In the world of Madama Butterfly, it’s all about her, with the occasional supporting character coming in now and again to move the plot along.

But Palm Beach Opera’s current presentation of Giacomo Puccini’s Japanese opera is noteworthy for the strength of its supporting cast overall, and with a fine performance at its center plus a tasteful, intelligent staging, this Butterfly provides a most enjoyable night at the theater, and a memorable way for the company to open its 50th season.

On Friday night at the Kravis Center, the Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi showed why she’s been acclaimed for her work as Cio-Cio San in other opera houses. She has a powerful, if not huge, voice, with an admirable technique that allowed her to have plenty of firepower when it came to the final pages. She sang well throughout this hugely demanding part, and aside from a slightly wobbly high D-flat at her first entrance, her work was accurate, smooth and compelling.

Her Un bel dì in Act II was lovely, with a careful, focused performance of the first bars that matched the orchestra almost as though she were in the pit with the musicians, and she unfolded her character’s dream-world conviction slowly, precisely and inexorably, ending with a firm grasp of the two final high B-flats. In the Act I love duet, she sang with warmth and tenderness, and when at times she sang about her happiness, she gave the world felice an endearing sweetness.

She proved to be a fine actress as well, working within the confines of director Ron Daniels’ very clear idea of what kind of story this is. Borsi is distinctly not a modern Butterfly who boldly makes her own choices, and her actions always were circumscribed by the tradition out of which a young girl in a rigid imperial society would act. By that I mean that her movements were boxed-in, but deliberately so, and her reading of the character had a sense of inevitable doom about it that added to its exoticism and made the East-West contrast, and the subsequent misunderstanding, more palpable.

As Pinkerton, the tenor James Valenti was often good, with a clarion voice in his first entrances and in the Dovunque al mondo, as well as the Addio, fiorito asil in the final act. But his singing was spotty otherwise, retreating from its upper notes in the middle of Act I and rather underpowered in the Stolta paura, when it should be all hormonal systems go. He’s a handsome man, and his cowardice in the last act was persuasive, but he would have been more impressive had the voice remained solid (the audience, it should be said, gave him affectionate boos along with the applause, proof that his caddishness had hit the mark).

Two of the supporting voices were exceptionally fine, beginning with baritone Michael Chioldi as Sharpless. Here was a consul who made an impact in every one of the acts, and this is the first time I can remember thinking I wish Puccini had written some more for Sharpless to do. Chioldi has a big, rich voice that stood equal in his exchanges with Borsi and Valenti, and if his acting was a little stiff, his singing gave the character real presence, and that did a lot to help fill out the drama.

Mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts was just as good as Suzuki, blending beautifully with Borsi during the petals scene of Act II, and singing with force and command in all of her appearances. A Japanese-American, Roberts has a large, dark instrument that gave Suzuki poignancy and heft, and her movements across the stage perfectly underlined the nature of her character’s relationship to Cio-Cio San: a servant, but not servile, and in the end, a loving friend. Friday night’s audience gave Chioldi and Roberts warm and well-deserved applause.

The Korean tenor Julius Ahn gave this Butterfly a well-acted, well-sung Goro; here again was a big, impressive voice in a smaller role that widened our appreciation of the whole story. Kenneth Stavert, a returning Young Artist, showed a darker side to his sturdy voice as Yamadori, and the Romanian baritone Valentin Vasiliu was a decent Bonze. Also, the Canadian-Iranian mezzo Shirin Eskandani demonstrated an attractive vocal quality during her few lines as Kate Pinkerton.

This was a very pretty production, with beautiful sets and costumes from the San Francisco Opera. Everything was set amid large sliding screens that were pulled in and out by kurogo, the traditional masked Japanese stagehands, a wonderful touch. The Abraham Lincoln returned to port as a huge backdrop in Act II, and Steven Strawbridge’s canny lighting saw it change color and shape during the Humming Chorus and the transition to Act III.

And something should be said about the excellence of that transition. Too few stage directors in my experience trust Puccini’s original instinct (drawing from David Belasco) to not break the action between what are now Acts II and III, and which originally was just a large Act II. But if you keep it unbroken, like Daniels does here, it works perfectly. Borsi stood absolutely still, staring through a hole in the screen, for the 15 or so minutes from the beginning of the Humming Chorus (here performed pianissimo throughout) to the point at which the action of the act proper begins.

