Why did Puccini and his librettist Giuseppe Adami decide to rewrite the third act of La Rondine? Was it because of some moral indignation on the censors’ part? In the original version, the one we are familiar with, the heroine, Magda, confesses to her lover Ruggero that her past was not unblemished, she had been the mistress of the banker Rambaldo. Ruggero doesn’t care, he loves her and wants to marry her. In the 1920 revision, recorded here for the first time, Rambaldo turns up at the lovers’ house and begs Magda to return to him. Ruggero, realising the truth, turns on Magda, flinging money at her (like Alfredo in La traviata). He storms out and Magda is left without any alternative – back to Paris and the old life. Perhaps this is more realistic – who can say?

Despite several recent high-profile productions, La Rondine remains the least-known of Puccini’s mature operas. This must be in part because the tenor role is somewhat ungrateful, despite the addition of the aria “Parigi! È la città dei desideri”, also composed for this 1920 revision but now regularly inserted into the “standard” 1917 edition.

This live performance has plenty of energy. It would be idle to pretend that it in any way rivals the Pappano set with Gheorghiu and Alagna (EMI, 5/97); a definitive recording if ever there was one. As Magda, Svetla Vassileva starts a little uncertainly – it’s hard on the soprano to have to sing the most famous aria “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” only five or six minutes after the curtain rises. However, as the evening progresses she rises to the challenge, and brings a considerable amount of feeling to the anguish of the final scene. Fabio Sartori too grows stronger as the drama progresses. The secondary couple, Emanuele Giannino as Prunier and Maya Dashuk as Lisette, make a convincing pair of quarrelsome lovers. The long-suffering Rambaldo – Marzio Giossi – gets his little aria in Act 3. As always the big ensemble in the dance-hall scene in Act 2 goes with a terrific swing, Alberto Veronesi leading the Puccini Festival Orchestra with obvious relish. Anyone with a keen interest in Puccini’s work will want to hear this.