Glyndebourne Tour

Derived from a true story of a Japanese geisha married and abandoned by an American sailor, Puccini’s popular masterwork unfolds as a disastrous clash of East and West. In Glyndebourne’s first-ever production of Madama Butterfly, director Annilese Miskimmon delves deep into the humanity of the ill-fated Cio-Cio San and the American naval officer who marries her after both fall prey to false and dangerous stereotypes of one another’s cultures.

Puccini’s use of authentic Japanese scales and folk melodies gives the music an irresistibly exotic flavour. Yet Madama Butterfly is Italian opera at its melodious and moving best, featuring such beloved numbers as the wellknown ‘Flower Duet’, ‘Humming Chorus’, and the heart-rending aria ‘ Un bel dì, vedremo’.