A stunning performance from Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian in the title role made an outstanding impression at the opening night of Madama Butterfly at the Royal Opera House. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen this tale of a young Japanese girl and the callous American naval lieutenant who weds then abandons her, but I had never before appreciated fully the beauty of Puccini’s music or felt the emotional intensity of the tragedy so starkly displayed.
Cio-Cio-San, known to all as Butterfly, is vulnerable, trusting and loyal, bearing her troubles with unshakeable dignity and Grigorian brings out these qualities perfectly. I had previously seen the story as melodromatic and rather soppy, but Grigorian’s performance was heart-rending and along with most of the audience, there were tears in my eyes at the end.
Mexican-American tenor Joshua Guerrero played the untrustworthy Pinkerton well and Estonian baritone Lauri Vasar was good in the role of Sharpless, the noble American consul, but as Butterfly’s tragedy unfolded, they became little more than supporting cast to Grigorian’s powerful singing and acting. The nearest anyone came to being a co-star was Chinese mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu who was excellent as Butterfly’s maid Suzuki; the scenes shared by these two were elegant and touching, but there was no doubt who was in charge, both of the household and the opera stage.
The German conductor Kevin John Edusei made a fine contribution to the excellence of the performance, adopting a perfectly measured pace that brought out the dramatic tension of the music as well as giving time to appreciate Butterfly’s patience and Grigorian’s dignity. A good example of this was the long scene at the end of the second act as touchingly simple music plays, accompanying Butterfly and Suzuki kneeling and patiently awaiting Pinkerton’s return. There can hardly be a better example of Puccini’s unparalleled skill in portraying sadness in pure music.
This delicately effective and successful production of Madama Butterfly by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier was first seen in 2003; this is already its tenth revival and it just gets better and better. The last time I saw it was two years ago when I gave it five stars, thanks in part to the staging being given a nice tweak by ensuring authentic Japanese postures and movement from the cast.
This year’s production, under the sure but delicate hands of Revival Director Daisy Evans, achieves a still greater effect by emphasizing the touching nature of Puccini’s music. This is a superb example of what opera really ought to be about.
