Admin

Organization

Singer

Soprano

Ermonela Jaho

Cio-Cio-San

Kristīne Opolais

Mezzo-soprano

Chrysanthi Spitadi

Suzuki

Tenor

Gianluca Terranova

B.F. Pinkerton

Dimitris Paksoglou

Baritone

Dionysios Sourbis

Sharpless

Nikos Kotenidis

Nikos Stefanou

Goro

Yannis Kalyvas

Bass

Yanni Yannissis

Uncle Bonze

Conductor

Lukas Karytinos

Stage director

Hugo De Ana

Set designer

Video designer

Sergio Metalli

Chorus master

Agathangelos Georgakatos

Dimitris Kasioumis

Marios Sarantidis

Prince Yamadori

Violetta Lousta

Kate Pinkerton

Diamanti Kritsotaki

Petros Salatas

Uncle Yakusidé

Vagia Kofou

The aunt

Elisaveta Klonovskaya

Fotini Chatzidaki

The cousin

Thei Stavrou

Dionyssis Tsantinis

The imperial commissioner

Georgios Papadimitriou

Theodore Aivaliotis

The official registrar

Theodore Moraitis

Amalia Avloniti

Cio-Cio San's mother

Zoi Apeiranthitou

Lighting designer

Valerio Alfieri

Costume designer

Greek National Opera

Italian

Madama Butterfly -  (Madame Butterfly)

The successful production of Madama Butterfly, which opened the autumn season of the Greek National Opera in October 2020, introduces GNO TV, GNO’s new web TV. Puccini’s masterpiece was conducted by Lukas Karytinos, directed by Hugo de Ana and with internationally acclaimed soprano Ermonela Jaho in the title role.

Recorded in the GNO Stavros Niarchos Hall at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on 10 and 16 October 2020. Subtitles are available in Greek, English and French.

The opera tells the story of the fatal love affair of fifteen-year-old geisha Cio-Cio-San with Pinkerton, a lieutenant in the United States Navy. After three years of absence the lieutenant comes back to Japan accompanied by his American wife, having learned that he has begotten a son by Butterfly. She agrees to give the child away only to Pinkerton himself, and after that she commits suicide.

Famous for its wonderful arias, strikingly melodic music and dramatic theatricality, Madama Butterfly offers timeless emotion and triggers intense feelings. Puccini does not hesitate to describe it as his favorite opera, and through his later modifications he makes his heroine’s alabastrine figure a symbol of inexhaustible patience and eternal, constant love.

Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is a milestone work for the Greek National Opera, as it was the first opera ever staged by the newly-founded organization, on 25 October 1940, three days prior to the declaration of the Greco-Italian war. That historic premiere, held on the National Theatre’s main stage, was attended by the composer’s son, Antonio Puccini, and the Italian Ambassador in Athens Emanuele Grazzi, who, a few hours later, would deliver to the Greek government the Italian ultimatum threatening war.

This year, which marks the 80th anniversary of the Greek National Opera, Butterfly returns to GNO’s new home, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, not only to celebrate the anniversary, but also to signal the GNO’s return to action after the pandemic, and to show that art and culture not only survive in the most adverse conditions, but also constitute the driving force for man and society. The direction, sets and costumes of the production, which first premiered in 2013 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and was revived in a new version tailored to the stage of the Stavros Niarchos Hall, bear the stamp of famous Argentinian director Hugo de Ana. It is an impressive production with traditional Japanese costumes, while the sets and video projections impressively illustrate the country of the rising sun on the one hand and the heroine’s psyche on the other. Video projections are designed by Sergio Metalli, and lighting by Valerio Alfieri.

Photos