Elena Bauer / OnP

Opera

Madama Butterfly

Giacomo Puccini

Opéra Bastille

from 14 September to 13 November 2019

Madama Butterfly

Opéra Bastille - from 14 September to 13 November 2019

Synopsis

For his Madame Chrysanthème, Pierre Loti drew on memories of his own visit to Japan in 1885. When composing Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini was inspired by the popular melodies and sonorities of Japanese voices. However, in the literary work, as in the opera, the heroine remains the same: Kiku-san or Cio‑Cio‑san, a young geisha betrayed by her western husband, the symbol of the meeting of two different worlds. Robert Wilson’s ethereal production espouses to perfection the dramatic intensity and underlying violence of this thoroughly Japanese tragedy.

Duration :

Language : Italian

Surtitle : French / English

  • Opening

  • First part 50 min

  • Intermission 30 min

  • Second part 85 min

  • End

Show acts

Detail of acts

FIRST PART

The American, Pinkerton, is on temporary assignment in Japan. To enjoy his time there until his departure, he plans to marry Cio-Cio-San, a young geisha with whom he is infatuated. Goro, the marriage broker, has arranged everything. While the latter is introducing Pinkerton to his future servants, the first wedding guest to arrive is the American Consul. Assuring Pinkerton that Cio-Cio-San takes their relationship very seriously, the Consul cautions him not to destroy the young girl’s life for the sake of a passing fancy. The bride arrives, accompanied by five companions. Soon there-after the relatives and friends arrive. Two public officials declare Cio-Cio-San and Pinkerton married. The celebrations are interrupted by Cio-Cio-San’s uncle, a Bonze. Having learned that his niece has converted to Christianity, he bans her from her family and society. The other guests follow his example. Left alone, Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-San avow their love for each other and retire to the wedding chamber.

SECOND PART

A few years have passed. Pinkerton has long returned to the United States. Cio-Cio-San has given birth to a son. Alone with him and her faithful servant Suzuki, she awaits the return of her husband. The Consul comes to pay her a visit. Pinkerton has written to him: he will be returning to Japan soon, accompanied by his American wife, and he has asked him to prepare Cio-Cio-San for his return. However, the latter’s endless interruptions prevent him from giving her the news. Yamadori, a rich prince, has asked for her hand in marriage. She refuses, considering herself legally married to Pinkerton. The Consul tries once more to read her the letter. Cio-Cio‑San grasps just one thing: her husband is returning to Japan. The Consul finally loses patience: what if Pinkerton were never to return? The words pierce Cio-Cio-San like a mortal blade. At nightfall, the sound of a cannon announces the arrival of Pinkerton’s ship. Wild with joy, Cio-Cio-San decorates the house with flowers and waits for him to come all night. The next morning, Pinkerton arrives at the home of Cio-Cio-San, accompanied by his American wife. He asks for his son, but avoids any encounter with Cio-Cio-San. Left alone, the two wives find themselves face to face. Finally understanding the reality of the situation, Cio-Cio-San commits suicide.

Artists

Japanese tragedy in three acts (1904)

After David Belasco, based on a short novel by John Luther Long

Creative team

Cast

Orchestre et Choeurs de l’Opéra national de Paris

Media

  • Draw-me Madama Butterfly

    Draw-me Madama Butterfly

    Watch the video

  • The lighting for Madama Butterfly

    The lighting for Madama Butterfly

    Read the article

  • Podcast Madame Butterfly

    Podcast Madame Butterfly

    Listen the podcast

Draw-me Madama Butterfly

Watch the video

Understand the plot in 1 minute

1:07 min

Draw-me Madama Butterfly

By Octave

For his Madame Chrysanthème, Pierre Loti drew on memories of his own visit to Japan in 1885. When composing Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini was inspired by the popular melodies and sonorities of Japanese voices. However, in the literary work, as in the opera, the heroine remains the same: Kiku-san or Cio‑Cio‑san, a young geisha betrayed by her western husband, the symbol of the meeting of two different worlds. Robert Wilson’s ethereal production espouses to perfection the dramatic intensity and underlying violence of this thoroughly Japanese tragedy.  

