The Great Passions of an Intimate Tragedy
Madama Butterfly has an extraordinary impact in the theater. In production after production around the world, audiences continue to be moved by its sympathetic portrayal of some of the most vivid and memorable characters that Giacomo Puccini wrote for the musical stage. The dramatic action follows the love story of an American naval officer (Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton) and the Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-San (known as Madama Butterfly) that he marries while overseas. The unfolding of their personal tragedy raises powerful questions about the meeting of cultures, East and West, and addresses themes that have just as much relevance today as they did when Madama Butterfly was first performed in 1904.
This series of four lectures will explore many dimensions of what the authors called a tragedia giapponese (Japanese tragedy) and will provide background information on its creation and performance history. By looking closely at both music and drama, these lectures will shed new light on some of the more familiar scenes and characters of Butterfly, while also focusing on some lesser known reasons why the opera has had such enduring power for performers and audiences. During Week 1, we will explore the history of the genesis of the opera, including the background of its creators, as well as the source materials they used for the story and the process of adaptation, composition and revision. In Week 2, we will focus on the structure of the first act and the ways that musical quotation and exoticism are used to express important dimensions of the plot and differences between American and Japanese cultures as represented in the action. For Week 3, we will turn our attention to the title character of Butterfly and her transformation during the second act from initial childlike simplicity to become a woman of steadfast commitment and resolve. Finally, in our last week, we will discuss the tragic conclusion of the opera, as well as the Butterfly’s legacy on the world’s stages in the 20th and 21st centuries.
I welcome and encourage your feedback and participation in the online discussions that I hope will be a vital component of this course. I have brought my own perspective as a stage director to the preparation of these lectures, and I look forward to your insights and questions as performers, musicians and audience members.
Online Learning is made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and Target. The audio for this course has been generously provided by Opera D’Oro and Allegro Music Corporation.
To learn if Madama Butterfly is being produced in your area, visit OPERA America’s Schedule of Performances. This searchable database lists opera company’s performances, and contains dates, locations, production teams and performers.
Madama Butterfly is an opera barely more than 100 years old, and it continues to resonate as an artwork of great contemporary relevance and stunning theatricality.