Deceived waiting for love

by Petar PLAMENOV

15 October (Saturday), 19:00
29 October (Saturday), 19:00
Madame Butterfly opera by Giacomo Puccini
Premiere of Sofia National 


Conductor: Jordan Kamdzhalov
Director: Julia Kristeva

Cast: Tsvetana Bandalovska, Ivanka Ninova, Silvana Pravcheva, Rumen Doykov, Alexander Krunev, Milko Mihailov, Nikolay Pavlov, Dimitar Stanchev, Angel Hristov, Ludmil Georgiev

The cornerstone of Sofia National Opera and Ballet autumn season is a new production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly by promising young director Jordan Kamdzhalov and  stage productions by Julia Kristeva. The reason to see Madame Butterfly, an opera done so often by so many people that’s its managed to almost rend itself immune to either surprise or criticism isn’t just the performances. It’s because it’s positively gorgeous to hear and see in live this glorious exotic love romance.

«Madam Butterfly» is an opera in three acts with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is a Japanese lyric drama, a deep tragedy of deception and betrayal, a young Geisha is married off to an American; and though deeply devoted to him, the American has no intention of being a husband to the girl. Abandoned by husband and shunned by her people, Madame Butterfly unable to overcome her dishonour, she is forced to commit suicide -Hari Kiri .



This opera was based on events that actually occurred in Nagasaki in the early 1890s. Firstly, the original version in two acts was produced at the La Scala Theatre in Milan in 1904 and received an adverse verdict. The original version was poorly received. Puccini decided to revise the opera, splitting the second act into two acts and making other changes. Giacomo Puccini wrote five versions of the opera. After a disastrous premiere at La Scala Theatre, an Italian composer rewrote it, this time in three acts. This second version was very successfully performed in Brescia! Then it was premiered in the United States in 1906, first in Washington D.C. in October, and then in New York in November, by Henry Savage’s New English Opera Company.

And Puccini did not stop to change it… In 1906 Puccini wrote a third version, which was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1907, Puccini made several changes in the orchestral and vocal scores, and this became the fourth version, which was performed in Paris. Finally, in 1907 Puccini made his fifth version, which has become known as the «standard version». Exactly «standard version» is performed all around the world.

The plot of the opera Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton is on shore-leave in Japan. He and his buddy Lieutenant Barton, out for a night on the town, stop in at a local establishment to check out the food, drink and girls. Pinkerton spies Cio-Cio San and immediately falls in lust. Barton counsels Pinkerton that he can «marry» this beautiful Japanese girl, enjoy himself with cultural approval, then sail happily on back to America unshackled, since abandonment equates divorce in Japan. Barton assures Pinkerton that once abandoned and that Cio-Cio will be free to marry whomever she chooses from amongst the Japanese people.
When Pinkerton’s ship sails out of port, Butterfly waits patiently for her husband to come home. Three years pass… Ever with her eye toward the harbor, Butterfly holds a secret delight that she eagerly wishes to surprise her husband with… with their son. Pinkerton arrives in Japan with his American bride by his side. He goes to Butterfly to make his apologies and to finally end what Butterfly for three years has cherished in her heart.

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