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The Opera We Keep With Us Forever:
The Irresistible Charm and Timelessness of Madame Butterfly
BY NADINE DELEURY

When I spoke recently with Augusto Bini, whose grandfather was a good friend of Puccini, he recalled with profound emotion the occasion when his grandfather introduced him to the great composer who affectionately chucked him under the chin. Bini’s grandparents spent their summers in Viareggio, Italy, where Puccini had a villa. Often the two men walked together from Viareggio to Torre del Lago. Since that time, Bini has attended many productions of Madame Butterfly, as it is one of his favorite operas in his native country and also here in Detroit. I never met Puccini, but being immersed in his music during my 23 years at MOT has made me feel like we are close companions.

This fall’s production will be my sixth Madame Butterfly since joining the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra in 1985. It has been interesting to trace the origins of the story of Madame Butterfly to a novel, Madame Chrysanthème, written in 1885 by French author and naval officer, Pierre Loti. Loti’s novel inspired André Messager to compose his 1893 comédie lyrique, Madame Chrysanthème. Writer and lawyer John Luther Long followed with a magazine story, “Madam Butterfly,” in 1898, that caught American playwright David Belasco’s interest. Puccini attended the London premiere of Balasco’s play, Madame Butterfly, on April 28, 1900.

I have enjoyed reading Loti’s novel and Long’s and Belasco’s works, as well as the libretto before and after alterations. I found Belasco’s play at the Detroit Public Library (Six Plays by David Belasco) and was touched to see, in the author’s hand, “To Mrs. L.J. Bulkley — Faithfully, David Belasco, March 22nd, 1929.” We can easily imagine that Belasco came to Detroit to attend a performance of one of his plays, which he likely would have directed, the performance being given in one of Detroit’s beautiful theaters. Perhaps he may have even stayed at the Grosse Pointe Park home of the Bulkleys.

But let’s come back to Loti’s novel. Unlike Long and Belasco, or Giacosa and Illica (librettists of the opera), Loti had lived in Japan, and his book is full of very detailed descriptions of the colors, sounds, and smells of the country. The novel is based on the journal he kept from July to September 1885 while his ship La Triomphante was being repaired in the harbor of Nagasaki. In his story, Lieutenant Loti, wanting to get the full experience of life in Japan, buys a house...and a wife (O-Kiku-San, Madame Chrysanthème). His story lacks one vital element for a successful opera — love. (It is to be mentioned that unlike Cio-Cio-San, Loti’s “wife” was fully aware of the status of their “marriage”.) Loti did not succeed in loving either O-Kiku-San or the country of Japan. At the end of his novel, he goes back to say a last good-bye to his wife, only to catch her counting and testing the quality of the gold pieces he had given her the night before. Definitely not a good ending for an opera!

The librettists for Messager’s opera, G. Hartmann and A. Alexander, had to improve Loti’s story to make it appealing as an opera. In the last scene, Loti is shown to be moved at the reading of a letter from O-Kiku-San, telling of her love for him and her regrets for having not met his expectations. Messager’s opera had some success, and some arias are still part of the repertoire, even if the opera itself is mostly forgotten. It is said that he wrote it while a guest at the Villa d’Este where Puccini often stayed. Thus, it is not too far-fetched to imagine both composers talking about the story. In fact, Messager attended the opening night of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at La Scala.

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Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra principal cellist, Nadine Deleury