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The soprano Renata Scotto, a celebrated interpreter of the tragic teenage heroine of Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly,' found that being too emotionally invested in the character was problematic because ' you suffer and you can't sing.' The soprano Kristine Opolais said in a recent interview on Latinos Post that because she doesn't hold back emotionally, she finds the role so psychologically taxing that she might have to limit future performances.
That palpable emotional commitment permeated her impressive role debut as Cio-Cio-San when Anthony Minghella's beautiful production of 'Butterfly' returned to the Metropolitan Opera on Friday evening with this season's second cast. (The next day, Ms. Opolais made an unexpected house role debut as Mimi in Puccini's 'La Bohème,' stepping in at the last minute to replace Anita Hartig in the Met's Saturday matinee performance. That 'Bohème' was also broadcast on the radio and transmitted live to movie theaters around the world as part of the Met's 'Live in HD' series.)
Faith in various incarnations is omnipresent in 'Butterfly.' Cio-Cio-San berates Suzuki, her maid (superbly rendered by Maria Zifchak) for wasting time praying to gods, while Cio-Cio-San abandons her ancestral religion and optimistically puts her own blind faith in human nature. Ms. Opolais's voluptuous, expressive voice soared over Puccini's dense orchestration, and there were riveting moments in her portrayal, as the naïve young Butterfly evolves from a shy, love-struck girl to a heartbroken, outraged mother whose faith in her husband is shattered.
After some unevenness in the first act, Marco Armiliato conducted a lithe performance that revealed the surging colors and climaxes of Puccini's lush score. The baritone Dwayne Croft offered a strong, dignified performance as Sharpless, the United States consul with a conscience. His decency is in contrast to Butterfly's heartless husband, Pinkerton, who abandons her.
In that role, the tenor James Valenti often didn't project sufficiently, although he sounded more convincing in Act II. The smaller parts were all sung well, including Scott Scully as Goro, the marriage broker; Stefan Szkafarowsky as the Bonze (Butterfly's uncle and a Buddhist priest); and Jeongcheol Cha as an imposing Prince Yamadori (a potential suitor).
There are many visually stunning moments in this production, with its gorgeous costumes and innovative use of lighting, scrims and overhead mirrors. The one element that didn't convince me upon first viewing a few years ago was the Bunraku puppet used to portray Butterfly's son (usually represented by a real child). This time, I found the puppet, manipulated onstage by three black-clad handlers, less distracting and perplexing, perhaps in part because Ms. Opolais interacted so naturally with it. Her gestures seemed believable, like the way she tenderly blindfolded her son before killing herself.
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