Maria Callas’ recording of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, made in 1955, confounded many listeners at the time and can still divide critics today. Its hallmark is the unvarnished intensity Callas brings to her depiction of the teenage Japanese geisha who marries Pinkerton, an American naval officer stationed in Nagasaki. He subsequently abandons her, returning only to take their child away. There is no prettification whatsoever in Callas’ portrayal. More than any other soprano, she exposes the raw vulnerability of Cio-Cio San’s situation, and the inner pain which Pinkerton’s betrayal causes. The closing scene in particular is wrenchingly emotional, Callas charting a vocally incandescent path toward the tragic denouement. Conductor Herbert von Karajan fully embraces Callas’ uncompromising vision, drawing wonderfully expressive playing from the La Scala orchestra. The mono sound has inevitable dynamic limitations, but easily conveys the stature of this unquestionably great performance.