As this year marks the centenary of Giacomo Puccini's death, it is safe to say that his operas are ageing well, based on the box office figures. This is probably due to both musical and dramatic factors. On the one hand, the expressive musical resources employed by the composer, without preparation or preamble, always stepping on the emotional accelerator and seeking impact, place his procedures in a terrain very close to that of mid-20th century film music. In fact, we could say that...

Set in Nagasaki, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly of 1904-07, with a libretto by Giuseppe Giacoso and Luigi Illica, explores the relationship between the American naval officer Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-San from the city’s Omara district. Cio-Cio-San, whom Pinkerton both affectionately and patronisingly addresses as Madam Butterfly, takes their love so seriously that she converts to Christianity, and is consequently ostracised by her family. He, on the other hand, sees their...