This recording caught one of nature's greats at the height of her powers. Vishnevskaya sings with emotion throughout the opera, never more so than at Butterfly's most dramatic moments. She also brings charm and character to the role. Its a multi-faceted interpretation. I didn't care that she sings in Russian. That was probably aided by the less-than-ideal recording which is metallic and distant - Pinkerton's interjections at the finale cannot be heard. But the ear adjusts and then, on the second and third playthroughs, I found a wealth of magnificent singing, not just Vishnevskaya and brilliant playing by the orchestra and conducting. As well as Vishnevskaya, Klobucar is the other hero of the night. I have collected many of his live performances and never cease to wonder why he was so wilfully overlooked by the record companies. OK, they had Solti and Karajan, but surely any recording by a second-ranker (e.g. Bartoletti, Molinari-Pradelli, Erede) would have been immeasuably improved by Klobucar's presence.I would rate this Butterfly 5 for performance less one star for the sound.

Most opera goers in the West will have become familiar with Vishnevskaya through her recordings of Russian music. Only within the last 25 years or so have her recordings of Western operas become more widely known. Her Aida and Alice Ford are already available from Opera Depot and this Butterfly is a worthy addition to the library of any of the soprano's admirers. The sound is not ideal; this is taken from an in-house tape and the voices are recessed. But the ear adjusts and Vishnevskaya's soaring interpretation emerges through the sonic fog. She contents herself with the lower ending to Butterfly's entrance, but sounds magnificent throughout the performance. She is more emotionally restrained than some other Butterflies and is more effective because of it. One also has to adjust to her singing the role in Russian while everyone else sings in Italian (though she does sing "Un Bel di" in Italian). One can fully understand why she was such a star at the Bolshoi.Aragall sings gloriously as does the rest of the cast. There are a couple of moments where there is some uncertainty trading back and forth between languages. Klobucar does his best to accommodate his diva and succeeds most of the time. This is a recording more for connoisseurs because of the sound and language issues, but fans of Vishnevskaya should definitely hear it. She certainly lives up to her reputation!

Aragall in his best times