Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

The inner fears of the young geisha came true: the Navy officer who anchors at Nagasaki is after all the man coming from the land of the Setting Sun who after catching a butterfly pins it, leaving it afterwards delivered to its gruesome fate. An idyllic encounter in Cherry Blossom Land becomes an excruciating cultural feud between East and West. Based on a David Belasco’s drama, Madama Butterfly with Puccini’s sensual music tinted with delicate Japanese harmonies is, according to the composer’s own words, his most moving opera. Before Puccini, the much-loved Orientalism had already inspired European composers such us Gilbert and Sullivan in Mikado (1885), Messager in Madame Chrysanthème (1893) and Mascagni in Iris (1898). Madama Butterfly premiere in 1904 caused the same hurricane that – so they say – the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings can cause in the opposite side of the world. On that same year Gustav Mahler wrote his 5th. Symphony, Balanchine was born, Tesla tested the first electric bulb, and in Lisbon Sport Lisboa e Benfica saw its dawning day. Winds of change started blowing…

Conductor | Domenico Longo

Director | Maxine Braham

Original Productor | Tim Albery *

Set designer | Hildegard Bechtler

Costumes | Ana Jebens

Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) | Hye-Youn Lee

Suzuki | Cátia Moreso

Kate Pinkerton | Carolina Figueiredo

F. B. Pinkerton | Antonio Gandía

Sharpless | Luís Rodrigues

Goro | Mário João Alves

Prince Yamadori | Marco Alves dos Santos

Tio Bonzo | Mário Redondo

Imperial Commissioner | João Oliveira

Um Notário | Costa Campos

Yakusidé | Nuno Cardoso

Cio-Cio San’s Mother | Ana Serôdio

Cio-Cio San’s Aunt | Ana Luísa Cardoso

Cio-Cio San’s Cousin | Maria do Anjo Albuquerque

Dolore (Cio-Cio San’s Son) | Vitória Desidério (20, 24, 28/10 e 1/11); Matilde Penedo (22, 26 e 30/10)

Coro do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Principal Conductor | Giovanni Andreoli

Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa
Principal Conductor | Joana Carneiro

Production | Opera North

* Tim Albery’s original Opera North production used material from Puccini’s revisions to his original score 1901-1904.

Hye-Youn Lee’s photography credits | Colin Hattersley