The result was a seamless, moving, almost claustrophobic sense of expectation that was only gently interrupted, an ideal way to suggest an overlong wait that ends in sleep and disappointment. And by keeping the movements of his actors highly controlled and never manic, he suggests at once ancient Japanese drama and a fairy tale, and that makes for a most evocative combination. The only thing that didn’t quite work was Butterfly’s suicide; a slashing of the throat seems anticlimactic, especially after we have seen Goro mime the seppuku that took her father’s life.

The Palm Beach Opera Orchestra under Bruno Aprea was first-rate, with a muscular, vivid approach to this brilliant score that also gave the opera a booster shot of dramatic juice. Aprea, among the most energetic of conductors, perhaps pushed the love duet a little too quickly, and the very ending of the piece could have been stretched just a tad to make it sink in. This is also a demanding score, in particular for the horns, who played beautifully.

The women of the chorus did fine work, and looked wonderful, during the Act I wedding scene, and Daniels’ tableau right before the arrival of the Bonze looked straight out of an Impressionist painting of a garden party.

This is a Madama Butterfly that is culturally aware as well as theatrically savvy, and while Borsi makes an excellent CIo-Cio San, this is a production that is less dependent on the title character as its prime mover, and in that, we have a deeper theatrical experience.

Madama Butterfly will be performed tonight at 7:30 with the Canadian soprano Michele Capalbo as Cio-Cio San and the Puerto Rican tenor Rafael Davila as Pinkerton. Borsi and Valenti return Sunday afternoon at 2 for the third and final performance. All shows are at the Kravis Center. Call 833-7888 or the Kravis at 832-7469 for tickets, or visit www.pbopera.org or www.kravis.org.

What a difference a year makes: Conductor Ramón Tebar has improved the quality of the Palm Beach Symphony by sheer force of will and good leadership.

This happy band has jumped 10 notches on the Richter scale of music-making; it is unrecognizable from the orchestra we heard last year.

At the opening concert of the season Wednesday night at the Society of the Four Arts, the orchestra members played like demons possessed. And this normally taciturn audience turned into keen enthusiasts, giving the orchestra and conductor three recalls instead of the usual one.

My guess is that there has been some orchestra-building over the summer months. The first-violin section has certainly been enhanced to positive effect. The intelligent public sensed improvements had been made, and they showed their appreciation with rousing applause.

Billed as Mozart’s Last and Beethoven’s First, the program tried to show the link between these two Classical-era greats. Mozart was 14 when Beethoven was born in 1770. They met once in Vienna, but all their musical associations crossed paths as young Beethoven matured.

A confident downbeat from Tebar began the evening with a finely played overture to La Clemenza di Tito (K. 621). The woodwinds were amazing and the strings, sweet as could be.

Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony (No. 41 in C, K. 551), his last, was next. Tebar set a fast pace and there was a lot of good playing from all sections of the orchestra. This long movement, marked Allegro vivace, would have been a symphony in earlier times (we owe length of symphonies heard after to 1788 to Wolfgang).

The second movement, Andante cantabile, opened with caressing sensitivity from the players; there was a willingness to “play down” the notes in the interest of less volume. Smooth repeated notes from the horns underscored the many tunes Mozart spins. The music was dreamlike in quality, the orchestra, almost thrilling in its restraint.

Third came the minuet. After some lovely opening bars from the woodwinds, strong string playing was often interrupted by the brass and percussion sections to great effect. The final movement begins with a workmanlike fugue passed around the orchestra at breakneck speed. The winds take up the melody, interrupted by sudden outbursts from the strings until a final fugue brings this great symphony to an end.

And it went well: Happy faces in the orchestra, warm applause in the hall. Even the acoustics appeared to be cooperating.

Shifting to Beethoven in the second half of the program was an education in contrasts, and growth of another kind. Close on 12 years had elapsed from the writing of the Jupiter Symphony to Beethoven’s First (in C, Op. 21) in 1800.

