Opera Online - Madama Butterfly Week 4

Welcome to Opera Online!

We continue our look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly, the first opera in our Sounds of Learning program for the 2009-2010 Season.

In our Clip of the Week, we'll skip to the last act of the opera to hear a gorgeous trio and Pinkerton's remorseful aria, Addio fiorito asil. These clips are taken from a film interpretation starring the famous tenor Plá cido Domingo as Lt. Pinkerton with German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig as Suzuki and American baritone Robert Kerns as Sharpless.

In the opera at this point, Pinkerton has returned to Japan and has brought his new American wife Kate. They stop by Butterfly's home with the consul, Sharpless. After seeing the how Butterfly has decorated the home for his return, he finally realizes how real Butterfly thought the marriage was. He is filled with remorse and runs out of the home.

For the complete text to the scene, see page 32 of the Sounds of Learning guide. Just so you know, the video for this scene is a little juddery.

Our Website of the week is actually the text of David Belasco's play, Madam Butterfly, on which the opera was based. While the play was only one act, Puccini and his librettists expanded it into a three act opera. How are the two similar or different?

You're Invited to a Free Event!

We'll be doing a free preview of Madama Butterfly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts' Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, 128 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia on the corner of Broad and Cherry Streets. As part of the Opera Company's A Taste of Opera series, the event includes a recital of music from the opera as sung by soprano Evelyn Santiago and others. The event is on Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 2-3 PM at PAFA. All you need to do to reserve your spot is to email your name, address, and number in your party to outreach@operaphila.org. Hope to see you there!

Don't forget to invite your friends to sign up to receive these alerts by emailing their name, school, and age to us at outreach@operaphila.org. Again, if you have suggestions of things you'd like to see, please let me know and I'll find a few clips as well.

Enjoy!

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