Madama Butterfly GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858 – 1924)
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Study Guides Madama Butterfly GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858 – 1924) PRODUCTION PRODUCTION coc.ca/Explore SPONSOR SPONSOR Production originally made possible by John A. Cook Table of Contents Welcome! Welcome .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is an enduring samples of American music and Japanese melodies and beloved opera. It currently stands as the sixth most- (including use of a pentatonic scale) to enhance the score. Opera 101 ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 performed opera internationally, according to an online Attending the Opera ................................................................................................................................... 5 database of opera performances. Even Puccini himself While not an accurate portrayal of Japan, even for the considered it his best work. Containing some of opera’s time in which it was written, viewing Madama Butterfly Characters and Synopsis .......................................................................................................................... 7 most memorable music and a touching storyline, Madama today opens many doors for classroom discussion into Genesis of the Opera .................................................................................................................................. 8 Butterfly is certainly an opera that has stood the test of orientalism and the Western view of the East, conflicts time. between America and Japan, ethics, and world religion. Listening Guide ............................................................................................................................................ 11 What to Look for .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Musically, Madama Butterfly reflects Puccini’s varied Madama Butterfly is presented in Italian with English influences and interests. It features a large orchestra SURTITLESTM. COC Spotlight: Jennifer Pugsley .......................................................................................................... 18 compared to other Italian operas, reflects a Wagnerian Active Learning ............................................................................................................................................ 21 influence with its through-composed style, and uses Selected Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 22 Credits .............................................................................................................................................................. 23 STUDENT DRess REHEARSALS 2014/2015 $15 INDIVIDUAL STUDENT RUSH TICKETS* Falstaff Verdi Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Madama Butterfly Puccini Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Don Giovanni Mozart Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Die Walküre Wagner Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 7 p.m.** The Barber of Seville Rossini Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung Bartók/Schoenberg Monday, May 4, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. *In-person, day-of sales only. Age and purchasing restrictions apply. All dress rehearsals are approximately three hours with one or two intermissions. Visit coc.ca/Explore for details. Above: Xiu Wei Sun as Cio-Cio San in a scene from Madama Butterfly. Cover: Allyson McHardy as Suzuki and Xiu Wei Sun as Cio-Cio San. Both photos from **Please note the earlier start time to accommodate the length of the Madama Butterfly (COC, 2003). Photos: Michael Cooper opera, approx. 4 hours and 20 minutes with two intermissions. 2 Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 coc.ca Madama Butterfly Study Guide Canadian Opera Company 2014/2015 coc.ca Madama Butterfly Study Guide 3 Opera 101 Attending the Opera: Make the most of your experience WHAT IS OPERA? What are the differences between operas, musicals and The term “opera” comes from the Italian word for plays? “work” or “piece,” and is usually applied to the WELcome to THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARts European tradition of grand opera. Opera is a form Traditionally operas are through-sung, meaning they are of storytelling which incorporates music, drama sung from beginning to end with no dialogue in between. Photo: Sam Javanrouh and design. Singers must have powerful voices in order to be heard over the orchestra (the ensemble of instrumental musicians that Though its origins date back to ancient Greece, accompanies the dramatic action on stage during an opera). the form of opera we are familiar with today Remember: opera singers don’t use microphones! started in the late 16th century in Florence, Italy. Count Giovanni de’ Bardi was a patron and Musicals are a combination of dialogue and sung pieces and host to a group of intellectuals, poets, artists, often include choreographed numbers. The singers often scientists and humanists including Giulio Caccini use microphones and are accompanied by a pit band which (composer) and Vincenzo Galilei (father to the includes more modern instruments like a drum kit, guitar and astronomer and scientist, Galileo Galilei, who electronic instruments. was most famous for his improvements to the telescope). These individuals explored trends Plays are primarily spoken works of theatre with minimal in the arts, focusing on music and drama in singing or music. particular. They were unified in their belief that the arts had become over-embellished and that There are always exceptions to the rule: though Les returning to the transparency of the music of the Misérables is through-sung it is still classified as a piece of ancient Greeks, which incorporated both speech musical theatre because of its style of music. By the same and song, and a chorus to further the plot and token, some operas, like Mozart’s The Magic Flute, have provide commentary on the action, would present spoken dialogue in addition to singing. a more pure, natural and powerful way to tell stories and express emotions. The first opera, Dafne, about a nymph who fled So you’re headed to the opera, and there are a few tonight’s performance, drop by the Welcome Desk (just from Apollo and was subsequently transformed questions on your mind. Here are some tips on how to get inside the main doors) to ask a member of the COC staff, by the gods into a laurel tree, was composed by the most out of your opera experience. who are full of useful information not only about tonight’s Jacopo Peri in 1597. From then on, the early operas opera, but also about COC programs in general. A pre- recreated Greek tragedies with mythological First, there’s the question of what to wear. People wear performance chat takes place in the Richard Bradshaw themes. During the 17th and 18th centuries, What does opera all sorts of things to the opera – jeans, dress pants, Amphitheatre (Ring 3) about 45 minutes before the show. topics expanded to include stories about royalty, feel like? cocktail dresses, suits, etc. The important thing is to be These chats, given by members of our COC Volunteer and everyday or common people. Some operas Take five minutes out of the school comfortable. Wear something that makes you feel good, Speakers Bureau, offer valuable insight into the opera and were of a serious nature (called opera seria) and day and instead of using regular voices whether it be jeans or your nicest tie. But skip that the specific production that you’ll be seeing. some light-hearted (called opera buffa). Since to converse, ask the class to commit to spritz of perfume or cologne before you go out; the then operas have been written on a wide variety singing everything. Make an agreement Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is scent-free. Before the opera starts, take the opportunity to explore of topics such as cultural clashes (Madama with the students that it’s not about judging Many fellow patrons and performers are allergic to strong the lobby, known as the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Butterfly), comedic farce (The Barber of Seville), people’s voices but about freeing our natural scents. Room. Stop by concessions and pre-order a beverage for politicians on foreign visits (Nixon in China), the sounds. Make up the melodies on the spot intermission or purchase a snack. Browse the Opera Shop celebration of Canadian heroes (Louis Riel), and and don’t worry about singing “correctly.” Once you’re dressed, it’s important to arrive on time for and pick up a memento of your experience at the opera. children’s stories (The Little Prince), to name a Did the musical lines help express or the show. Late patrons cannot be admitted to the theatre, (Note: the Opera Shop is not open at dress rehearsals.) few. emphasize certain emotions? and you may have to watch the first act on a television Walk up the stairs, passing a sculpture as you go, and note If so, how? screen in the lobby rather than from your seat. If you the floating glass staircase – the longest free-span glass The COC presents works in the western European don’t have your ticket yet, arrive as early as possible – the staircase in the world! On the third floor, you’ll see the tradition but musical equivalents to European line-up for the box office can often be quite long prior