Of the various DVD
incarnations of Butterfly that
have come my way so far, this is the
one that satisfies the most. There is
no single star in the cast. The conducting
is unfailingly musical. The production
is simply superb.
Robert Wilson (stage
director) has taken away all trappings
of staging, so that there are no paper
walls. tatami mats etc. Rather, a stark
stage depends on coloured lighting,
and it is in this simplicity that the
success lies. It throws into relief
the onstage drama, a drama enacted almost
ritualistically. Movements are mostly
stylised, invoking in themselves ancient
Japanese ritual. Of course, textual
references to the house's design and
features have to be mimed. A small price
to pay. The picture itself is crystal
clear, itself a prerequisite for this
production – the intensity and nuance
of the various colours has to be expertly
reproduced if this is to succeed. Much
of this is discussed in the 'extra',
in which de Waart also comments on the
many markings in Puccini's score – as
many as in Mahler. The care he brings
to the orchestral contribution seems
to confirm his wish to conform to Puccini's
wishes.
Complementing the production
is an orchestra (Netherlands Philharmonic)
under Edo de Waart that plays with simply
huge amounts of energy - just try the
very opening. The cast is almost as
good. Inevitably there is a weak link;
a shame it has to be the Pinkerton,
here tenor Martin Thompson. His 'Dovunque
al mondo' is merely nice, but he is
no Domingo and his evident lack of real
power looks at that point set to be
a real disadvantage – as it subsequently
proves to be. Domingo's luxuriant reserves
stand him in good stead in his DVD film
with Karajan and Freni (review
). The onstage exchanges as the chorus
leaves in Act 1 is just another example
of many.
His Butterfly, Cheryl
Barker, is in a different league entirely,
and a more exalted one. Her entrance
is, appropriately, slow and ceremonial;
the sense of the off-stage well realised.
Barker's sensitivity is her greatest
asset in this part, but we should not
forget the strength of her high register
- also called upon, of course. The final
stages of Act 1 (Pinkerton and Butterfly
together) are interesting from a movement
point of view, with Pinkerton mirroring
Butterfly's movements – and then at
one point it looks as if he's giving
her Reiki! (the Reiki link recurs at
the end of Act 2). Again a vocal failing
from Pinkerton spoils the moment, as
he tries to be ardent at 'Vieni, Vieni',
which finds him trying but failing to
be up there with the greats. The Bonze
- as wide, physically, as they come
- looks fantastic but vocally lacks
some of the requisite authority.
Suzuki is the excellent
Catherine Keen, her Act 2 prayer ardent
and believable. The combination of Keen
and Barker is a winning one – Barker
pitches the first note of 'Un bel dì
vedremo' to perfection. Perhaps she
is not always powerful enough down low,
however.
Sharpless (Richard
Stilwell) confirms the steadfastness
he displayed in Act 1 – he rises to
his best in the 'letter scene' with
Butterfly later in this act. A shame
that the Yamadori (Roger Smeets) is
on the weak side vocally. On a staging
level, it is in Act 2 that the stylised
aspect comes into its own. These very
movements give the characters the aspect
of pieces moving around a chessboard
- an entirely appropriate image. The
final Suzuki/Butterfly moments of this
act are pure magic.
The strong morning
(yellow) colours of Act 3's opening
enable the characters to be experienced
in sharp visible relief. The delicate
web of string sound from de Waart creates
just the right ambience. Again, it is
the Pinkerton who scuppers things slightly
by a weak 'Addio, fiorita asil'. All
is made good by the handling of Kate
Pinkerton, however. She is dressed in
white - the other end of the colour
spectrum from Butterfly's black, of
course - emphasising the distance between
them. The closing scenes of the opera
are incredibly touching. Of course,
screens cannot be drawn (as Butterfly
asks) as they are simply not there –
it has to be mimed – but the starkness
of the staging only seems to focus us
on Butterfly's plight.
A superb DVD that now
becomes my top video recommendation
for this opera. The production is top-notch,
and the orchestral contribution the
strongest I have yet to hear.
Colin Clarke
see also Cheryl
Barker in La Boheme
Chorus of Netherlands Opera 
