Germany Puccini, Madama Butterfly (concert performance): Soloists, Rundfunkchor Berlin (chief conductor: Gijs Leenaars), Berliner Philharmoniker / Kirill Petrenko (conductor). Broadcast live from the Berlin Philharmonie (directed by Michael Beyer) on the Digital Concert Hall, 27.4.2025. (JPr)
Depending on where you are in the world current newspaper headlines – perhaps more online these days than in print – were to the fore in the Berlin Philharmonic’s concert performance of Madama Butterfly. Their return to the Berlin Philharmonie followed their appearance at Baden-Baden’s Easter Festival accompanying Davide Livermore’s new production (review here). I have always found the toasts – however ironic Puccini might intentionally or otherwise have been – to the greatness of America unduly irksome. The translation online mentioned how ‘The Yankee travels the entire world, he enjoys, he negotiates … if he fails, he tries again. America for ever!’ Who comes to mind when you read that? Also, it is the acceptance of the ‘pleasures’ of sex tourism which is particularly worrying if dwelt on too long in this opera, with the geisha Cio-Cio-San (aka Butterfly) suggesting how at 15 she is ‘already old’!
Matthew Hunter (Berlin Philharmonic violist) in a pre-recorded interval interview spoke to Eleonora Buratto (Cio-Cio-San) and Jonathan Tetelman (B. F. Pinkerton) and raised the issues of the ‘toxic relationship’ and ‘abusive power’ and Tetelman’s response was ‘let the audience decide how to perceive it.’ In 2025 that is probably best; the blatant misogynist, racist and sexist elements of Madama Butterfly is Puccini shining a 1904 mirror on child exploitation and the world he shows us in his opera and telling a tragic tale as relevant to us now as in his day.
Thankfully, any thoughts of racial and cultural stereotyping – the concern of the opera director – can be further distanced by the fact that this was a concert performance with nearly everyone dressed formally. Since all the soloists were ‘off the book’, their interaction undoubtedly brought elements of what was seen in Baden-Baden to Berlin.
The sound from my speakers and the closeups of conductor Kirill Petrenko on the screen revealed how he encouraged a remarkably virtuosic performance from those around him. Petrenko was frequently smiling as if he was enjoying it all immensely (even though the orchestra appeared rather glum) and depending on the music could either be ‘waltzing’ on the podium or launching himself up and down on it. There were wonderful contributions from individual orchestra members, including concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley, Emmanuel Pahud’s flute, Jonathan Kelly’s oboe, Yun Zeng’s horn, amongst so many others.
Petrenko lashed into the short orchestral prelude at the start and later the bird calls which greeted the dawn in Act III were very evocative whilst watching the livestream. Petrenko relished every minute detail, and he thoroughly deserved the obvious support he elicited from the soloists, chorus and his orchestra. There was a beguiling rendition of the ‘Humming Chorus’ which proved an especially meditative interlude with just the right whiff of cherry blossom. However, both here and in the earlier ‘O Kami! O Kami!’ Act I chorus, Rundfunkchor Berlin (replacing the chorus who sang in Baden-Baden) sounded too much as if they were singing Bach. Petrenko clearly has the utmost respect for the theatricality of Madama Butterfly – whether in the opera house or on the concert platform – and he created an intense atmosphere full of drama and tension.
Eleonora Buratto is an outstanding Cio-Cio-San and one of the best of the very many interpreters of the role I have seen and heard, albeit not ‘live’ on this occasion. From her arrival on the platform she charmed with her portrayal of Cio-Cio-San’s cultivated manners and naiveté. It was possible to believe in her story of how she was from a noble family reduced to penury (we hear how her father committed suicide at the request of the emperor) and so needed to earn a living as a geisha. We also believe – because she does – in her longed-for happy ever after through ‘marrying’ U.S. Navy Lieutenant Pinkerton and changing her religion to his; though this causes her to be renounced by family, friends and society. Soon we accept how deluded Cio-Cio-San becomes before the realisation ‘dawns’ that she has been deserted by Pinkerton and left with their son, Sorrow. When he eventually returns with his American wife to take his son away, there is only one recourse left for Cio-Cio-Cio. Every – and I mean every – emotion her character goes through was etched on Buratto’s face and we lived Cio-Cio-San’s story through her (‘Un bel dì vedremo’ was a highlight of course). And if that wasn’t exceptional enough, it was allied to Buratto’s great vocal acting and flawless technique which encompassed exquisite floated high notes to the visceral cry of anguish when Cio-Cio-San finally suspects she might have been abandoned.
Believability – even for a concert performance – was helped by the fact that Jonathan Tetelman is very tall, and it made a good match for Buratto’s smaller Cio-Cio-San, and you could accept them as a ‘couple’. Tetelman sees Pinkerton as ‘a young man’ who ‘makes mistakes’, he was ‘not sure he’s a bad guy, just a bit cowardly because he’s young.’ Tetelman had a sturdy and ardent sound with high notes that were rather tight to begin with but impressed in his open-throated Act III ‘Addio, fiorito asil’ full of remorse and despair.
Near-perfectly acted and sung vignettes from the rest of the cast (many not known to me before now). These included Tassis Christoyannis as a gruff, knowing and concerned U.S. Consul Sharpless, Teresa Iervolino’s devoted, caring and concerned maid Suzuki, Didier Pieri’s scheming, mercenary matchmaker Goro, Aksel Daveyan’s lovelorn Prince Yamadori and Giorgi Chelidze’s Bonze, the uncle who vehemently denounces Cio-Cio-San.
Quite exceptional stagecraft (such as it was!) and music-making from all concerned in a Madama Butterfly that I will remember fondly for a very long time.
A final word: many will be familiar how Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music owes something of a debt to Puccini, but what about Puccini himself? With the orchestra centre stage, borrowings in Madama Butterfly become more obvious: I clearly heard the influence of Wagner and doesn’t the Act I ‘Love Duet’ sound like Verdi’s one in his 1887 Otello and the Act II ‘Flower Duet’ like Delibes’s in his 1883 Lakmé?
Jim Pritchard
Featured Image: Curtain call for Madama Butterfly at the Berlin Philharmonie © Berlin Philharmonic
Cast:
Eleonora Buratto – Cio-Cio-San
Teresa Iervolino – Suzuki
Jonathan Tetelman – B. F. Pinkerton
Tassis Christoyannis – Sharpless
Didier Pieri – Goro
Aksel Daveyan – Prince Yamadori
Giorgi Chelidze – The Bonze
Jasurbek Khaydarov – Imperial Commissioner
Georg Streuber – The Official Registrar
Lilia Istratii – Kate Pinkerton / Cio-Cio-San’s cousin
Benjamin Šuran – Yakusidé
Natalie Jurk – Cio-Cio-Sans’s Mother
Eunsoo Lee – Cio-Cio-Sans’s Aunt
A truly great performance. I was overwhelmed by the performers and orchestra!