Madam Butterfly. English National Opera Guide 26

English National Opera Guides are ideal companions to the opera. They provide stimulating introductory articles together with the complete text of each opera in English and the original.

Among all the works of art inspired by Japan, Madam Butterfly holds a unique place and it is one of the most genuinely popular of operas, despite the disastrous première after which it was immediately withdrawn and revised. Were these alterations necessarily improvements? This Guide explores how and why the libretto was softened to suit the tastes of European operagoers and the different variants of the texts are set out, side by side, for easy comparison.

Professor Jean-Pierre Lehmann introduces the story and shows how the theme of a Japanese girl deserted by a heartless foreigner became a classic. Since John Luther Long’s novel is included as well, it is possible to judge how successful Puccini was in catching its essence in his hauntingly beautiful score, and for readers to assess for themselves the implication of the changes of emphasis, tone and characterisation.