I recently bought the Membran Music-produced disc of the Callas/Karajan
Butterfly.  It is a complete recording of the original EMI version. 
The transfer sounds fine, but I've noticed something.

On this transfer, disc 1 ends with track 17 in the middle of Act 2,
Non lo sapete insomma.  Disc 2, track 1 starts where disc 1 left off,
in mid-scene; the aria is A voi pero guierere fede costante.  So my
question is, does the EMI version also stop and start in mid-scene at
this place?  This aria-interruptus is not noticeable on my iPod but on
disc it is awful: right in the middle of the action, almost enough to
make me buy the EMI version if disc 1 ends in a logical place.  The two
discs time out at 68:54 and 69:43 respectively, so perhaps there is
simply not enough room to move the last four tracks on disc 1.  However,
in the only other version I have -- Chandos's Opera in English -- the
transition comes at a different place and is not so abrupt.

Mitch Friedfeld

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