at the open-air theatre in Verona in 1983 with the local orchestra and chorus under the aptly named Maurizio Arena. The video direction is by an expert in the field, Brian Large, who brings home all the intimate moments of Puccini's drama from an open set that ascends and sprawls across rows of seating. His camera draws the viewer into scenes that the audience cannot witness from a distance--most movingly when Sharpless, the American consul in Nagasaki, gives up his attempt to read Pinkerton's letter to Butterfly saying he has no intention of seeing her again (set to that magical melody which will recur as the humming chorus). It's of little matter that there are no operatic stars in the cast, for this ensemble consists of experienced singers who fill the night air with lungs to match Puccini's heaviest demands. The audience greets the show-stopping moments with waves of applause. Their enthusiasm may drown a few bars of orchestral continuity, but the orchestra itself is always at the service of the singers on a soundtrack that captures the atmosphere of an open-air performance with astonishing verisimilitude. Butterfly, sung by the statuesque Raina Kabaivanska, may not look 16 and some of her arm movements are overdone, but her big number, "Un bel di," and its reprise are touchingly conveyed. Nor does she overplay the final scene--a moment that sends a shiver down the spine in its economy. Nazzareno Antinori as her Pinkerton, with his matinee idol looks and resonant voice, complements her well; their singing of Puccini's spacious love duet at the close of Act One is a treat with the crowd. --Adrian Edwards
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