MADAMA BUTTERFLY
GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924)
NEW PRODUCTION OF FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE
A COPRODUCTION WITH OPÉRA NATIONAL DE LYON, KOMISCHE OPER BERLIN
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
GRANDE DONATRICE D’EXCEPTION DU FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE
JAPANESE TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS
LIBRETTO BY LUIGI ILLICA AND GIUSEPPE GIACOSA, BASED ON THE PLAY MADAME BUTTERFLY, A TRAGEDY OF JAPAN BY DAVID BELASCO (1900) ADAPTED FROM THE NOVEL MLLE CHERRY BLOSSOM OF TOKYO BY JOHN LUTHER LONG (1895)
PREMIERED ON 17 FEBRUARY 1904 AT LA SCALA, MILAN. REVISED VERSION PUBLISHED IN 1907
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About
After Tosca (2019), which marked Puccini’s entry into its repertoire, the Festival celebrates the centenary of the composer’s death this year by putting on his ‘Japanese tragedy’ Madame Butterfly: the cruel story of a vulnerable but strong and wilful heroine, driven by her blind perseverance to ritual suicide. By enveloping her with a bright lyricism and a supremely refined orchestration, Puccini reaches the heart of his artistic identity – reminding us of the real pleasure of tears. We have here a truth far from all verismo, according to Andrea Breth who suggests that everything in this work is a matter of perception and artifice: the relationship between the other singers and Butterfly, between Puccini together with his librettists and Japan, and between audiences and the opera. Conducting the orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon, Daniele Rustioni offers the finest of backdrops to Ermonela Jaho, whose rare combination of force and delicacy has made her a go-to choice in this wonderful yet harrowing role, in which she is making her prized debut in Aix.
Performances
Youth prices: €90, €66, €52, €40, €27, €18, €10
Performance available with ticket packages and Dinner & Opera offer
Sung in Italian with French and English surtitles
2 hours and 45 minutes with one interval
Getting to the Festival:
— by public transport or by byke > further information
— by carpooling > look for or offer a ride
