The Florentine Opera’s season opener, Madama Butterfly, seemed something of a mixed bag at first. Portly tenor Eric Barry addressed Pinkerton’s music in a reedy voice without much sensitivity for the melodic nuances of the score. In the title role, soprano Alyson Cambridge looked lovely and brought a delicate reticence to the heroine as required, but her diminutive soprano at first seemed challenged by the hefty demands of the score. Her entrance was nicely sung but tentative, and with her indifferent Pinkerton, the love duet struggled to soar. Mark Walters, as Sharpless the consul, gave a sturdy, well-sung performance, which, along with Julia Mintzer as the ever-faithful Suzuki, stabilized the action.
But the second act came as a revelation. Even the stage direction seemed more fluid. Unencumbered by Pinkerton, Cambridge approached the role with greater security and opened up her lyric soprano with newfound power. She released her full vocal resources, until now held in abeyance, with stunningly placed high notes delivered with greater vocal purity. Her voice is not huge but was well placed as in her touching rendition of “Un Bel Di.” Her delicate balance between performance and music was admirable. Cambridge has learned the art of husbanding her resources and saving the best for last. As a result, the long duet with Sharpless with its searing orchestral climaxes, and the tragic suicide finale, demonstrate her fine musical judgment. Tears were shed as much for Giacomo Puccini’s great score as for her touching performance.