Even in this early orchestral essay, Beethoven begins to integrate the whole orchestra, using coloristic patterns with the sections playing together and then apart, setting the style for orchestrators of the future to blend and mix, using the orchestra as an artist’s palette.

Lovely long chords open the First Symphony, with a blending of brass and strings that marks the stamp of Beethoven’s future compositions. The orchestra sounds much heavier with the same number of players.

There’s no mistaking the second movement is all Beethoven. There’s a special quality in this slow movement, blending grace and charm and with. The music is totally captivating.

Excitement and perhaps a little tiredness crept into the opening bars of the third movement, a minuet. The orchestra tried to “get away” from Tebar with a faster pace. He skillfully drew them back with clear signals and forceful leadership. An iron will, unspoken yet well-communicated.

Controlled, beautiful string playing opened the last movement, which skips along, each section bragging with a tune, only to be answered by another section making the same claim.

Conductor and orchestra had accomplished much in a single night, and truly sharpened the appetite for Jan. 30, when the orchestra will present two major Romantic symphonies – Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Dvořák’s Ninth – at the DeSantis Chapel on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University.

They stand to play, all except for cellist David Finckel.

In that, they were just like the youngsters from Palm Springs Middle School who serenaded concertgoers with Christmas carols in the lobby of the Kravis Center on Wednesday night. But there the comparisons end.

The four inside the hall were the Emerson String Quartet, who have been together for 35 years. They still sound fresh; their attacks, energy and playing are superb and wonderfully refined.

Their first offering was Haydn’s String Quartet No. 67 (in F, Hob. III: 82). Written in 1799, it was commissioned by Prince von Lobkowitz, the same man who also gave Beethoven his first attempt at writing for string quartet.

The Allegro of the Haydn begins slowly with the first violin leading, and the second movement is a fast scherzo with humorous twists in which tunes seemingly stop halfway through.

The Andante of the third movement has strings playing in pairs and trios with some remarkably skillful obbligato playing by first violinist Eugene Drucker. He was amazing. The spirited finale dances along with glee, and showed Haydn at his best.

It must be said that Monday night’s audience insisted on applauding between movements, a bad habit that breaks concentration and which the players received with good grace. A reluctant half-smile from the lead violinist spoke volumes.

Next followed a new work, Thomas Adès’ String Quartet No. 2, called The Four Quarters. Commissioned for the Emersons by Carnegie Hall, this was its Florida premiere. Adès, a 40-year-old English composer, is very much on the rise in music circles who praise his works enthusiastically.

This quartet straddles a day in the life of its author from sunrise to sundown. It’s in stark contrast to the Haydn, with dissonances and strong reminders of Alban Berg, even Schoenberg.

“Nightfall,” the first movement, starts with the violins and viola sounding like glittering stars in the heavens, underlaid with deep cello bass notes. One is able to follow Adès’ melodic line on the first violin, this time played by Philip Setzer, but the tune goes nowhere, tapering off without resolve. Surging toward “anxious screams” on the violins and more dissonances, “Nightfall” ends on a single note from the lead violin.

Two minutes of brilliant pizzicato playing open the second movement, “Morning Dew,” followed by some tuneful passages, broken later by more catchy and beautiful pizzicatos, as at the start, at times sounding like hitting one’s tongue against the roof of one’s mouth to make a clicking sound.

A repeated monotone opens the third movement, “Days,” getting persistently louder and louder, around which the violins and viola play melodies of a semi-tuneful nature. Now, all four players repeat the surging monotone until it becomes almost unbearable. It is amazing what volume the Emersons can produce when playing in unison. Parts reminded me of Bernard Herrmann’s music for Hitchcock’s Psycho.

The last movement, “The Twenty-fifth Hour,” begins with a lilting phrase accompanied by plucked strings on the cello. Unfortunately, Finckel’s cello, which was mounted on a rostrum, sounded twangy and sometimes out of balance with the other three instruments. When plucked, it almost sounded vulgar; perhaps a hollow rostrum was to blame.

The finale, a sweet threnody that emerges after the din of the third movement, lurches forward with every bar, no ending in sight. But it has warmth and satisfaction. Slow, tapering, falling chords bring Adès Four Quarters to a close. The silence that followed was unbroken by applause for at least 20 seconds. Thomas Adès has given his audiences much to think about. Surely it will grow on them with additional hearings.

