Opera Queensland's Madama Butterfly

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Thu 12 May 2016 - Thu 19 May 2016

When the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote Madama Butterfly , he was in the thick of ugly marital strife arising out of his numerous and scandalous affairs. So it is hardly surprising that one of his most famous operas (and his personal favourite, as it turns out) features a tale of star-crossed lovers and takes a sharp turn towards tragedy.

Being brought to life by OperaQ from 12-19 May, Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage's Madama Butterfly tells the story of a Japanese teenager, Cio-Cio-San, who falls in love with, and marries, an American naval officer, thus incurring the wrath of her family. Soon after the wedding, her new husband returns to America, leaving her to give birth to their son and wait endlessly for his return. Many moons come and go before Cio-Cio-San sees her husband's ship appear on the horizon - but this time he has a new wife in tow, hastening this performance's dramatic finale.

Madama Butterfly has been described as the perfect opera for first-timers. Though this production harks from overseas, Australian talent will feature, with sopranos Hyeseoung Kwon and Emily Burke singing Cio-Cio-San opposite tenors Bradley Daley and Virgilio Marino as the faithless husband, alongside internationally acclaimed baritone Jonathan Summers and mezzo-soprano Hayley Sugars. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra and The Opera Queensland Chorus will perform under the direction of Maestro Johannes Fritzsch.

Though Madama Butterfly premiered in 1904, it has found a place in popular culture. For example, the spurned lover played by Glenn Close in the film Fatal Attraction refers to Madama Butterfly as her favourite opera.

OperaQ's commitment to making opera experiences accessible to everyone will be demonstrated with the release of more than 2,500 tickets to Madama Butterfly for $25 (plus booking fees) about a month before opening night. Interested? You can register to be advised when these discount tickets will be released at the OperaQ website.

The performance will be held at QPAC's Lyric Theatre and will run for around 2.5 hours (including 20-minute interval). It will be sung in Italian with projected English translations.

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!date 12/05/2016 -- 19/05/2016
%wnbrisbane