To make his time in Japan more enjoyable, the American naval lieutenant Pinkerton marries the geisha Cio-Cio-San.
What is harmless fun for the soldier is, for the young woman, a matter of true love. Even when Pinkerton leaves her shortly after the wedding, Cio-Cio-San clings to the hope of a future together. And indeed, Pinkerton does return – with an American wife by his side…
For a long time, Giacomo Puccini searched in vain for a subject that would stir his dramatic instincts following the success of his *Tosca*. He found it in David Belasco’s play *Madama Butterfly. A Tragedy of Japan*, which he transformed in 1904 into a musical tragedy that is as moving as it is stirring.
In Italian with German surtitles (Source: Deutsche Oper am Rhein)
