Madam Butterfly is without doubt Giacomo Puccini's most beloved and performed opera, an opera that has captivated and touched the audiences of the whole world. This production was filmed in Torre del Lago, in the open-air theatre on the shores of the peaceful Tuscan lake where Puccini liked to retreat.
Soprano Nadine Sierra stars as the self-sacrificing courtesan Violetta—one of opera’s ultimate heroines—in Michael Mayer’s vibrant production of Verdi’s beloved tragedy. Tenor Stephen Costello is her lover Alfredo, alongside baritone Luca Salsi as his disapproving father and Maestro Daniele Callegari on the podium.
It's an event that draws many thousands of music lovers to one of the most beautiful cities in the world every summer: the opera season at the ancient Arena di Verona. The 2,000-year-old roman amphiteatre with its gigantic stage dimensions is one of the largest and best preserved Roman construction of its kind, and with over 22,000 seats it is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular open-air venues of the world! The revered master of opera Franco Zeffirelli, who died shortly before the premiere of Il Trovatore, created a legendary scenery with groups of giant sized armoured knights, a fortress turning into a luminous cathedral, an enormous choir, horses, breathtaking fights: “his perhaps best arena production” (Opernglas). It brings Anna Netrebko to the Arena of Verona where she is giving her much-anticipated debut in one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most popular operas.
Power struggles among rival families in 14th-century Genoa, a story of tragic love, a young girl gone missing… Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra combines the perfect ingredients for gripping dramatic opera with a strong political message. On the stage of the Salzburg Festival, this sharp critique of power set to music is brought to life by the voices of Luca Salsi, Marina Rebeka, René Pape, Charles Castronovo, and others, who join the exceptional Valery Gergiev for a captivating performance.
Madama Butterfly is, with Bohème, the most loved and staged of Puccini’s works. This Blu-ray production was staged at the 2007 Puccini Festival in Italy’s Torre del Lago, Puccini’s home town. Starring as Cio Cio San is the Russian soprano Elmira Veda. This version is only available as Blu-ray.