Puccini: Madam Butterfly ***
Royal Albert Hall, 26th February 2015
Take an exquisite production of a Puccini tearjerker, cast it attractively… then crush its fragile wings under the weight of the Albert Hall’s vastness. Madama Butterfly is a perfect opera for first-timers – an uncomplicated plot, gorgeous music that many would recognise parts of – and the visual spectacle here is enormously appealing. However, poor amplification and a lack of surtitles, despite the opera being sung in English, rendered much of the text unintelligible.
Hyeseoung Kwon (Cio-Cio-San) and Jeffrey Gwaltney (Pinkerton)
© Paul Sanders
Read the full review on Bachtrack.
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