Madame Butterfly

Madame Butterfly is one of the most beloved and frequently performed operas in the world. The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino production, staged by Fabio Ceresa, with a ‘Japonisme’ aesthetic, highlights its elegance.

The tragic love story is set in Japan, a country that the West had become obsessed with by the early 20th century. Cio-Cio-San, a young geisha, is seduced and abandoned by an American officer who is insensitive to her feelings.  While she is dreaming of his return, he does in fact come back, but with his new wife, to take the child he and Cio-Cio-San had together. The story of unrequited love illustrates the clash between two cultures a century ago. The issue of alterity resonates particularly strongly today.