The evening ended with Beethoven’s 14^th string quartet (in C-sharp minor, Op. 131). With seven unbroken movements, played without pause, it rolls along at a fast pace, making Adès’ thrilling new work seem not so remote, since so many of Beethoven’s ideas, composed in 1826, are not that different from what the English composer was trying to express in his quartet.

Finckel did splendid work anchoring the Beethoven, and kudos also to the dapper Lawrence Dutton for his immaculate viola playing. Sadly, the audience was lukewarm in its reception of these four brilliant instrumentalists at the end of each work.

It’s a pity, because they deserved far better. There were a lot of empty seats Wednesday night, so perhaps string quartets had little appeal for this crowd.

There is a kind of intense, high-energy sound that is ideal for the special lyricism of Sergei Prokofiev, and Tim Fain has it.

The American violinist gave a riveting performance Sunday afternoon of Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto (in G minor, Op. 63) as the Boca Raton Symphonia opened its seventh season at the Roberts Theater.

Fain, 35, who’s been celebrated recently for his film work (Black Swan, Bee Season), his collaborations with Philip Glass and his ongoing multimedia project, Portals, is a violinist whose playing is very much of our time. It’s technically brilliant, directly communicative, and its focused tone has an edge to it that somehow sounds quintessentially contemporary.

Conductor Philippe Entremont led the orchestra in a relatively strong account of the concerto; in the first movement, the return of the opening music sounded appreciably better than it did the first time. But Fain gave the work a clear profile, from the snaky dark of the opening theme through its many measures of ostinato-style passagework, and he was in command every time he played.

Perhaps his most affecting playing came in the second movement, with its pizzicato dots-of-color accompaniment, and its soaring, retro-flavored theme. And he showed admirable crispness and rustic wit in the way he entered in the finale, giving it a nice, bumptious feel that lasted to the double bar.

At times, Fain would have been helped by tighter ensemble work from the Symphonia, which occasionally sounded ragged at the edges (the final bars of the concerto, for example). Overall, the orchestra came off somewhat under-rehearsed, particularly in the violins, whose presence was somewhat weak and whose unity was hit-and-miss.

In the Symphony No. 2 (in B-flat, D. 125), a marvelous early work by Franz Schubert that is redolent of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Entremont began the fast section of the first movement very speedily indeed, and while that was exciting, it followed an introduction marred by woodwind intonation problems and shaky ensemble. That kind of thing hurts the effectiveness of Schubert’s transition from the stately to the athletic.

The very Mozartean theme of the second movement was noticeably better from the standpoint of violin cohesion, and the variations that came after put the spotlight on good contributions from the celli, the horns, oboe and clarinet. The minor-key minuet was pleasingly aggressive, but it also held together better on the return from the trio.

The finale had much of the same kind of headlong energy as the first, but it often seemed as though the violins were having trouble keeping up as a group, and there were several edge-of-seat moments when things appeared to be heading out of control.

It was a joy to hear this terrific piece, but this is an ensemble that needs more sectional rehearsals to tighten things up and give the music they play the polish it needs. That was evident as well in the opening piece on the program, the Serenata Notturna (K. 239) of Mozart, a charming piece of occasional music written in a style that was sometimes old-fashioned for its day, but no less engaging for all that.

The first movement suffered serious tuning problems, starting with the solo first violin, which was markedly flat the first couple times and then came up enough for agreement as the music went on. But the ending, too, was off, with the final chord nowhere near precise intonation.

The proceedings were more consonant in the second-movement Minuet, but in the Trio, the first and second solo violins, which play very different parts before coming together in a flutter of falling sixteenths, weren’t quite there, and this is music that needs to sound untroubled and casually elegant; here, it sounded more effortful.

The final movement, the best-known of the three, was better overall, with a good, amiable tempo and a stronger sense of ensemble that allowed the Symphonia to end with a flourish.

One hopes the Boca Symphonia finds a little more time in future concerts for rehearsals, because while this was a highly enjoyable concert in many ways (particularly from Fain), it was not all it could have been given the level of talent on stage. Now would be a good time to shore that up for the future, and bring the orchestra up to its full potential.

