Review: Puccini: Madama Butterfly *****

If we have lost some of the keenly etched characterisation of Tim Albery’s original 2007 production for Opera North, his Madama Butterfly remains a deeply moving performance.

He thankfully removes Pinkerton’s moribund remorse aria that Puccini added to make the opera acceptable in the United States, and has Butterfly changing her appearance in the second act to an American housewife who will be unable to go back to her Japanese family and friends.

Anne Sophie Duprels returns to sing the main role, her voice having thickened over the years, but visually acts the part of the child bride to perfection, her eventual realisation of betrayal making suicide seem inevitable.

We also have the same excellently sung American Consul from Peter Savidge, Albery casting Sharpless as the only person who cares about her. Savidge’s letter-reading scene in the second act is as potent as Butterfly’s death.

Making his company debut, the American tenor, Noah Stewart, looked the part of Pinkerton, his very attractive lyric and unforced voice making him hugely in demand and the highly impressive young Italian conductor, Daniele Rustioni, obtained an unusually colourful orchestral backdrop.

See Classical listing for future performances.