Madame Butterfly: The Trace of the Butterfly (2005)

Centering on a production for the Puccini Festival staged in Puccini's home town of Torre del Lago in Tuscany, this documentary provides a superb introduction to Puccini's masterpiece whilst also illustrating his consummate skill as a composer for the operatic stage. Directed by Vivien Hewitt, conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson and starring the Chinese soprano Hui He, wiht Stefano Secco as Pinkerton and Antonio Salvadori as Sharpless, Madame Butterfly - The Trace of the Butterfly is an informative and insightful exploration of the opera's themes and musical expression, which is wonderfully brought to life with substantial performance extracts.