Madame Butterfly is an opera by Giacomo Puccini. It tells the tale of Cio-Cio San (Madame Butterfly), a young Japanese woman living in Nagasaki. She marries B. F. Pinkerton, an American naval officer who was looking for a wife for temporary companionship while he was based in Japan. Eventually, he returns to the US and marries an American woman. But Cio-Cio San doesn't know this, and continues to hang on to the belief that he will come back for her. When a letter from Pinkerton is delivered to her by Sharpless, the US Consul in Nagasaki, to inform her that he is coming back to Japan, she becomes so excited and reveals to him that she has a son with Pinkerton. Her anticipation of Pinkerton's arrival means that Sharpless is unable to share all the information in that letter with her, which is mainly that he has a wife.
When Pinkerton learns about his son from Sharpless, he visits Madame Butterfly along with his wife and with Sharpless, but he then learns that she is still deeply in love with him. He is unable to face her and promptly leaves her house remorseful and just as Madame Butterfly appears, and it is at this point that she meets his wife who then asks her to give her son to them so they can provide a better future for him in the US. Heartbroken and disconsolate, she agrees to give up her son if Pinkerton comes back to see her himself. As she ushers her son out, blindfolded, she kills herself with her father's hara-kiri knife just as Pinkerton returns, too late.
If this story sounds sort of familiar, it is because the London West-End and Broadway Musical was inspired by Madame Butterfly. I forgot about this so I still bought the program, but I guess it is nice to read more information about the opera, the production, and the cast. Another interesting thing about this opera was a translation of what was being sung was projected on a small screen at the top of the stage in CCP, making it easier to follow what was going on.
The opera was headlined by Mako Nishimoto, a multi-awarded Japanese soprano, and she didn't disappoint. I guess the fact that she is from Japan makes it easier for her connect to the character and the story. While the songs and arias in Madame Butterfly are not as difficult (I think) as those in La Traviata, the role of Madame Butterfly / Cio-Cio San is difficult to portray just because she sings so much throughout all three acts. Of her supporting cast, I was also impressed with Camille Lopez Molina, who played Suzuki (Madame Butterfly's aide), and Andrew Fernando, who played Sharpless.
The one thing about this opera I didn't like was the "Humming Chorus" at the end of Act II. You can see one interpretation of this humming chorus here. However, the director wanted to give an artsy, contemporary take on this sequence, which meant that he had singers and dancers performing while wearing strange, neon-light-fitted costumes. Maybe this means that I'm not artsy enough and lack an appreciation for modern and performance art, but I just thought it was cheap and inappropriate. I found myself wishing that the direction of this scene could have been kept clean and simple.
Nevertheless I was still very pleased and impressed with the opera. The standing ovations and thunderous applause received by the cast, especially Mako Nishimoto, were well-deserved. I also think it was cool that I was in the same audience as National Artist Benedicto Cabrera (popularly referred to BenCab). I think it's great that more operas are coming to the Philippines. While I had always wanted to watch one before, I now have watched two in a matter of a few months. The Barber of Seville will be performed again in CCP in mid-July and I will be watching this opera too.
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