Radio 3 Madame Butterfly

[SusanDoris]

Did anyone hear Saturday's broadcast of Madame Butterfly on radio 3? I happened to turn on and just hearing a few notes I knew what it was and listened through to the end of Act I. I thought it was superb. The soprano (whose name I looked up on the R3 schedule but forgot to write down) had a wonderful voice which came across, even on the little DAB radio on which I was listening, as clear, not too much vibrato and without strain.

The love duet at the end of Act I has, of course, been running continuously through my mind since then and I have spent time each day listening to you tube recordings of various versions. Placido Domingo and Mirella Freni, (in a TV film  I think it was( were the best. Well, apart from the fact that I could listen to Placido domingo any old day of the week, he was just gorgeous anyway and a very good actor.

[ippy]

Did anyone hear Saturday's broadcast of Madame Butterfly on radio 3? I happened to turn on and just hearing a few notes I knew what it was and listened through to the end of Act I. I thought it was superb. The soprano (whose name I looked up on the R3 schedule but forgot to write down) had a wonderful voice which came across, even on the little DAB radio on which I was listening, as clear, not too much vibrato and without strain.

The love duet at the end of Act I has, of course, been running continuously through my mind since then and I have spent time each day listening to you tube recordings of various versions. Placido Domingo and Mirella Freni, (in a TV film  I think it was( were the best. Well, apart from the fact that I could listen to Placido domingo any old day of the week, he was just gorgeous anyway and a very good actor.

We my wife and I are opera and almost any other classics fans, but much as we love good old Puccini's Butterfly and I've set up a seriously reasonable hi fi over the years and would love to give this one a really good blast, can't, it breaks my wife into tiny pieces, I can just about cope with it when she's not in, it's such a very sad story.

Regards ippy

[SusanDoris]

We my wife and I are opera and almost any other classics fans, but much as we love good old Puccini's Butterfly and I've set up a seriously reasonable hi fi over the years and would love to give this one a really good blast, can't, it breaks my wife into tiny pieces, I can just about cope with it when she's not in, it's such a very sad story.

Regards ippy

Thank you for your response. The first time I saw Madame Butterfly - when I was about 17 on a small television, shown on two consecutive evenings,   I was watching with my mother - the rest of the family were out or not interested or something - and we were, of course, both in tears at the end.
It doesn't matter how much you rationalise it, it still goes straight to the soul, doesn't it?  First time I went to an opera was a couple of years afterwards aged about 19 and it was La Boheme - same sadness at the end. Memorable experiences though.

[Robbie]

Has same effect on me.  Last time I went, at the end when all the cast came out to take a bow, people booed Pinkerton. There've been times when I've been so in bits I couldn't speak afterwards all the way home.

Great stuff.

Didn't hear the radio one you mention SD but think it was from the Met and starred Hui He or He Hui, a name something like that.

[ippy]

Has same effect on me.  Last time I went, at the end when all the cast came out to take a bow, people booed Pinkerton. There've been times when I've been so in bits I couldn't speak afterwards all the way home.

Great stuff.

Didn't hear the radio one you mention SD but think it was from the Met and starred Hui He or He Hui, a name something like that.

I don't quite know what it is, as Susan says, you know it's fiction but you can't switch it off, it hurts, unless you have psychopathic tendencies I suppose.

Regards ippy

[SusanDoris]

Robbie and Ippy

thank you for further posts. It's the harmonies, I suppose. When you think of the words they are actually singing - banal in the extreme! - and the fact that here are two people singing at the tops of their voices virtually into each others' faces, well, it just doesn't make sense. But it works every time!
On the old BBC Radio 3 message boards, there was an  extended topic on something or other and I learnt such a lot from it and, at the time, enlarged and widened my music library in directions I had not  considered before. Smittins was amongst those who were instrumental in this. In the end, there was one poster who challenged me to listen to Birtwhistle. I accepted the challenge and sat down prepared to rubbish the music! However, it was something to do with mountains and had the cool, clear feel of mountains. Not something I'd want to listen to regularly - bit weird at times - but I'm very glad I listened.

[ippy]

Robbie and Ippy

thank you for further posts. It's the harmonies, I suppose. When you think of the words they are actually singing - banal in the extreme! - and the fact that here are two people singing at the tops of their voices virtually into each others' faces, well, it just doesn't make sense. But it works every time!
On the old BBC Radio 3 message boards, there was an  extended topic on something or other and I learnt such a lot from it and, at the time, enlarged and widened my music library in directions I had not  considered before. Smittins was amongst those who were instrumental in this. In the end, there was one poster who challenged me to listen to Birtwhistle. I accepted the challenge and sat down prepared to rubbish the music! However, it was something to do with mountains and had the cool, clear feel of mountains. Not something I'd want to listen to regularly - bit weird at times - but I'm very glad I listened.

I've heard some Birtwhistle, it must have been mistakenly released, it was just a recording of the orchestra having a long warming up session.

Regards ippy

[Robbie]

Madama Butterfly is one of the few things I actually sing to myself (when on my own).

Ippy, yes we do know it is fiction but in real life some people are conned and hurt so it somehow strikes a chord.
It kills me when the poor girl spends all night and half the next morning preparing for her love to come back, complete in the sincere belief that he loves her - then he takes her kid away!  Ouch X 10!  I cry buckets every time.

[SusanDoris]

I've heard some Birtwhistle, it must have been mistakenly released, it was just a recording of the orchestra having a long warming up session.

Regards ippy

Yes!!

Madama Butterfly is one of the few things I actually sing to myself (when on my own).

I used to, but now I only attempt it when neighbours both sides are out - and that's just a line or two! I once borrowed the score from the Library; the words were in Italian and English, but I was too busy with life in general to spend much time on it.