THE Russian State Opera presents Giacomo Puccini's colourful and exotic Madam Butterfly at York Barbican on Tuesday night.
This tale of the doomed love of an American naval lieutenant and his young Japanese bride will be sung in Italian with English surtitles with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, accompanied by an orchestra of more than 30 musicians.
The basis of the plot with its theme of noble self-sacrifice is the true story of a Japanese geisha girl who had a son by ‘marriage’ to an American naval officer who soon deserted her, leaving her heartbroken.
Armed with all the cultural sensitivity of a day-tripper, Lieutenant Pinkerton is making himself at home in Nagasaki. On the suggestion of his friend Sayre, he takes a Japanese wife and house for the duration of his stay there. Pinkerton set his sights on Cio Cio San, fragile and delicate as a butterfly. In order to become his bride, she must cross cultural boundaries and defy the will of her family.
What ensues is a story of innocent love crushed amid two different cultures, a story that resonates as strongly as ever today. Tickets are on sale on 0844 854 2757 or at yorkbarbican.co.uk
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