Kicking off SF Opera’s Summer 2023 season is Madama Butterfly, one of Puccini’s greatest hits. Madama Butterfly was the first opera I ever saw, ten years ago also in SF, with Patricia Racette in the title role and Brian Jagde as Pinkerton. At the time, I was a burgeoning 15 year-old opera fan, who was going just to see if I truly liked it. 10 years later and I’ve started an opera blog, so I think the effect of the performance on me is evident. From the performers, I remember thinking that Racette’s voice was significantly better in person, than in video. The vibrato that can be too pronounced at times, was softer in house, and the portrayal of butterfly was intense. It was truly a great introduction to the soprano voice. I don’t remember nearly as much about Brian Jagde’s Pinkerton. It was good, I remember that, and I thought it was funny that Pinkerton was booed at the curtain call.
The title role itself is inherently unfair, as the character is a 15-year-old teenage girl, but the role is a spinto/dramatic role. Lyrics who can convey girlish tones, often don’t have a big enough voice to comfortable sing the role, and spintos or dramatics often have a big enough voice but can’t convey a girlish tone. My favorite Butterfly was Mirella Freni on the Karajan recording back in the 70s (see below for more). Her voice was sufficiently girly that she successfully conveyed Buterfly’s innocence and the problem of having enough vocal weight was nullified by studio conditions. Wisely, Freni never sang the role on stage.
Story-wise the plot is primed for tragedy. Pinkerton is trying to hit it and quit it, and Butterfly thinks she’s found the one. Pinkerton seduces Butterfly, they’re together for a short period of time, then he dips and disappears for 3 years during which Butterfly gives birth to Trouble while continuing to believe that Pinkerton will come back for her. The writing is on the wall throughout the opera, and it’s impossible to not feel bad for Butterfly as she’s exploited by both Pinkerton and Goro throughout the opera. Pinkerton sees her as a sort of fantasy that he can discard, while Butterfly is devoted to him for reasons I couldn’t explain beyond the fact that this is opera. When Pinkerton does come back, Butterfly thinks he’s come back for her, but it becomes apparent that it’s not the case. Pinkerton agrees to take Trouble on the condition that he see Butterfly, but he bitches out like a coward. Cue the tragedy as Butterfly commits seppuku and the show ends.
TL;DR
Good performances all-around, but not the most thrilling or tragic. Great conducting. Ok staging with an interesting idea that didn’t really go anywhere.
The Staging
When I saw Butterfly back in 2013, the production was grand and more straight-forward than the production here. This time around, the action is framed as a flashback that’s prompted by a dying Pinkerton giving a now-adult Trouble (opera’s first hapa) a diary detailing what went down between him and Butterfly. In doing so, the opera reframes the story into being focused more on Pinkerton and Trouble, than Butterfly. While I don’t necessarily have qualms with this choice, and I actually think it’s creative and interesting, it didn’t really go anywhere. It kind of felt like when Harry Potter got sucked into the diary except now we’re in Japan, and Trouble has to watch his parents have sex. Trouble has no lines in the text, and his presence became distracting while also making it more difficult for other characters to assert themselves. Ultimately, this reframing choice was not the most successful to me, as Trouble is kind of just there without much to do, and Butterfly is relegated to a lesser spot that detracts from her centrality to the story. Other choices also detracted from the feeling in this opera. Butterfly’s death, for example, which is often shown more graphically, was reduced to Son hiding behind a screen as the action is implied, rather than shown reducing the emotional impact of the moment. The culmination of these choices ultimately left me feeling like the emotional impact of the opera was blunted.
The production here was more simplistic, with the house being a square lantern-like structure, and the set of Pinkerton’s deathbed being simple. With a show like Butterfly, it’s an opportunity to go all out and be more lavish and more interesting, but the simplistic approach was nonetheless interesting and inoffensive (besides the terrible wig on Karah Son). That being said, without a more grand, visually interesting set, we're necessarily more focused on the action and the characters which isn't bad except see above where the choices blunt the drama.
The Singing
Madama Butterfly lives and dies and by its title character, and as Butterfly Karah Son was great, but not thrilling. Butterfly is undoubtedly her signature role, and her upcoming and past schedule is dominated by engagements singing the role. I had somewhat high expectations for her, ones which I felt she generally met. The main question I had was whether the voice was truly big enough for the role, and what it sounded like live. To answer both concerns, the voice is indeed big enough, and in person the sound is better. Son has a tendency to attack notes without vibrato and then introduce it, which took a little bit of getting used to. Once she eased into the role, the instrument revealed itself to be much more secure than I anticipated. The vibrato can be slightly strident, but once I was calibrated to the noise, I enjoyed her voice. She handled her pressure points (“Un bel di” and her entrance aria) very well even managing the C-sharp of her entrance with ease. How sustainable singing this role will be for Son is a question that remains to be seen. Her voice is inherently lyrical, and the roles dramatic and vocal demands could easily overwhelm a lyric soprano.
