In Nagasaki, Japan, the American naval officer Pinkerton meets the 15-year-old geisha Cio-Cio-San, nicknamed Butterfly. What was merely a pastime for him – a "temporary marriage" common among Western men at the time – becomes a true love affair for Butterfly. She embraces his faith, is disowned by her family, and lives in isolation from then on – with a child Pinkerton has never met.
Image gallery
u. a. Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San
Madama Butterfly
Alexey Bogdanchikov als Sharpless, Brian Jagde als Benjamin Franklin PinkertonBettina Stöß
u. a. Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San, Brian Jagde als Benjamin Franklin PinkertonBettina Stöß
Eine Szenenimpression
Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San, Brian Jagde als Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton
Burkhard Ulrich als Goro, Jörg Schörner als Yamadori, Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San, Irene Roberts als Suzuki, Alexey Bogdanchikov als SharplessBettina Stöß
Alexey Bogdanchikov als Sharpless, Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San, Irene Roberts als SuzukiBettina Stöß
u. a. Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San
Brian Jagde als Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, Irene Roberts als Suzuki, Alexey Bogdanchikov als SharplessBettina Stöß
Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San
Three years after his departure, Pinkerton does indeed return – but with his American wife Kate, to retrieve their child. The young Japanese woman realizes the truth too late. In one of the most tragic scenes in opera history, she bids farewell to her son – and takes her own life.
A masterpiece of musical emotion
Puccini himself described Madama Butterfly as his most personal and artistically accomplished work. With finely nuanced orchestration, poignant arias – such as "Un bel dì vedremo" – and subtly interwoven Japanese timbres, he imbues the protagonist's inner pain with a deeply poetic power. The opera is considered a prime example of Puccini's "music of small things" – music that focuses on the intimate and human.
Production at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Director Pier Luigi Samaritani stages Madama Butterfly as a clear, touching chamber play. Avoiding clichéd folklore, but with atmospheric imagery, he focuses on the tragedy of the young woman who, despite all disappointments, unwaveringly clings to love. The stage becomes a projection screen for pain, hope, and dignity – an operatic experience that goes deep under the skin.
Cast & Musical Direction
- Conductors: Stephan Zilias / Friedrich Praetorius
- Director: Pier Luigi Samaritani
Featuring:
- Carmen Giannattasio / Asmik Grigorian / Elena Stikhina – Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly)
- Attilio Glaser / Dmytro Popov / Andrei Danilov – Pinkerton
- Joel Allison / Germán Olvera – Sharpless
3 hours / One intermission
In Italian with German and English surtitles
Additional information
Japanese tragedy in 3 acts
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa after „Madame Butterfly“ by David Belasco
First performed on 17th February 1904 in Milan
Premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 20th June 1987
Pre-performance lecture (in German): 45 minutes prior to each performance
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa after „Madame Butterfly“ by David Belasco
First performed on 17th February 1904 in Milan
Premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 20th June 1987
Pre-performance lecture (in German): 45 minutes prior to each performance
Participating artists
Stephan Zilias (Musikalische Leitung)
Pier Luigi Samaritani (Inszenierung, Bühne, Kostüme)
Thomas Richter (Chöre)
Carmen Giannattasio (Cio-Cio-San)
Karis Tucker (Suzuki)
Lucy Baker (Kate Pinkerton)
Attilio Glaser (Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton)
Joel Allison (Sharpless)
Burkhard Ulrich (Goro)
Jörg Schörner (Yamadori)
Paul Minhyung Roh (Onkel Bonze)
Navasard Hakobyan (Der kaiserliche Kommissar)
Benjamin Dickerson (Der Standesbeamte)
Seungeun Oh (Cio-Cio-Sans Mutter)
Sin-Ae Choi (Cugina)
Asahi Wada (Zia)
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Chöre)
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Orchester)
