Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier debuted their production of Madama Butterfly in 2003 in London—originally a collaboration between the Royal Opera House and the Liceu—and for more than 20 years, it has toured the world offering a version faithful to Puccini’s ideas and spirit. The Franco-Belgian duo drew inspiration from traditional Japanese art—its architecture and ukiyo-e landscape prints—and Japanese mentality to create a solid production where the drama of the text and the excellence of the music shine equally, achieving the perfect balance between horror and beauty.
Giacomo Puccini discovered the drama of Madama Butterfly in late 1900 in London, shortly after the English premiere of Tosca. One night, he was invited to a small theater staging a play that had triumphed in the United States, telling the story of an American naval officer stationed in Nagasaki and a young geisha fallen from grace, who ultimately agrees to a marriage of convenience.
«Puccini discovered this story in 1900 and was captivated by the blend of Japanese exoticism and the human tragedy of its protagonist, a young woman deceived and dishonored.»
The play, in which the protagonist was already affectionately called Butterfly, was penned by a lesser-known playwright, David Belasco, who himself had drawn inspiration from a short story by John Luther Long. The work fictionalized what was then a trend in the West’s colonial expansion: the exotic portrayal of Japan, a country that had remained closed to the rest of the world until just a few years before.
What fascinated Puccini, however, was not so much the distant setting as the intense personal drama of Butterfly. In his operas, the dramatic drive almost always falls upon a female protagonist facing an insurmountable conflict—as with Manon Lescaut, Mimì, Liù, and many others—and this young girl, who ultimately takes her own life to restore her honor after an unforgivable humiliation, seemed tailor-made for Puccini.
«Madama Butterfly has become an emblem of the lyrical style and tragic vision characteristic of Puccini. »
The composer was determined that this would be his next work: he dismissed other projects, patiently waited to obtain the rights to work on the story, and, after overcoming numerous obstacles—including the meticulous libretto revisions that often frustrated his regular collaborators, Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, as well as a car accident in 1903 that left him bedridden for several weeks—he finally completed the opera to premiere at La Scala in Milan in late 1904. Puccini was convinced of its exceptional quality and did not hesitate to claim Madama Butterfly as a work superior to Tosca or La bohème, although its premiere was met with hostility: its debut in Milan was a failure, and the critics were harsh. However, time has vindicated Puccini—especially since he revised the score into its current version.
The story is simple: B. F. Pinkerton, a U.S. Navy lieutenant stationed in Nagasaki, acquires a traditional house to live in with his new wife, Cio-Cio San, a 15-year-old orphan. Guided by a strict code of honor, she believes this marriage is an inviolable contract, while Pinkerton sees it as merely a pastime. After the wedding, he satisfies his sexual desire, while she believes she has found true love. Pinkerton leaves soon after, promising to return, but three years pass and Cio-Cio San continues waiting. When American consul Sharpless informs her that Pinkerton will return, but only to divorce her, she rejects the idea and reveals her greatest secret: that night, she conceived a son, now three years old, whom she has raised in secret. Pinkerton returns with another secret: he has married an American woman, Kate, and has come to take his son back to America. Humiliated, Butterfly agrees, and her only escape is suicide, opening her belly with her father's sword.
Madama Butterfly presents a profound human conflict: Pinkerton is an irresponsible young man who understands the gravity of his actions too late, while she is a naive girl who believes that the rules of honor are the same for everyone. Beneath the drama lie themes still relevant in today’s society: the clash of civilizations, lack of empathy toward others, and toxic relationships. Beyond its exoticism, Butterfly is a major opera because, with magnificent music, it addresses delicate themes, balanced between cruelty and empathy.