United Kingdom Puccini, Madama Butterfly: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Kevin John Edusei (conductor). Royal Opera House, London, 14.3.2024. (MM-B)
I need to admit I’m not Puccini’s largest fan. I do assume a few of his music is gorgeous however his scores don’t converse to me in the identical manner that Mozart’s or Verdi’s do. My fault and never the composer’s.
Many folks take into account Madama Butterfly Puccini’s finest and most stunning opera. It’s debatable however personally I feel his masterpiece is Tosca. However, I do have a particular relationship with Madama Butterfly. It is the work that acquired me hooked on opera. My father, an opera lover and as soon as a singer himself, took me to my first stay opera once I was twelve years previous – a efficiency of Madama Butterfly. Growing up in Portugal opera and ballet have been totally on tv when there was something in any respect, however on that exact 12 months the Opera Company of the Teatro de São Carlos in Lisbon – the opera home of the Portuguese capital – did for the primary time ever a tour across the nation, staging Madama Butterfly within the small theatres of provincial cities all all through Portugal. For me, it was an unforgettable expertise. There have been no things like surtitles then so my father summarised the story earlier than the efficiency began. I didn’t perceive the phrases however the great thing about the voices and the music there, stay, in entrance of me, took my breath away. The expertise was unforgettable. I fell in love with opera then and have been ever since.
It was due to this fact with some pleasure and anticipation that I travelled to London yesterday to see and listen to this manufacturing of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly by the duo Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier, receiving its tenth revival on the Royal Opera House this spring. Two totally different casts share the lead roles. The manufacturing may be very engaging, although easy, however its simplicity attracts the viewers to the characters and the restricted world of Butterfly who by no means leaves Japan or travels outdoors of her home and backyard. The settings are fairly and, based on programme notes, primarily based on European pictures of nineteenth-century Japan. The Japanese world is convincing and nicely recreated from what I do know of Japan. Like Puccini and his librettists – Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica – I haven’t travelled to Japan. The type of the home, the sunshine and colors of the flowers do appear genuine Japanese, judging from modern-day images and movies concerning the nation.
Revival director Daisy Evans does justice to the unique administrators and creators, in addition to an impressive job bringing all of it to life. Set, costume and lighting designs by respectively Christian Fenouillat, Agostino Cavalca and Christophe Forey are all sensible, successfully and gorgeously contributing to a chic manufacturing that can be heat, shifting and swish. It pleases the attention and the soul, underlining and enhancing the rating and the singing.
Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian sang the position of Cio-Cio-San, or the Butterfly of the title, on the opening night time of this run of the opera. Grigorian is a rare singer and her Butterfly is nothing in need of memorable. Her wealthy, heat soprano is ideal for the half. The much-anticipated Un bel dì vedremo – the opera’s most celebrated and most stunning aria – was mesmerising. For me, time stood nonetheless. There was nothing and nobody however Puccini’s exquisitely poignant music and Grigorian’s astonishing instrument. Her voice soars above the orchestra with a putting easiness. Even in her gentle legato strains or when she sings pianissimo you’ll be able to nonetheless hear her clearly, as she has an impressive voice projection approach. Her excessive notes are at all times heat and appear to blow up out of nowhere. She solely must open her mouth. Dramatically she may be very expressive, with wonderful performing expertise. We really feel her real, pure love for Pinkerton every step of the way in which, her unbreakable loyalty, her dignity and most of all, as she realises his betrayal, her ache and struggling. No one can keep detached or unmoved. A superb many individuals within the viewers, me included, have been deeply touched and a few eyes unable to remain dry. Asmik Grigorian set the barre very excessive and delivered a supreme, chic and exquisite efficiency as Cio-Cio-San. Though the forged are all first price, it should be mentioned that she is head and shoulders above all others.
Mexican-American tenor Joshua Guerrero was exceptionally good as Pinkerton. He was in nice voice and is a talented actor. His Pinkerton is despicable, unworthy and a transparent coward. One nearly desires to punch his face. How dare he assume he’s entitled to have his pleasure after which merely abandon Butterfly or that his actions can have no penalties? It is not possible to not really feel outraged. Pinkerton’s villainy was so nicely expressed that when Guerrero bowed to the general public there have been a couple of good-humoured and appreciative boos – not as a result of he wasn’t wonderful however as a result of his disagreeable Pinkerton was so convincing.
China’s Hongni Wu, as Suzuki, Butterfly’s maid, is kind of splendid. Her mezzo-soprano is full, vibrant and she or he delivers a convincing efficiency, particularly in her tenderness and maternal emotions for Butterfly. Estonian baritone Lauri Vasar makes for a first-class Sharpless, the American consul. His voice may be very heat and spherical, his emotions nicely expressed. We, the viewers, clearly grasp his inside battle. He isn’t pleased with Pinkerton actions and practically despises himself for having to ship detrimental messages to Butterfly, figuring out full nicely she might be devastated.
The minor roles of the opera are all nicely forged, solidly sung and delivered with high quality. A particular point out right here for Jette Parker Artist Josef Jeongmeen Ahn who stood out as Prince Yamadori, Butterfly’s wealthy suiter.
Young German conductor Kevin John Edusei demonstrated nice affinity for Puccini’s rating, simply as he did in his Royal Opera House debut with La bohème in 2022. His course is sympathetic to the singers. He extracts an incredible dramatic sound from the orchestra and appeared to have a very good rapport with the musicians. His and the orchestra’s supply of the attractive Coro a bocca chiusa (the well-known buzzing refrain) was supremely delicate, shifting and a factor of true magnificence.
The first night time of this run of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly was an exhilarating night, with stunning orchestra performances and supreme singing. From my private perspective, it additionally didn’t disappoint, reminding me how and why I fell in love with opera, after having watched and listened to that different Madama Butterfly all these years in the past in Portugal when nonetheless a toddler.
Margarida Mota-Bull
Production:
Directors – Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier
Revival Director – Daisy Evans
Set designer – Christian Fenouillat
Costume designer – Agostino Cavalca
Lighting designer – Christophe Forey
Chorus director – William Spaulding
Cast:
Cio-Cio-San – Asmik Grigorian
Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton – Joshua Guerrero
Suzuki – Hongni Wu
Sharpless – Lauri Vasar
Goro – Ya-Chung Huang
Imperial Commissioner – Romanas Kudriašovas
Official Registrar – Lee Hickenbottom
Cio-Cio-San’s Mother – Eryl Royle
Uncle Yakusidé – Andrew O’Connor
Cousin – Amy Catt
Aunt – Kiera Lyness
The Bonze – Jeremy White
Dolore – Claudia Fleming
Prince Yamadori – Josef Jeongmeen Ahn
Kate Pinkerton – Veena Akama-Makia
Actors – John Kamau, Bao Tieu