If history dictates one fact of musical life, it's that most bands are too big not to fail.

That's because they're formed through relationships between three or more people, which makes them even more complex than romances. Most will therefore crumble within a year, and even successful ones are lucky to last for five.

But 20 years? It's a mark only a few South Florida groups have ever reached. West Palm Beach roots music trio The Dillengers joined the rare club in 2011, leaving a trail of three stellar CDs, one perfect house gig, and an extensive list of cover songs that's ranged from Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and George Jones to Tom Waits, Henry Mancini and The Ramones.

“I like to point out that we've been able to stick around roughly three times as long as The Beatles,” says Dillengers guitarist and vocalist Rick Rossano. “But it wouldn't have been possible without being able to plug in and play with the great musicians I've been able to work with. It all boils down to that.”

Rossano is the band’s leader and founder, and has also been an outstanding area bassist for more than 30 years. The versatile musician made the guitar his primary instrument by leading the area '60s rock band Ricky & the Rocketships during the 1980s, setting the template for the more far-reaching Dillengers.

In singing bassist Charlie Gonzalez, who’d played with R&B act Brookes Bros., and singing drummer George Anderson, of ‘60s rock cover act the White Owls, Rossano found the perfect trio partners. The group’s 1992 debut EP, At Large, featured Rossano originals that echoed The Beatles (What in the World) and Elvis Costello (Anything I Didn't Say), plus his signature Elvis Presley parody, I Seen Elvis, which remains a requested favorite during live appearances.

"I first saw The Dillengers very early on, and they really stood out even then," says Andy Stein, lead guitarist for area variety rock acts Acoustic Remedy and No Strings Attached. "No other local band has ever had their roots-music vocabulary."

That debut album was part of the reason The Dillengers were hired as the house band at Elwood's Dixie Bar-B-Q, the filling station-turned open-air juke joint on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach where the trio held court from 1994 to 2001. In 2009, owner Michael Elwood Gochenour sold the restaurant along the railroad tracks at 301 E. Atlantic Avenue, home since to the neon-lit Johnnie Brown's. He opened a new Elwood's three blocks north in early 2011, but then died suddenly on May 30 at age 59.

Gochenour’s club went dark immediately afterward, just as the current Dillengers lineup of Rossano, bassist/vocalist Bill Rabon (who joined the band in 2007) and drummer/vocalist Mike Vullo (2004) was staking its place as its everything-old-is-new-again house band.

“We played there five or six times,” Rabon says, “and were set to play there several more when Elwood died.”

“He was a friend,” Rossano says. “Life didn't get much better than a house gig at his place. I miss him.”

Elwood's, particularly the original location, was a '60s hipster throwback. A huge "Lounge" sign adorned the east wall near a bar that served Pabst Blue Ribbon draft beer. The filling station’s leftover pump stood by the entrance bearing a sign that read, “Eat here, get gas.” Bands set up on a stage right in front of the former station’s still-intact garage door. It was a retro atmosphere straight out of a Quentin Tarantino film.

And The Dillengers would’ve fit right in on the soundtracks to Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Reservoir Dogs. On St. Patrick’s Day of 1996, the band recorded its raucous Live at Elwood’s CD, arguably the greatest live album ever by a South Florida artist. Gonzalez and Anderson blazed a rhythmic trail throughout, and Rossano’s incendiary, overdub-free fretwork on I Seen Elvis and freewheeling, unorthodox covers like John Lee Hooker's Hug You Kiss You Squeeze You, The Ventures’ Surf Rider and Johnny Cash’s Get Rhythm eventually drew national attention.

In March of 2000, Rossano was deservedly featured as one of “America's 10 Best Unknown Guitarists” in a story in the international magazine Guitar One, largely because of his work on Live at Elwood’s. In 2001, the guitarist released an educational book and accompanying CD called Roots-Style Rhythm Tracks that's still available through Mel Bay.

“It was such an honor to be included in that article,” Rossano says. “And it happened before the educational book-and-CD combo and the Favored Nations deal, so it helped.”