© Elena Bauer / OnP

The lighting for Madama Butterfly

Read the article

A production, a memory

02 min

The lighting for Madama Butterfly

By Rui De Matos Machado

Deputy head of the lighting department

“I know few other directors who place as much importance on lighting as Robert Wilson. He is present at every revival, requesting a significant number of lighting sessions to refine his lighting and enrich it with the experience gathered from other productions that have marked his personal development. I have worked with him on the lighting for Die Zauberflöte, Pelléas et Mélisande, and Madama ButterflyMadama Butterfly was our first collaboration.

When you think about the lighting for Bob’s productions, the first thing that comes to mind is the cyclorama—that stretched canvas upstage which helps to create huge and highly homogenous luminous surfaces… It’s a key feature of his aesthetic which works to define the atmosphere on stage. He doesn’t use it in a descriptive or realistic way to depict the sky for example, as so many other directors do. It’s a dynamic form of lighting which evolves and adapt to the ebbs and flows of the drama: it turns red when the bonze storms furiously on stage to reproach Cio-Cio-San for having repudiated her family; it takes on a truly poetic shade of deep blue when the child, in all its fragility, walks on stage… This interaction between the lighting and the characters is one of the characteristics of Wilson’s aesthetic: there is a continuity between the different components of the production, namely, the libretto, the music, the direction of the actors, the lighting…

A furious Bonze (Scott Wilde) enters to confront Cio-Cio-San (Svetla Vassileva) - 2014
A furious Bonze (Scott Wilde) enters to confront Cio-Cio-San (Svetla Vassileva) - 2014 © Elena Bauer/OnP

The lighting for “Butterfly” has evolved with the succession of revivals. The most remarkable aspect in that development is the trend toward cooler hues: He has less and less time for those warmer slightly amber-toned lights. He leans more towards blues. It’s a development which I can see in all his other productions. Does that mean that the atmosphere is more serious, more tragic? No. Not really. The crisp light blue of winter can be perfectly cheerful. If I had to describe that development, I would say that he is moving towards daylight…”

Podcast Madame Butterfly

Listen the podcast

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" - by France Musique

07 min

Podcast Madame Butterfly

By Charlotte Landru-Chandès, France Musique

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" offers original incursions into the season thanks to broadcasts produced by France Musique and the Paris Opera. For each opera or ballet production, Charlotte Landru-Chandès (opera) and Jean-Baptiste Urbain (dance), present the works and artists you are going to discover when you attend performances in our theatres. 

  • Madama Butterfly by G. Puccini - "Un bel dì, vedremo" (Ana María Martínez)
  • Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini (Ana María Martínez)
  • Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini (Ana María Martínez & Giorgio Berrugi)
  • Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini (Ana María Martínez & Laurent Naouri)
  • Madama Butterfly by G. Puccini - Trailer
  • Madame Butterfly (saison 19/20)- Acte II

  • Madame Butterfly (saison 19/20)- Acte III (Ana María Martínez)

  • Madame Butterfly (saison 19/20) - Acte II (Ana María Martínez, Laurent Naouri)

  • Madame Butterfly (saison 19/20)- Acte II (Ana María Martínez)

Access and services

Opéra Bastille

Place de la Bastille

75012 Paris

Public transport

Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)

Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Opéra Bastille 34, rue de Lyon 75012 Paris

Book your parking spot

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Opéra Bastille
  • Open 1h before performances and until performances end
  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82

Opéra Bastille

Place de la Bastille

75012 Paris

Public transport

Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)

Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Opéra Bastille 34, rue de Lyon 75012 Paris

Book your parking spot

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Opéra Bastille
  • Open 1h before performances and until performances end
  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82

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