Actor

This opera, which Puccini himself considered his favorite and best work, moves everyone who hears it. In the summer of 1900, Puccini saw David Belasco’s theater piece »Madame Butterfly« in a London Theater, and was indelibly touched. It was a tragic story of very human proportions, coupled with an old-fashioned dose of Far East exoticism. As Belasco did, Puccini set his opera in the present, in the year 1904, the year of its world premiere. The strict rules and customs of Japanese society are confronted by the western world, in the form of the American marine lieutenant Pinkerton. For him, his fictitious marriage with the young geisha Cio-Cio San, also called »Butterfly«, is nothing more than an exotic romantic adventure. For her, though, it is the chance of a lifetime: Fascinated by the notion of the different, freer world that her lover could give her, she’s ready to break with everything she’s ever known. She believes steadfastly that Pinkerton will return to her, even long after he has left Japan. And when he finally does return, after three years, it spells disaster.

Madama Butterfly

Oper Leipzig

The opera season opens with Puccini’s masterful work in a new staging by Kasper Holten.

Directing a Puccini opera for the first time, Kasper Holten explores the relationship between art and politics in this gripping political thriller—tense, powerful, and filled with dramatic music.

Tosca

Royal Danish Opera

In the Latin Quarter of Paris, four young artists live for the moment, sharing what little they have; chasing big dreams and laughing through the cold. When Rodolfo meets Mimì, a quiet seamstress with a fading light, their connection is instant and unforgettable. But in a world shaped by poverty and passion, love burns brightly but all too briefly.

EPSG:4326

La bohème Puccini

Venue Cymru

Wales Millennium Centre

New Theatre Oxford

Theatre Royal Plymouth

Mayflower Theatre

A Japanese girl, a great love, and a promise that rests on fragile ground from the very beginning. Cio-Cio-San, known as Butterfly, marries the American naval officer Pinkerton. But while he regards the marriage as a temporary exotic adventure, she firmly believes in his love. After Pinkerton returns to the United States, Butterfly waits for him for years – until he eventually travels back to Japan with his American wife to take custody of their child …

Cologne Opera

La bohème

Welsh National Opera

Oper Köln

Actor

Carlos Cardoso

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 27 - Nov 26, 2026

La bohème Puccini · Welsh National Opera

Jun 6 - Jul 18, 2027

Madama Butterfly · Oper Köln

Past events

Mar 20 - Apr 5, 2026

Madama Butterfly · Oper Leipzig

Aug 31, 2025 - Jan 24, 2026

Tosca · Royal Danish Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca by Puccini

Royal Danish Opera

Rodolfo in La bohème by Puccini

Welsh National Opera

Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly by Puccini

Oper Leipzig

About

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