Radio New Zealand, 26/04/2009

Erica Challis

Madama Butterfly

Erica Challis says: "Some recordings grab me right from the very first moment, and this new Butterfly is one of them. It’s probably no accident that so many of my favourite Puccini recordings are performed by Italian opera orchestras – in this case the the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Antonio Pappano. I might not want to hear them play Mahler or Beethoven, but these players perform this kind of music as naturally as breathing, and matching the singers who wear their hearts on their sleeves with tenderness and passion. Pappano keeps the ensemble tightly knitted to the action so that every thought springs to life and the quick interjections between singers flow as easily as conversation."