This, the last recording of Puccini’s tragic masterpiece to be made before the outbreak of the Second World War, is among the most moving of all pre-war opera recordings. Heading the cast is the Italian soprano Toti dal Monte, the ‘First Lady’ of La Scala throughout the 1920s and 1930s, whose Butterfly is almost heartbreakingly pure. Opposite her is the great Beniamino Gigli, in an immaculate performance as Pinkerton, this his only recorded outing as the irrepressive young lieutenant. A musically sumptuous experience, this classic Madama Butterfly is a reminder of the undimmed power of music at one of the century’s darkest hours.