Puccini: Madame Butterfly
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Puccini: Madame Butterfly
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Narrated by:
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David Timson
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By:
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Thomson Smillie
About this listen
Madama Butterfly runs the gamut of operatic emotions. The title heroine has a fragility wonderfully expressed in her entry music, deep sexual instincts as shown in the love duet, and immense tragic stature in her last hours. The fate of Madama Butterfly - married to an American sailor and then abandoned - engages our emotions to a degree equaled by few other opera heroines. The oriental setting and the exquisite orchestral and choral writings are treasured bonuses.
This audiobook is the perfect introduction to Madama Butterfly. We learn about the background to Puccini's "Japanese" opera, the social themes of honor and loyalty it involves, and how it progressed from a surprisingly unsuccessful premiere to one of the central and best-loved works of the international operatic repertory. As the story unfolds, we get to know the melodies which make this such a moving and compelling opera.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2002 Naxos AudioBooks (P)2002 Naxos AudioBooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Editorial reviews
"Every night, since May 28th, 1904, somewhere in the world, there has been a performance of Madame Butterfly. Why is Madame Butterfly one of the best-loved operas in the world? Infused with the passionate, breathtaking music of Giacomo Puccini, this audiobook explains not only the dramatic content of the opera, but its context as well. Many listeners might not know that the opera's premiere was a huge flop - audiences were outrageously critical! It was only after Puccini revised and edited the score, that it became the wild success that it remains today. Delving deep into the political, historical, and musical elements of the opera, music historian Thomson Smillie gives listeners a comprehensive and entertaining education on this opera. The audio is narrated by David Timson, whose cheery voice lends a light touch to the information-packed exploration of this adored opera.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Deep dive into The Godfather
- By C.F. on 08-28-24
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Beat the Devil
- By: David Hare, Donald Katz - Introduction
- Narrated by: David Hare
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 85
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4 out of 5 stars 76
In the spring of 2020, as the world grappled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic, acclaimed British screenwriter and playwright David Hare was struck down by the virus himself. With brutal honesty, sharp humor, and his trademark insight, the renowned writer of modern classics like Skylight and Plenty brings us into his own experience battling the bizarre and terrifying symptoms of Covid-19.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Masterful weave of the personal and political
- By Trevor M. on 10-26-24
By: David Hare, and others
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz Bundle (Annotated)
- By: Lyman Frank Baum
- Narrated by: Whitney Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 101
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 101
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Story5 out of 5 stars 101
Book 1: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known and loved today as simply The Wizard of Oz, is a tale that has been cherished by readers and listeners throughout the years. This timeless story has inspired Broadway shows, cartoon series, and many films over the past few generations. I hope that this book has inspired your sense of creativity and wonder as much as it has mine.
By: Lyman Frank Baum
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The Energy Curfew Music Hour
- By: Chris Thile, Claire Coffee, Punch Brothers
- Narrated by: Chris Thile, Punch Brothers
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
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Story5 out of 5 stars 29
It’s time to unplug with the Grammy-winning Punch Brothers, fronted by singer-mandolinist Chris Thile, as they bring you a multi-episode musical variety show with dazzling musical guests, like Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Jon Batiste, Norah Jones, James Taylor, and many more.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gifted musicians and storytellers right in their element and at the height of their powers
- By Megan G Kahl on 10-27-24
By: Chris Thile, and others
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Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon
- Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops, and the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
- By: David McGowan
- Narrated by: Bill Fike
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 825
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 692
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Story4 out of 5 stars 695
The very strange but nevertheless true story of the dark underbelly of a 1960s hippie utopia. Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and early 1970s was a magical place where a dizzying array of musical artists congregated to create much of the music that provided the soundtrack to those turbulent times. But there was a dark side to that scene as well. Many didn't make it out alive, and many of those deaths remain shrouded in mystery to this day.
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5 out of 5 stars
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My first review. This book changed me.
- By Robert on 06-30-19
By: David McGowan
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A Streetcar Named Desire
- By: Tennessee Williams
- Narrated by: Carla Gugino, Audra McDonald
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,229
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,086
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,078
With Emmy, Grammy, and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Blanche DuBois alongside Carla Gugino as Stella, O’Hara takes a fresh and visceral look at the emotionally charged relationship between these two iconic sisters. Haunted by her past, Blanche seeks refuge with Stella and Stanley (Ariel Shafir) in New Orleans, where she wrestles with the nature of her sister’s husband, her sister’s denial, and her own unraveling mind.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Classic With Fresh Insight
- By Talia Shafir on 12-04-20
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Song of the Northwoods
- By: Jessica Huang
- Narrated by: Michele Selene Ang, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Emma Kikue, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,899
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 3,574
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,563
After a betrayal at work costs Song Kuan her job, she retreats to her friend Lucy’s idyllic family cabin on a lake in Minnesota to lick her wounds. She devotes herself to recording Ice Cold Cases, a true-crime podcast that she and Lucy cohost with the gleeful energy of obsessed fans—until an anonymous tip about a missing-person case disrupts their equilibrium. Then Lucy disappears, leaving Song alone in an unfriendly and unfamiliar town where locals don’t take kindly to strangers asking questions.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Asians in MN! I loved it. The vivid sounds of Northern Minnesota totally took me there, and I was hooked into the mystery.
- By Sheila Morris on 04-26-22
By: Jessica Huang
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Coreyography
- By: Corey Feldman
- Narrated by: Corey Feldman
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,920
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,640
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,635
In this brave and moving memoir, Corey Feldman is revealing the truth about what his life was like behind the scenes: His is a past that included physical, drug, and sexual abuse, a dysfunctional family from which he was emancipated at age fifteen, three high-profile arrests for drug possession, a nine-month stint in rehab, and a long, slow crawl back to the top of the box office.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Didn't like the Two Coreys, but liked this.
- By ricketsj on 04-29-14
By: Corey Feldman
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Petty: The Biography
- By: Warren Zanes
- Narrated by: Warren Zanes
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,067
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,839
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,835
No one other than Warren Zanes, rocker and writer and friend, could author a book about Tom Petty that is as honest and evocative of Petty's music and the remarkable rock and roll history he and his band helped to write. Born in Gainesville, Florida, with more than a little hillbilly in his blood, Tom Petty was a Southern shit kicker, a kid without a whole lot of promise. Rock and roll made it otherwise.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Tom Petty gets some bio love
- By tru britty on 12-15-15
By: Warren Zanes
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The Chris Farley Show
- A Biography in Three Acts
- By: Tom Farley, Tanner Colby
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer, L. J. Ganser, Mark Boyett
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,381
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,115
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,102
The New York Times best-selling biography of an American comedy legend. After three years of sobriety, Chris Farley's life was at its creative peak until a string of professional disappointments chased him back to drugs and alcohol. He fought hard against them, but it was a fight he would lose in December 1997. Farley's fans immediately drew parallels between his death and that of his idol, John Belushi. Without looking deeper, however, many failed to see that Farley was much more than just another Hollywood drug overdose. In this officially authorized oral history, Farley's friends and family remember his work and life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Incredibly sad....
- By Marie B on 04-12-15
By: Tom Farley, and others
What listeners say about Puccini: Madame Butterfly
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Xavier Boyer
- 10-22-18
Let’s get that bread
Yo let me tell you... we needed someone bread and this came thru. We GOT that bread.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jason Monaghan
- 08-06-18
Excellent introduction to a classic opera
Smillie provides a short, but effective introduction to Puccini's much loved opera. The extracts from performances are particularly effective and used well.
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1 person found this helpful