2011-10-13 Madama Butterfly in 1-2-3

On the 13th day of the month October the number 3 will appear and Madama Butterfly will be in 3 acts.

I was confused the placard said Butterfly was a japonese tragedy in 2 acts and I remembered that Puccini and his librettist had changed Belascos drama into 3 acts. But strangely enough I was right, and Wiener Staatsoper was wrong. Only one intermission after act 1. In a dramatic sense it makes sense to have act 2+3 together. But it was not really that great for me since I was having my third (3) leak of my pouch system.

It felt like a Friday 13th, but it was Thursday. First on my flight from Zurich to Vienna I had to change my whole system in that tiny toalett of a plane. It went well, but no well enough. By the time of the intermission at the opera I needed to change it all again. For the second time it went well but not well enough. In acts 2+3 I hoped, struggled and then I felt it fail during wonderful Puccini music and the drama of Butterflys suicide. It just couldn't handle it. I felt it was wrong to just to go after such a great opera performance, but I needed to handle my crisis. Luckily my hotel was close to Staatsoper. Well, 3 is the number for luck, not to mention to have a big room and time to really get it right without stress, is good.

Madama Butterfly, Wiener Staatsoper 1930-2215

Patrick Lange | Dirigent
Josef Gielen | Regie
Tsugouharu Foujita | Bühnenbild
Tsugouharu Foujita | Kostüme

Daniela Dessi | Cio-cio-san, genannt Butterfly
Marian Talaba | B.F.Pinkerton
Eijiro Kai | Sharpless
Juliette Mars | Suzuki
Herwig Pecoraro | Goro
Peter Jelosits | Yamadori
Jeanine De Bique | Kate Pinkerton
Alexandru Moisiuc | Onkle Bonze
Marcus Pelz | Der kaiserliche Kommissär
Martin Müller | Der Standesbeamte
Arina Holecek | Mutter Cio-Cio-Sans
Denisa Danielová | Base

I really liked Eijiro Kai as Sharpless. Marian Talaba was even from front row a weak Pinkerton. He struggled with the singing. He was clearly not at ease. He was a great Stewa in JENUFA so why not in Madama Butterfly. Daniela Dessi was really good in act 2+3, I guess maybe it took me almost the act 1 to get it. The love duet was almost all Dessi, Talaba was too weak.

I loved my seat and that I could see what happened in the orchestra. They seemed to enjoy themselves, those men and women in the orchestra. I loved to watch the female first violinist. It gave depth to my understanding of the music of Giacomo Puccini.

Wiener Staatsoper also released an app for IPad and IPhone on this day, October 13, 2011.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad