Madama Butterfly

‘Un bel dì, vedremo…’ In her moving aria, the Japanese Cio-Cio-San – or Butterfly, as she is affectionately called – longs for the beautiful day when she will see her American husband Pinkerton again. However, her loving devotion is not mutual. Pinkerton returns to Japan after several years, but has an American woman by his side. What’s more, Butterfly was rejected by her traditional family for her intercultural marriage. The honourable Butterfly sees her dream of another life turn into a nightmare that can only end tragically. At the end of the 19th century, a real hype arose around Japanese culture in the West. Giacomo Puccini was inspired by the land of the rising sun as it was perceived in Europe and even used Japanese sounds and instruments in his compelling and emotional musical drama. Argentinian director Mariano Pensotti dispenses with all folklore in Puccini’s masterpiece and reflects on the construction of one’s own identity through the eyes of others.