Germany Puccini, Madama Butterfly (live performance efficiency): Soloists, Rundfunkchor Berlin (chief conductor: Gijs Leenaars), Berliner Philharmoniker / Kirill Petrenko (conductor). Broadcast stay from the Berlin Philharmonie (directed by Michael Beyer) on the Digital Live performance Corridor, 27.4.2025. (JPr)
Relying on the place you’re on the earth present newspaper headlines – maybe extra on-line today than in print – had been to the fore within the Berlin Philharmonic’s live performance efficiency of Madama Butterfly. Their return to the Berlin Philharmonie adopted their look at Baden-Baden’s Easter Pageant accompanying Davide Livermore’s new manufacturing (assessment right here). I’ve at all times discovered the toasts – nevertheless ironic Puccini would possibly deliberately or in any other case have been – to the greatness of America unduly irksome. The interpretation on-line talked about how ‘The Yankee travels the whole world, he enjoys, he negotiates … if he fails, he tries once more. America for ever!’ Who involves thoughts whenever you learn that? Additionally, it’s the acceptance of the ‘pleasures’ of intercourse tourism which is especially worrying if dwelt on too lengthy on this opera, with the geisha Cio-Cio-San (aka Butterfly) suggesting how at 15 she is ‘already previous’!
Matthew Hunter (Berlin Philharmonic violist) in a pre-recorded interval interview spoke to Eleonora Buratto (Cio-Cio-San) and Jonathan Tetelman (B. F. Pinkerton) and raised the problems of the ‘poisonous relationship’ and ‘abusive energy’ and Tetelman’s response was ‘let the viewers determine how you can understand it.’ In 2025 that’s most likely greatest; the blatant misogynist, racist and sexist components of Madama Butterfly is Puccini shining a 1904 mirror on baby exploitation and the world he reveals us in his opera and telling a tragic story as related to us now as in his day.
Fortunately, any ideas of racial and cultural stereotyping – the priority of the opera director – might be additional distanced by the truth that this was a live performance efficiency with practically everybody dressed formally. Since all of the soloists had been ‘off the e book’, their interplay undoubtedly introduced components of what was seen in Baden-Baden to Berlin.
The sound from my audio system and the closeups of conductor Kirill Petrenko on the display screen revealed how he inspired a remarkably virtuosic efficiency from these round him. Petrenko was often smiling as if he was having fun with all of it immensely (regardless that the orchestra appeared slightly glum) and relying on the music may both be ‘waltzing’ on the rostrum or launching himself up and down on it. There have been great contributions from particular person orchestra members, together with concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley, Emmanuel Pahud’s flute, Jonathan Kelly’s oboe, Yun Zeng’s horn, amongst so many others.
Petrenko lashed into the brief orchestral prelude firstly and later the hen calls which greeted the daybreak in Act III had been very evocative while watching the livestream. Petrenko relished each minute element, and he completely deserved the plain assist he elicited from the soloists, refrain and his orchestra. There was a beguiling rendition of the ‘Buzzing Refrain’ which proved an particularly meditative interlude with simply the correct whiff of cherry blossom. Nevertheless, each right here and within the earlier ‘O Kami! O Kami!’ Act I refrain, Rundfunkchor Berlin (changing the refrain who sang in Baden-Baden) sounded an excessive amount of as in the event that they had been singing Bach. Petrenko clearly has the utmost respect for the theatricality of Madama Butterfly – whether or not within the opera home or on the live performance platform – and he created an intense environment stuffed with drama and rigidity.
Eleonora Buratto is an impressive Cio-Cio-San and probably the greatest of the very many interpreters of the position I’ve seen and heard, albeit not ‘stay’ on this event. From her arrival on the platform she charmed together with her portrayal of Cio-Cio-San’s cultivated manners and naiveté. It was potential to consider in her story of how she was from a noble household diminished to penury (we hear how her father dedicated suicide on the request of the emperor) and so wanted to earn a residing as a geisha. We additionally consider – as a result of she does – in her longed-for joyful ever after by means of ‘marrying’ U.S. Navy Lieutenant Pinkerton and altering her faith to his; although this causes her to be renounced by household, pals and society. Quickly we settle for how deluded Cio-Cio-San turns into earlier than the realisation ‘dawns’ that she has been abandoned by Pinkerton and left with their son, Sorrow. When he finally returns together with his American spouse to take his son away, there is just one recourse left for Cio-Cio-Cio. Each – and I imply each – emotion her character goes by means of was etched on Buratto’s face and we lived Cio-Cio-San’s story by means of her (‘Un bel dì vedremo’ was a spotlight in fact). And if that wasn’t distinctive sufficient, it was allied to Buratto’s nice vocal performing and flawless method which encompassed beautiful floated excessive notes to the visceral cry of anguish when Cio-Cio-San lastly suspects she might need been deserted.
Believability – even for a live performance efficiency – was helped by the truth that Jonathan Tetelman may be very tall, and it made a very good match for Buratto’s smaller Cio-Cio-San, and you possibly can settle for them as a ‘couple’. Tetelman sees Pinkerton as ‘a younger man’ who ‘makes errors’, he was ‘undecided he’s a nasty man, only a bit cowardly as a result of he’s younger.’ Tetelman had a sturdy and ardent sound with excessive notes that had been slightly tight to start with however impressed in his open-throated Act III ‘Addio, fiorito asil’ stuffed with regret and despair.
Close to-perfectly acted and sung vignettes from the remainder of the forged (many not recognized to me prior to now). These included Tassis Christoyannis as a gruff, realizing and anxious U.S. Consul Sharpless, Teresa Iervolino’s devoted, caring and anxious maid Suzuki, Didier Pieri’s scheming, mercenary matchmaker Goro, Aksel Daveyan’s lovelorn Prince Yamadori and Giorgi Chelidze’s Bonze, the uncle who vehemently denounces Cio-Cio-San.
Fairly distinctive stagecraft (such because it was!) and music-making from all involved in a Madama Butterfly that I’ll bear in mind fondly for a really very long time.
A remaining phrase: many will probably be acquainted how Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music owes one thing of a debt to Puccini, however what about Puccini himself? With the orchestra centre stage, borrowings in Madama Butterfly develop into extra apparent: I clearly heard the affect of Wagner and doesn’t the Act I ‘Love Duet’ sound like Verdi’s one in his 1887 Otello and the Act II ‘Flower Duet’ like Delibes’s in his 1883 Lakmé?
Jim Pritchard
Featured Picture: Curtain name for Madama Butterfly on the Berlin Philharmonie © Berlin Philharmonic
Forged:
Eleonora Buratto – Cio-Cio-San
Teresa Iervolino – Suzuki
Jonathan Tetelman – B. F. Pinkerton
Tassis Christoyannis – Sharpless
Didier Pieri – Goro
Aksel Daveyan – Prince Yamadori
Giorgi Chelidze – The Bonze
Jasurbek Khaydarov – Imperial Commissioner
Georg Streuber – The Official Registrar
Lilia Istratii – Kate Pinkerton / Cio-Cio-San’s cousin
Benjamin Šuran – Yakusidé
Natalie Jurk – Cio-Cio-Sans’s Mom
Eunsoo Lee – Cio-Cio-Sans’s Aunt
