Opera in Focus - "MADAMA BUTTERFLY"

"MADAMA BUTTERFLY"
Act III

Almost from its premiere, Madama Butterfly has been a favorite of opera lovers throughout the world. Puccini regarded the opera as his masterpiece, and the trafic Cio-Cio-San was his favorite heroine.

A brief orchestral preluse introduces the third act. It is dawn and Suzuki urges Butterfly to take the child and rest. They have waited in vain all through the night for Lieutenant Pinkerton to arrive. No sooner has Butterfly left the room, then Pinkerton arrives with the American Consul Sharpless. Suzuki is overjoyed, but Pinkerton asks her to be silent. Looking into the garden, Suzuki sees a lovely American lady and immediately realizes the terrible truth; Pinkerton has returned with an American wife to take Butterfly's child! Suzuki collapses in despair; Butterfly's heart will surely be broken. A dramatic trio begins as Suzuki, Pinkerton and Sharpless absorb the tragic situation. Sharpless suggests that Pinkerton leave without seeing Butterfly. The Lieutenant sings a poignant farewell to the little house where he and Butterfly were briefly so happy, and rushes from the room. Now Butterfly enters eagerly looking for Pinkerton. Instead, she finds his wife Kate and the horrible truth dawns on her. Kate begs her forgiveness and asks for the child. With immense dignity, Butterfly tells Kate that she and her husband may return for the child in a half hour. Sharpless and Kate sadly leave, and Butterfly orders Suzuki to close the shoji and stay with her child in the garden. She opens the little household shrine and takes out a dagger and reads the inscription on the blade: "To die wit honor, when one cannot live with honor." Suzuki brings the child into the room and Butterfly sings an anguished farewell. She kneels behind a screen to hide herself from her child, and in a moment we hear the the dagger fall to the floor. Mortally wounded, she crawls from behind the screen towards her child, as Pinkerton rushes into the room.