Rossano’s eclectic tastes and absurdist humor often results in unorthodox musical combos in the studio and on stage. At Large featured a reggae cover of Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps called Rasta Never Sleeps, and the trio’s live renditions of Purple Acres featured Rossano singing the lyrics from Green Acres over the music from Hendrix’s Purple Haze. But in 2001, the mercurial guitarist decided to do something he normally doesn’t -- record a thematic CD.

The self-described, vocal-free Instro-mania pegged Rossano, Gonzalez and Anderson as a '60s surf music trio on the guitarist's originals ( Dirtbag, Astrosurfin'), plus covers of movie themes (Goldfinger, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly) and gems by his guitar heroes like Link Wray (Rumble) and Duane Eddy (Rebel Rouser).

Once again, Rossano’s work drew attention from beyond Florida’s borders. He sent a copy to Favored Nations recording label head Steve Vai, the guitarist who’d studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston before rising to stardom with Frank Zappa in the 1980s. An impressed Vai called back, and Instro-mania was reissued through his California-based label in 2004.

“We have a standing offer from Steve to record two more albums,” Rossano says, “and we'll get to those. But the only recording lately has been Mike and I doing some tracks for a local buddy, Steve Maier, who's directing an independent horror film called ‘Mondo Art.’ I think it's in post-production now, and he's gotten distribution through Troma Entertainment.”

Vullo and Rabon are as versatile as their bandleading guitarist. The drummer is equally adept on guitar, as he proves with his manic R&B band the Funkabilly Playboys. Rabon often freelances on both electric bass and acoustic upright with other area acts like the Mario LaCasse Band and Galo Rivera's Santana Tribute Band.

Rabon’s additional soulful lead vocals with The Dillengers, and Vullo’s capable backups, aid a deep songlist ranging from pop godfathers The Beatles to blues hero Howlin' Wolf to soul icon Otis Redding and beyond.

"Their current lineup is as talented and tight as the original lineup was," says Stein, who also had a very successful run with original area pop act Inhouse from 1994 to 1999. "And Rick just has such a feel for blues, R&B, surf, rockabilly and every aspect of rock. He's just an incredible player."

“It's all roots music,” Rossano says, “and it changes night to night. We'll always do an eclectic, ADD mix of cool-ass rockabilly and surf, plus Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly and a lot of other old-school rock 'n' roll. I’m privileged to play with guys like Bill and Mike, who can play all of that stuff.

“I'm also privileged to play on Sundays,” Rossano continues, “with a choir director and pianist like Howard Lemon at the First Christian Church in West Palm Beach. That's very rewarding, full-on rock 'n' roll communion.”

The Dillengers have testified during a lengthy every-other-Friday house gig at Igot's Martiki Bar in Lake Worth that should resume in January. The surf music masters are now fitting in regularly at an appropriate new venue called Longboards, located along the western 500 block of Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach.

“Longboards is a beautiful new club,” Rabon says. “Rodney Mayo opened it at the old Ray's Downtown Blues site, and there's great food and atmosphere. There's even a huge video screen behind us with footage of guys riding 20-foot waves while we play surf music. It's a perfect setting.”

Another perfect setting will be downtown Delray Beach's Christmas Tree Lighting Party, where the city will illuminate its oversized tree at the intersection of Atlantic and Swinton avenues -- just a few blocks west of the original Elwood’s location.

With the glitzy Johnnie Brown’s now there featuring '70s and '80s classic rock, perhaps the sounds of The Dillengers will waft eastward and plant roots toward a rightful time-warp reappearance by the talented and tenured trio in its old stomping grounds at 301 E. Atlantic Ave.

See The Dillengers at 10:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Longboards, 519 Clematis St., West Palm Beach (561-833-4660); at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 for the Christmas Tree Lighting Party at Old School Square, 110 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach (561-243-7922); at 9 p.m. Dec. 16 at O'Connor's Irish Pub, 210 N.E. 2nd St., Delray Beach (561-330-0022); and at 8 p.m. Dec. 31 for the New Year's Eve party at the Tiki Waterfront Sea Grill, 200 E. 13th St., Riviera Beach (561-845-5532).

Those wishing to donate to the recovery fund for John Wurm can donate here: http://www.gofundme.com/AdultStemCellsforJohn