Madama Butterfly

November 2022

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist:  Luigi Illica & Giuseppe Giacosa
Premiere Date: February 17, 1904, La Scala, Milan

Cultures collide when an American naval officer stationed in Nagasaki decides to take a Japanese wife. Cio-Cio-San—fifteen years old and in love—dreams of her new life with the handsome young officer. Renouncing her culture and her family to become a proper American wife, she settles into his home overlooking Nagasaki Harbor and waits for his ship to return.

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Media

Program

Cast + Creative

Cast

Cio-Cio San
Lt. Pinkerton
Prince Yamadori
The Bonze
The Imperial Commissioner
Kate Pinkerton
The Official Registrar
Yakuside

Creative

Conductor
Stage Director
Scenic & Projection Designer
Costume Designer
Assistant Director
Lighting Designer
Associate Projection Designer
Japanese Movement Advisor
Assistant Director
Intimacy Director

Creators

Giacomo Puccini

Composer

Giacomo Puccini (Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini) was born on December 22, 1858 in Lucca, Italy. He was one of the greatest exponents of operatic realism, who virtually brought the history of Italian opera to an end. His mature operas included La Bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904), and Turandot (left incomplete).

Puccini’s conception of diatonic melody is rooted in the tradition of 19th-century Italian opera, but his harmonic and orchestral style indicate that he was also aware of contemporary developments, notably the work of the Impressionists and of Stravinsky. Though he allowed the orchestra a more active role, he upheld the traditional vocal style of Italian opera, in which the singers carry the burden of the music. In many ways a typical fin de siècle artist, Puccini nevertheless can be ranked as the greatest exponent of operatic realism.

Full Bio

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Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

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