Son’s characterization of Butterfly was clearly familiar with the role. In act 1, I felt her character’s naivety and excitement. However, in act 2 after 3 years have passed, I felt that her Butterfly was still 15 years-old with a kind of girlishness that, to me, is not entirely appropriate. I didn’t feel in act 2, that she was different than act 1, and I think it’s possible to still hold onto that belief she has without needing to be as naïve as Son portrayed her. This quip I have is minor, as her act 3 characterization was less naïve and more grown. That being said, I didn’t feel the tragedy like other singers are able to convey, and her performance wasn’t heart-wrenching like the great Butterflies. Part of it is certainly attributable to the staging robbing her of the focus, and part of it is the slightly uneven character development.
Overall, a very satisfying and good performance by Son that’s worth seeing.
My only experience with Michael Fabiano was 3 years ago in Paris, where he sang the title role in Don Carlo. In that performance, I thought he was good, but not thrilling. Here, as Pinkerton, he made more of an impact, granted Butterfly has less characters than Don Carlo. His voice is still in great shape, with his assumptions of almost exclusively spinto roles not showing any noticeable deficiencies in his voice. Highlights of his performance included his duet with Son to end Act 1, with a secure high C, his Act 3 aria, and his characterization.
I’ve seen characterizations of Pinkerton that describe him as naïve, but I’m not sure if I agree with that assertion. Perhaps he’s naïve for thinking that he could get away with what he’s doing, but I don’t really think that’s the case. Fabiano certainly didn’t portray him that way, instead choosing to characterize him in Act 1 as more swaggering, and less caring about his consequences. His character is essentially a predator and a narcissist. He shows little regard for Butterfly in Act 1, and can’t even gather the balls to face her in Act 3. In some ways this makes him the most immature character in the opera, but not necessarily naïve. Disregarding the narrative of double naivety, Fabiano’s’ characterization took on a different dimension, showing someone with remorse for the way he actively wronged Butterfly.
I greatly enjoyed Fabiano, and his performance is also worth seeing.
The smaller roles were also well-portrayed, with Lucas Meacham, Hyona Kim, and Julius Ahn turning in good performances. Meacham in particular was effective in his role as consul, while Kim was a exclamative and passionate Suzuki, though the voice didn’t necessarily match her outward gestures. Ahn was good as well as the other man in Butterfly’s life who takes advantage of her.
The Conducting
I'm becoming more of a fan of Eun Sun Kim, the more I see her perform. Her command of the music was impressive and she didn't overwhelm her performers. I felt that the tempo was slightly fast in Butterfly's entrance, and in the duet concluding Act 1, but overall I liked her conducting. Another great performance by her. The orchestra also performed well, though I wished the tone of the solo violin in the Act 1 duet sounded a bit more dolce.
Stray Thoughts
What’s up with the girly-ass handwriting that Pinkerton has in the diary?
I would be pissed if I was Kate Pinkerton. First Pinkerton drops that he has a kid, then she has to sit on a long-ass boat ride to Japan just to watch him be a coward.
Love the name Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, it’s like the equivalent of naming someone Big Mac Freedom Police.
This opera is further reminder, for my fellow POCs who are into men, that white dick ain’t worth it.
Lol at forcing Yamadori to come in on a bigass golden horse. Seemed a little cruel to make him climb down for the few lines he has.
I don't mind the traditional stagings that are usually deployed for Madama Butterfly, but I think this story in particular can be transposed to so many different situations and stagings. The story of women being exploited is rampant in society and Butterfly could easily be shown as a commentary on differnet aspects of the world.
Published June 16, 2023
Recordings
Recordings of Madama Butterfly are not hard to come by, but two in particular, and probably unsurprisingly, stand out. Number 1 is the 1974 Karajan/Freni/Pavarotti recording and number 2 is the 1966 Barbirolli/Scotto/Bergonzi recording.
Other notable recordings include a Karajan/Callas/Gedda set, a Serafin/Tebaldi/Bergonzi, and a Santini/de los Ángeles/Bjorling set.
My personal preference for number 1 derives from my love of Mirella Freni, one of my absolute favorite singers, and the inevitable magic created whenever she was paired with Pavarotti. Just listen to their duet ending Act 1 to hear absolutely glorious singing, supported by Karajan's sweeping, almost cinematic conducting. Beyond the Act 1 duet, Freni gives us multiple moments of glory, especially in her entrance aria capped off by an ethereal and stunning floated c-sharp. Her voice was well-suited for portraying the girlish qualities of Butterfly, and I find her interpretation to emphasize the innocent, and girlish nature of Butterfly. Pavarotti's lyric qualities are well-suited for Pinkerton.