POOR BUTTERFLY

LA private eye Toby Peters is back, and opera is the stage for the threats and subsequent murders by the phantom Toby is hired to ferret out. George Guidall voices the witty, down-to-earth Toby with perfect dryness. He presents imperious Leopold Stokowski, famed conductor, with an accented, formal resonance, and characterizes Toby's ancient landlady and the delicate, young soprano with equal aplomb. Providing all of the roles, major and minor, with individual character, Guidall glides through the story's twists and turns while entertaining the listener with surprises. R.N. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 99]