Butterfly, SOH - Dec 30, 2008

A worthy tribute to Puccini by Sarah Noble

Puccini: Madama Butterfly Opera Australia Sydney Opera House 30 December 2008

Two days before the end of 2008, Opera Australia opened its 2009 season with perhaps the most popular opera of all, Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Moffatt Oxenbould's production, now twelve years old, remains as enchantingly youthful as Cio-Cio San herself. Cluttered exoticism gives way to an approach revelatory in its simplicity, where naturalism mingles seamlessly with stylised, balletic movement and elements of mysticism. The design by Russell Cohen and Peter England evokes a fragrant and sensual Japan, the spare, formalist set contrasting with the startling blues, pinks and reds of those who populate it. Robert Bryan's lighting design creates some extraordinary effects; the glow which surrounds Cio-Cio San in her midnight vigil is especially striking. It is a production which is suggestive rather than slavish in its detail, drawing inspiration from Oriental tradition without applying a theatrical concept so rigorously as to overshadow the opera's human centre - or its music. This revival sees the return of the singer for whom the production was created. Cheryl Barker is an internationally fêted Cio-Cio San who could possibly be forgiven for resting on her laurels. Instead, she brings her experience to bear in an interpretation which seems freshly created. She is an irresistible Cio-Cio San: not a relentlessly solemn and pathetic figure, but rather a spirited, passionate heroine whose laughter is as infectious as her tears are moving. Her voice may no longer have the girlish brilliance of ten years ago, but her vibrant tone is as thrilling as ever, and her darker timbre brings with it a host of new possibilities. Barker handles Butterfly's incredibly demanding music with typical panache and attention to detail. Her rendition of the famous "Un bel di" is especially impressive, transcending the aria's warhorse status to bring out its every detail and reinstate its very real emotion. Opera has few villains so universally reviled as Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, the feckless American sailor whose abandonment of Cio-Cio San leaves her no option but suicide. That, at least, is the theory, but many tenors have found a way to give Pinkerton at least a hint of humanity. Julian Gavin's Pinkerton is more gormless than ruthless: a gauche tourist, deeply infatuated with his bride but fundamentally incapable of understanding the implications of his actions. Gavin's singing is refreshingly refined: he delivers a lyrical and dynamically varied performance, full of colour and happily free from bellowing.

Catherine Carby's presence as Suzuki seems like luxury casting, but in fact she's precisely as luxurious as the role itself demands. Suzuki is commonly cited as the archetypal Thankless Mezzo Role, but while she mightn't have a great deal to sing, her presence is nevertheless vital. Carby fills this role with delicate sincerity, and when she does sing, her shimmering mezzo is a delight, lighter than might be expected in the role, but surprisingly powerful. Barry Ryan brings gravity and expansive tone to the role of Sharpless, responding astutely in his crucial encounter with Cio-Cio San despite occasionally awkward Italian diction. Graeme Macfarlane is curiously appealing as the incorrigible marriage broker Goro, flitting about the stage and lacing his singing with just the right dash of mischief. Jud Arthur makes a striking cameo as the demonic Bonze, putting his remarkable bass voice to wonderfully scary use. Luke Gabbedy's appearance as the preening Yamadori is a little on the quiet side vocally, but he cuts a fine figure: maybe Butterfly should have accepted him. Young Artist Andrew Moran is strong as the Imperial Commissioner, while Jane Parkin, recently seen singing Cio-Cio San for OzOpera, is excellent as Kate Pinkerton. Maestro Shao-Chia Lü leads the orchestra in a performance of astonishing richness, beautifully shaped and carefully considered. There's stellar playing throughout, particularly from the strings. Some slight wrangling over tempo in the early moments of the opera was quickly resolved, and Lü's reading was as magical as the production, allowing the orchestral playing to rise as far as possible above its unhelpful pit conditions while supporting his soloists with care. The chorus is splendid, the women's voices blending gorgeously in Butterfly's entrance (surely one of the loveliest moments in all opera) and in the famous Humming Chorus. Reviving such a perennial favourite may seem a rather safe way of launching a season. But this particular Butterfly, with its strong cast, excellent conductor and eternally exquisite production, is no dull, everyday choice. Coming as it does on the heels of a season in which the company suffered a barrage of criticism and the sudden, tragic death of its music director, Richard Hickox, this revival of Madama Butterfly is a welcome reminder of all that's good and admirable about the company; and, a week after his 150th birthday, it's a worthy tribute to the genius of Puccini.

Text © Sarah Noble Photos © Branco Gaica