Madam Butterfly 1995Scottish Opera
Read more about the opera Madama Butterfly
Scottish Opera’s 1994-5 season opened at the Edinburgh Festival with a new production of Fidelio. The Glasgow programme saw this joined by a new Maria Stuarda and a revival of Madama Butterfly. There was also a short group of performances of Tristan und Isolde, a carry-forward from the previous summer with some cast changes. At Christmas the entertainment was the final run of Iolanthe, with the New Year bringing an interesting new modern dress Marriage of Figaro. The last group of operas, in the spring, consisted of an unknown recent Russian work, Schnittke's Life With an Idiot, in a co-production with ENO, and a revival of La forza del destino along with further performances of Madama Butterfly.
The main run of this excellent revival had been in the autumn, but four further performances were given at the end of the season in Glasgow, Newcastle and Aberdeen. The interesting Espert staging, with its solid tenement style set and slightly updated costumes, was being seen for the last time.
Performance Cast
- Lieutenant F B Pinkerton U S Navy
- Goro marriage broker
- Suzuki Cio-Cio-San's servant
- Sharpless U S Consul in Nagasaki
- Cio-Cio-San known as Madam Butterfly
- Imperial Commissioner
- Official Registrar
- Bonze a priest, Cio-Cio-San's uncle
- Prince Yamadori
- Kate Pinkerton