Question of the Week: Did “Madama Butterfly” live up to the hype?
So “Madama Butterfly,” Opera Roanoke‘s return to costumed opera, sold out last week. Here’s a snippet from Seth Williamson’s review:
Yunah Lee, in particular, brought a studied ambivalence to the innocence of Butterfly’s devotion, who from the beginning sees Pinkerton as her ticket out of poverty and Japan.
Christian Reinert was a handsome and imperially slim B.F. Pinkerton, with a commanding voice and smooth upper range.
But he tended to confuse emotion with bellowing. In the final act, when he claims that “the bitter fragrance of these flowers goes like poison to my heart” and “I’m consumed by remorse,” he appeared instead to be experiencing only mild regret.
Better at conveying depth of feeling was baritone Thomas Cannon as Sharpless the consul, who always was dubious about Pinkerton’s dishonorable intentions. Also good was Eunjoo Lee’s warm mezzo as Suzuki.
But Yunah Lee carried the show’s emotional freight on her own tiny shoulders from start to finish.
So, did you go? What did you think? Speak up, opera lovers!
March 21, 2011 - 12:23 PM
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