Madam Butterfly – Puccini – English National Opera
Image taken from the English National Opera website
Puccini’s ‘disaster’ Madam Butterfly premiered at La Scala Milan in February 1904 and was so badly received that it wasn’t until the summer of 1904 that a second version was more successful. Thereafter there were more revisions until the 1907 fifth revision, which became today’s ‘standard version’.
Since 2005 the English National Opera have been fortunate in its outstanding and beautiful production by Anthony Minghella, with set designs by Michael Levine. This was Minghella’s only foray from film into the world of opera before his untimely death in 2008. This production has won Olivier Awards and is now into its seventh revival and is going strong. There are tremendous visual effects, particularly the opening and closing scenes, with a cinematography style throughout. The lighting is always clear and focused and the puppetry by Blind Summit Theatre - which was somewhat controversial in 2005 - has proved an endearing masterpiece.
A strong new cast graced the ENO stage for the opening night, with the Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw taking the lead role. She started tentatively and perhaps somewhat nervously and the first Act lacked the bite and chemistry that should be at the forefront between Cio-Cio San and her American lover Pinkerton. However, any lack of vocal tenderness in the first Act was made up with strength and projection in the second Act, as her large voice amply filled the auditorium. Her first night fears were gone and in the second and third acts she owned the Coliseum stage and more! There was occasional shrillness at the very top of her voice and she hasn’t yet mastered ‘Japanese dainty’, but as she brought her puppet son onto the stage in the second Act and as she waited for her uncompromising lover in the third Act and eventually killed herself due to his deception, tears were running everywhere in the auditorium. This soprano had made her mark at the Coliseum.
Her Pinkerton was the American tenor Dimitri Pittas, who turned out to be a real ‘USA Trump America First’ character. His big ringing tenor sound was a match for his Butterfly and his clear English was always welcome. However, occasionally the big sound could use some more subtlety in the vocal lines, but this might come later in the run.
The wonderful Roderick Williams was an elegant Sharpless, although his deep rounded baritone voice felt somewhat restricted at times. Stephanie Windsor-Lewis as Suzuki, Alasdair Elliott as Goro, Keel Watson as The Bonze and Njabulo Madlala as Prince Yamadori all added to the vocal excellence during the evening. Katie Stevenson was a greatly poised Kate Pinkerton. She is a current ENO Harewood Artist. The very poignant English translation was by David Parry. The relevance of the translation added to the audience’s understanding and entertainment throughout the evening.
The music was controlled outstandingly by ENO’s Music Director Martyn Brabbins. His control of the balance between orchestra, chorus and principals was spot on and the orchestra responded with some outstandingly beautiful romantic playing. The Costume Designer Han Feng gave us plenty of colourful costumes.
Two intervals for this production are frankly a nonsense, but it was an evening that started and ended with the blood red colour of death that stayed long in the memory.
