Performance Dates: April 25 & 27

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

For her it is true love, for him just an affair. Giacomo Puccini transformed John Luther Long’s 1898 story of teenaged geisha Cio-Cio-San and cavalier American naval lieutenant Pinkerton into one of the most popular operas of all time – and a commentary on colonialism that remains ripe for re-examination. His music reflects both the orientalism of his time and the sentimentality of late verismo. After leading staged performances in Baden-Baden, Kirill Petrenko presents Madama Butterfly in concert to the Berlin public. The title role will be sung by Eleonora Buratto, who was celebrated for her performance of this part at the New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Star tenor Jonathan Tetelman takes the role of Pinkerton.