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Japanese tragedy in three acts

Composer Giacomo Puccini · Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
In Italian with English and German surtitles

Sunday, 07. April 2019
07:00 pm – 09:55 pm
Nationaltheater

Duration est. 2 hours 55 minutes · 1. Teil (est. 07:00 pm - 08:00 pm ) · Interval (est. 08:00 pm - 08:30 pm ) · 2. Teil (est. 08:30 pm - 09:55 pm )

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Cast

Musikalische Leitung
Karel Mark Chichon
Inszenierung
Wolf Busse
Bühne
Otto Stich
Kostüme
Silvia Strahammer
Chor
Stellario Fagone
Cio-Cio-San
Ermonela Jaho
Suzuki
Annalisa Stroppa
B. F. Pinkerton
Riccardo Massi
Kate Pinkerton
Niamh O’Sullivan
Sharpless
Boris Pinkhasovich
Goro Nakodo
Ulrich Reß
Der Fürst Yamadori
Boris Prýgl
Onkel Bonzo
Peter Lobert
Yakusidé
Oleg Davydov
Der Kaiserliche Kommissär
Oğulcan Yilmaz
  • Bayerisches Staatsorchester
  • Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

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The U.S. Forces show their presence world-wide: American Lieutenant Pinkerton has an affair in Nagasaki with Cio-Cio San, "Madame Butterfly". He sails away. She then has his child. Three years later he returns to Japan – accompanied by his American wife and wants to take the child with him. Butterfly commits suicide.

 

Act I

The U.S. naval officer Pinkerton, along with a marriage broker named Goro, comes to inspect a house near Nagasaki he has bought to live with the geisha Butterfly, whom he plans to marry according to Japanese law. This law however allows him to abandon his wife whenever he feels like it. He casually brushes off the warnings of the American Consul Sharpless, who has told him that Butterfly takes love and marriage very seriously. Before Butterfly appears, he drinks a toast "to a future marriage with a genuine American woman". Butterfly now appears with her friends, attended by members of her family. Hardly has the marriage ceremony ended when Butterfly's uncle arrives and curses the girl for having renounced the faith of her ancestors. Cast out by all the others, all Butterfly has left is her great love.

Act II

Three years have passed. After a brief period of happiness, Pinkerton has left Butterfly. She lives with her servant Suzuki, confidently waiting for her husband's return, although she has not received a single sign of life from him. The consul comes to visit Butterfly. He explains to her that Pinkerton will never return. He cannot bring himself to tell Butterfly that he has married an American woman. Then she triumphantly shows him Pinkerton's child. Sharpless leaves the house after advising her to marry the rich Yamadori who has been courting her. She however feels bound to Pinkerton and refuses. Then the cannon in the harbor goes off. Butterfly recognizes Pinkerton's vessel. Full of hope, she decorates the room and waits in her bridal gown for her beloved.


Act III

Morning dawns. Butterfly has been waiting in vain all night. Finally she goes into the next room with the child in her arms to get a little rest. Pinkerton and Sharpless arrive. Suzuki finds out the whole story. Lamenting, she promises to prepare Butterfly for the worst. Full of remorse, Pinkerton goes running off. Awakened by the sound of the voices, Butterfly returns to the room: full of hope she looks for Pinkerton. Suddenly a strange woman appears. Butterfly discovers the truth from Sharpless. As if this weren't enough - they want her to turn over her child. All that remains for Butterfly is death.


English translation by Donald Arthur

© Bavarian State Opera

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Premiere of Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" on June 5, 1973 in the Nationaltheater 

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Biographies

Karel Mark Chichon dirigierte 2004 erstmals die Wiener Philharmoniker. Von 2009 bis 2012 war er Chefdirigent beim Lettischen Nationalen Sinfonieorchester, danach ab 2011 in gleicher Funktion bei der Deutschen Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern. In der Spielzeit 2017/18 wurde er Chefdirigent des Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria. Darüber hinaus dirigierte er u. a. an der Wiener Staatsoper, der Deutschen Oper Berlin, am Teatro dell’Opera in Rom, am Teatro Comunale di Bologna, dem Teatro Real Madrid und an der Metropolitan Opera New York. Ebenso trat er u. a. mit den Wiener Symphonikern, dem Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, dem Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, dem English Chamber Orchestra und dem Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam auf. (Stand: 2018)

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Madama Butterfly (Programm)
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