Puccini: Madama Butterfly - Wiener Staatsoper (1974) [Blu-ray]

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.

This long-time bestseller from the Unitel catalogue has already been available in different video formats and is now out on Blu-ray.

Herbert von Karajan conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker and a stellar cast featuring Mirella Freni, Plácido Domingo and Christa Ludwig