The original full score was completed on December 27th, 1903. The version we know today was made in 1907 for the Opera Comique performance.

Act 1- 00:00
Act 2, Part One- 54:46
Act 2, Part Two- 1:49:39

The reception history of Madama Butterfly is fascinating. The La Scala performance was greeted with hisses, booes, and shouts. Why? We don’t really know, but the presence of a large claque is probable. Many of the snobbish audiences of La Scala found the score to be far too similar to La Boheme and Mascagni’s Iris (another Japanese verismo opera), but Madama Butterfly is leagues away from both of these works.

The music in this opera is completely immersive. The constant augmented chords and sophisticated harmonies allure the listener into a world of cherry blossoms and passion. The "love music" in this opera is completely unforgettable. Many people describe the duet as being too long, but it does what it is supposed to do, far better than La Boheme in my opinion— it describes love passionately and tenderly. The ideas fluctuate and continuously evolve-- It is filled with uncertainty and anxiety (the Bonze’s motif appears in it many times), but also romantic fascination and deepest desire.

There is simply so much in this opera, so many feelings and images packed into this comparatively short work. Despite all the obstacles, the constant auguries-- the hideous automobile accident, the rushed premiere, and its shocking reception, Puccini maintained an inspirational sense of conviction regarding Madama Butterfly's quality. As moved as he was by the source material, Puccini himself brought distinct shades to it, arguably more dramatically effective than anything John Luther Long or David Belasco contributed in terms of character. While Pinkerton here is presented as a careless, boisterous, and selfish individual, this penitent man-child is far more pleasant in comparison to the somewhat sociopathic and possessive Pinkerton of the original short story, one who takes absolute pleasure in trapping Cio-Cio San in her (his) own home and ridding her of all comfort, then fleeing the scene. Making his character slightly milder made Butterfly's love for him more convincing, and the turn of events all the more gut-wrenching. We too are falling under Pinkerton's spell.

The cuts Puccini made to the original score are for the best. Many of the cuts consist of extremely racist lines of dialogue by Pinkerton, as well as stereotyped depictions of the Japanese (the drunkard uncle had an aria that was cut). However, the final scene with Butterfly and Kate was longer in the original, and that certainly is a sad loss. But if people have issues with the opera in its current form, I cannot imagine Madama Butterfly’s first version ever being performed today.

As previously mentioned, many audiences have expressed issues with Madama Butterfly itself, describing it as an Orientalist showpiece made by a culture that had no understanding of the Japanese. Frankly, I agree with that assessment. Puccini never went to Japan, and whatever understanding he had of the culture of Japan did come from a place of Western privilege. However, the entire opera can be interpreted as a representation of imperialism, detailing the relationship between Western superpowers and the "Other". The colonized Butterfly abandons her own pride and culture in order to earn the approval of her colonizer, who both profits from their relationship and views her as a non-human. Her son, Trouble, represents the fruits of Pinkerton the conqueror, and thus Butterfly, a connection to the pre-colonial past, is successfully snuffed out by Pinkerton.

Considering the time and Puccini’s place in culture and social rank, the “ethnomusicological research” Puccini undertook to capture the sound of Japan was indeed well-intentioned. He interviewed the Japanese ambassador’s wife regarding music of her homeland, and he used many common Japanese songs in his score. Even the execution of that, however, is also deeply flawed; many of the meanings of the songs Puccini quotes clash with the context of the opera itself. As problematic as the portrayal of Japanese culture in this opera is, one must remember what Puccini was trying to do in this opera. The story purposefully goes beyond stereotype to communicate something daring.

The sheer musicianship and ingenuity of the opera cannot be denied. Puccini didn’t want to portray an exaggerated caricature as Belasco did in his original play. It’s tragedy, it’s brutal and gut-wrenching portrayal of a woman being taken advantage of, as well as it’s soaring score, have cemented its role in the repertoire. This is one of the most famous operas for good reason.

I will make a list of the many leitmotifs in this opera in the comments.

Recording: Herbert von Karajan with the Wiener Philharmoniker, 1974

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