MusicWeb international
2019 February
af
af
Robert Cummings (musikanmelder)
2019 February
"Recommended: It seems that most successful opera productions have at least one outstanding lead singer who distinguishes the effort from estimable or from merely competent performances. That is the case here as Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho turns in an outstanding performance to make this a very special Madama Butterfly ... Her voice matches her fragility and innocence ... Her dramatic skills are impressive ... Antonio Pappano is one of the better Puccini conductors before the public today. He seems always aware of the emotional flow of the music, phrasing it to heighten its drama and beauty ... and in the end drawing excellent playing from the ROH Orchestra and fine singing from the chorus ... The production is traditional, having costuming and sets that place the story in late 19th century Japan ... So, this new Opus Arte effort from Covent Garden is my current choice for this opera on video. Even though a few cast members are good but not great, the performance by Ms. Jaho and contribution by Pappano and company elevate this effort to the status of outstanding".