Opera Pacific's Butterfly soars

By Truman C. Wang
Friday, November 14, 2003

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Opera in two acts by
GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Sung in Italian with English titles

John DeMain, conductor
Henri Venanzi, chorusmaster
Francesca Zambello, original production

Performance of Friday, November 14, 2003 at Segerstrom Hall,
Orange County Performing Arts Center

COSTA MESA, CA – Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is such a familiar repertory warhorse that the music pretty much plays itself upon the push of a button, so to speak – even without singing, as evidenced in countless cafés and CDs.  But when it’s well presented with a strong cast and a thoughtful production, such as the Francesca Zambello staging at the Opera Pacific, one begins to look past the often facile ‘tunes’ and realizes what a theatrical genius Puccini really was.  The subtle, totally apt, psychological depiction of a 15-year-old-geisha girl-turned-tragedienne, from the pure, virginal innocence of her entrance music, to the shattering poignancy of her eventual suicide, and every melodic turn and dramatic pause in between – “Madama Butterfly” is, in my opinion, the finest of Puccini’s twelve operas. 

Friday night’s outstanding cast was lead by Marie Plette, a soprano whom I remember fondly from San Francisco Opera’s Merola program ten years ago.  Ms. Plette is a fine actress in song as well as in stage deportment.  Her pure, lyric voice was charmingly seductive in the Act I entrance chorus (spoiled by over-mic’ing), and in the Act II Cherry Blossom Duet.  Her diction was always clear and subtly colored.  It is also a strong voice, capable of projecting drama of heartbreaking intensity, as in the Act II Geisha aria, when Cio-Cio-San learns her American husband might not return, and that she might have to return to the life of a geisha, or die.  Ms. Plette made Puccini’s little girl seem almost heroic.

The rest of the cast were also very fine, if not quite in the same league as Ms. Plette.  Tenor Misha Didyk was a burly-voiced Pinkerton, dramatically apposite, perhaps, but vocally not very polished, and his Italian diction needed work.  Japanese mezzo-soprano Mika Shigematsu, also a San Francisco Opera ‘Merolina’, has the distinction of singing the title role of Bellini’s “La Sonnambula”, in the first U.S. staging of the Malibran version in Boston.  Here, she gave a sensitive, gently colored portrayal of Suzuki.  Baritone Ashley Holland offered a warm, comforting voice as Sharpless.  Oscar ZC Zhang was a comical, wily Goro, and In Joon Jang’s Prince Yamadori was imposing in voice as well as stature.

I have rarely heard the Opera Pacific Orchestra play so well as last Friday night.  The finely-chiseled Cherry Blossom Duet with the light, delicate sound of strings, the intoxicating sensuality of the Love Duet motif in the lower strings, the deep pathos in the Act II Trio (“Addio fiorito asil”), and last but not least, the symphonic intermezzo, fervently and powerfully conducted by John DeMain.  The 26-member Opera Pacific Chorus sang well, both on and off stage.

Francesca Zambello’s striking production, first seen at Houston Grand Opera in 1998, uses simple sets and drop-down rice paper panels to dramatic effects, thanks in large part to Alan Burrett’s lighting and rear projection.  The orange crepuscular glow during the Humming Chorus, the desolate Martian-like landscape in the final scene, the dropping down of a red drape over Cio-Cio-San’s lifeless body – are just some of the vivid, indelible stage pictures that will stay with you after you leave the theatre.

Catch this “Butterfly” while you still can.

Madama Butterfly runs through Nov 16.  Tickets are $40-$185.  For tickets to this and other Opera Pacific performances, call 1-800-34-Opera or visit www.operapacific.org

 

Truman C. Wang is editor of Classical Voice.

[ previous | back to top ]