Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini

LANGUAGE: Italian; Finnish and English surtitles

DURATION: 3 hours, 1 intermission

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 10 years and older

It is hard to believe, that one of Puccini’s most famous and beloved operas, was a huge flop at it’s premiere in Milano 1904. Puccini was devastated but decided to rework his opera for following shows. This led subsequently to the opera’s belated success. The music is full of beauty – from Pinkerton’s heartfelt goodbye „Addio, mio fiorito asil“ to Madama Butterfly’s heartbreaking aria „Un bel di vedremo“: this opera is a succession of deeply emotional and hauntingly beautiful arias.  

Henry Akina staging centers on Madama Butterfly’s personal relations and drama and focuses on the psychology of one of the most tragic one-sided love stories in opera history. The stark contrast between the first act – complete with a lavish Japanese wedding ceremony – and the loneliness of the second and third act underlines the catastrophic personal tragedy.  

SYNOPSIS

Young geisha Cio-Cio-San and handsome American army officer Pinkerton get married. The bride is happy, dreams of a long happy life together. The groom sees the marriage as fun befor his “real” marriage to an American woman. When Pinkerton leaves for America, Madama Butterfly waits paitently for him. During Pinkerton’s abscence their child is born and raised by Cio-Cio-San. When Pinkerton hears upon his return of the boy, he immediatly wishes to take the child to America with him, where he would be taken care of his new wife Kate. Madama Butterfly cannot take the pain and humiliation and choses to end her life. When Pinkerton realizes what he has done, he rushes to her – but too little too late. She dies. 

Program and cast

SILJA AALTO - CIO-CIO-SAN

ANTONY CIARAMITARO - BENJAMIN PINKERTON

EMILIA RUKAVINA - SUZUKI

TUOMAS MIETTOLA - GORO

Conductor: Piergiorgio Morandi

Stage director: Henry Akina

Set designer: Dean Shibuya

Costume designer: Anne Namba

Lightning designer: Ilkka Paloniemi

Chorus master: Jan Schweiger

Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir
Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra