Tag Archives: Puccini

Tears of blood among the cherry blossoms: La Scala make amends with a return to Puccini’s original Madama Butterfly

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Puccini: Madama Butterfly **** Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 7th December 2016 For years I’ve wondered why Cio-Cio San refers to her bridegroom as F.B. Pinkerton when the Imperial Commissioner names him as Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton in the wedding ceremony. Was … Continue reading →

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Downtown Nagasaki comes to Glyndebourne in Annilese Miskimmon’s Madama Butterfly

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Puccini: Madama Butterfly *** Glyndebourne, 14th October 2016 How picturesque do you like your Puccini? Do you take your Turandot sweet or sour? How much lacquer is layered over your ideal Madama Butterfly? If you imagine a backdrop of Nagasaki … Continue reading →

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From Butterfly to Ice Princess: Netrebko scales spinto heights

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Verismo: Anna Netrebko (DG 479 5015) Anna Netrebko’s clearly game for a laugh. Some time in 2015, the Russian soprano wrested control of her social media from the PRs. Her selfies reveal someone who doesn’t take life – or herself … Continue reading →

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Brush up your Puccini: a 16th-century Bohème at Holland Park

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Puccini: La bohème ***  Opera Holland Park, 11th June 2016 “The course of true love never did run smooth.” That William Shakespeare knew a thing or two about love. Many of his plays have been adapted as operas and companies … Continue reading →

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Flawed casting in Minghella’s widescreen Butterfly at ENO

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Puccini: Madama Butterfly *** English National Opera, 16th May 2016 Anthony Minghella’s 2005 staging of Madam Butterfly remains a hit with ENO’s audience. A combination of Japanese lacquer and Hollywood gloss make for a stylish production, opulently costumed by Han … Continue reading →

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