I asked for this and Un bel di vedremo to be played at my wife's funeral. It was her favorite Opera. I hope you enjoyed hearing it again today wherever you are. Love always.
this has always been one of the most emotionally devasting moments in opera for me. and she has always been one of my favoritess. great singing, incredible emotion
For several years I was a crazy nut fan of hers, I've been away from listening opera until today it occurred to me to revisit this video and I look at your comment. I verified she passed away on 2/9/2020. I used to dream of her. Oh my broken heart! I wish I believed in angels, then I would know she is now one of them, but I don't. Her voice lit my life for many years, rest in peace my beloved.
Thank goodness that unlike Butterfly, she lived a long and glorious life that came to a natural and hopefully peaceful end. She was one of opera's most shining stars and she'll always be remembered and so loved!
+FrancyPerkele Rota Completely agree! :) I also think nobody is better in this role. And You should also watch her as Mimi, La boheme! She is the best Mimi ever as well! (And she is also the best Desdemona in Verdi's Otello.)
Always start to cry hearing this ' beautiful ' music - M.Freni sings it superb ! Madama Butterfly was my first opera i heard completely and on vinyl and with the legendary Maria Callas . When she sings the last scene , i must say this goes right into my heart !!! wes
I´ve received today CD Madama Butterfy with Mirella Freni, Teresa Berganza and Jose Carreras. It´s INCREDIBLE! Mirella as Cio-cio-san is great! I love that music.. Vivat Puccini, Berganza, Freni and VIVAT OPERA!
Este aria es conmovedora y la desesperación de Butterfly está interpretada magistralmente por Mirella Freni Que bien canta , que timbre tan bonito Mercedes Pator 24-6-2009
Karajan pushed Freni to the limit on this role, but unlike others, she never went overboard. The Freni/Karajan recording with Pav is still the gold standard in my book. LOVE the fearless phrasing! Karajan and Freni also worked miracles in Carmen as Micaela.
My BF is Japanese and I am Italian. He thinks, some times that he is Italian, as I think I understand Japanese. I have profound respect for him. This music is beyond perfect to describe all LOSS! Please understand that we have seen too much death!
I believe she is my favorite in this role. This is such a powerful scene and she performs it so well. I love the strong emotion that she is so able to convey with her voice.
Brava Mirella Freni!! Renata Tebaldi and Renata Scotto were also great interpreters of Cio-Cio San. This production is faulty in the final act in that it has Suzuki handing the knife to Cio-Cio San. This does not make sense as it was Suzuki who brought Cio-Cio San's child to her hoping that she would not consider suicide. Also for Pinkerton to just stand there and witness his wife's death is absolutely ridiculous. If he truly loved her, then he would have tried to save her. It makes him look so cowardly to run away like that. It is unfortunate that directors take so much liberty with operas today. And it is no wonder that long-time subscribers have decided to cancel their subscriptions to send a message. After all, we can watch videos of great performances today. And it is regretful that we do not have outstanding singers such as Freni today. Great singers such as Sutherland, Tebaldi, and Caballe are gone, and there is no one to replace them, in my opinion.
Ancora una volta la potenza della sua voce si distingue in tante.grande mirella freni, ricordo ancora con emozione la prima volta che la vidi al teatro della.opera con Pavarotti nell.interpretazione. . Sua preferita, mini ❤❤❤
i've own this video/dvd since 1995......ive gone thru 2 copies and 2 cd sets and i also have the record.... i have never heard anything more powerful and heartbreaking and most of all breathtaking....BUTTERFLY LIVES!!
Beautiful and very moving. I love the way she sings this role. As to the Seppuku, they were historically very accurate with the way she commits suicide. Women were only allowed to cut their throats, not stab themselves, and their legs were tied together beforehand to maintain a "ladylike" position even in death (I'm a student of East Asian studies). Hope it helps the people interested.
I love mirella in this role. He is a superb singing actress blessed with a great voice. Butterfly's tragic suffering and tears find life in her. The true attributes of this video are the colorful tones of the background and of course the gorgeous sounds. Even with the beautiful voices and music, this video is subpar. I can't believe Domingo was dressed like a clown and his crashing exit is too silly to behold, which is completely inappropriate here.
@DavidoffGustav Oh, I also read once, she did not sing it on stage, because she was afraid of not having control over her emotions and ruin her vocal emition.
Actually it's more because she was shamed. In the Japanese culture there's nothing worst than being dishonored (she changed her intire life for him- the locals never forgave her for becoming a christian). That's why this opera is one of the fews that have a real life drama, and not the over done one :) Oh man... I still get goosebumps in this scene...
This is no mocking of culture. This opera was written in the 1800's by an Italian and is sung in Italian. The bad guy here is the American who married a Japanese woman for sport and then abandoned her. This is how people behaved back then....it is no mockery.
I think I read somewhere that this was her favorite role, but one she never sang on stage because it required too much endurance for a voice of her lyricism. In one review of her recording with Pavarotti they said it was like a fine captured butterfly carefully examined, coming it at a much longer performance than any other.
One would have to have heart made of stone not to be moved by Butterfly's plight. The story is just as relevant today - dealing as it does with betrayal and the exploitation of innocence.
the t-shirt might be a symbol of the clash of japanese and american cultural heritage "during that time" for Ponelle which by the way is the center theme of this opera...
This Opera was written in the 1800's by an Italian and is sung in Italian. The bad guy here is the American who abandons Butterfly after marrying her. This is no mocking of culture, but a story reflecting the times of that day.
Not Hara kiri as it was known. There were some legends that well to do women in Japan were taught how to take their lives so they could maintain their honor.
I don't think he jumps, he falls... I find it quite interesting that she kills herself in front of him and that Suzuki (or at least I suppose it's Suzuki) "helps" her doing it.
Actually, it was given as a choice between that and being outright executed. Because the Japanese believed that the belly was the source of the soul, just as Europeans in the middle ages believed the heart was the source. So, when saying in Europe, 'He has a black heart." or 'A yellow heart,' the Japanese said, 'His belly is black,' or , "His belly is yellow'. Seppuku was the act of saying, 'No, my belly is still red, so it is not corrupted.'
The jumping through the shouji in the end is really unnecessary, and this version is slightly inaccurate in comparison with the opera (she blindfolds the child, goes behind a folding screen, he embraces her at the end, etc etc). However, I really think this is the best video version of the opera (I saw it once live, but only after I saw this one, and I wasn't impressed in the slightest). I can't believe someone can really like that Ying Huang version over this one, it's such a joke...
Can't you morons enjoy the music instead of flooding my inbox with notifications of your petty immature insult war? Get on with life, I don't want to have to disable comments on videos just b/c some petty idiots have nothing better to do with their lives. *eyeroll*
honestly feel bad for that kid. No idea what's happening, lady screamin jibberish in his face, awkward positioning on the floor... pretty weird situation
