Book description
Butterfly is a delicate and impressionable geisha who thinks she
has married Pinkerton, a US naval officer briefly stationed in Japan.
Naive and loving as she is, she does not realise that for him the
marriage is a sham, an extended 'date'. It's not long before he goes
away, leaving her pregnant. Still, she trusts that he will return one
fine day (Un bel dì). He does, but it is not the homecoming of which
Madame Butterfly dreamed: she is devastated to discover that the
callous Pinkerton is now married to an American girl. Heartbroken and
despairing, Butterfly commits suicide in one of the most tragic and
moving climaxes in opera. In this operatic masterpiece, Puccini
depicts the clash of two cultures, weaving The Star-spangled Banner'
throughout his music. The Humming Chorus, Ah! Dolce notte! ( Oh, night
of rapture'), and the Flower Song join Un bel dì in any list of
favourite tunes. Written by Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The
Lives and Times of the Great Composers, Short Guides to Great Operas'
are concise, entertaining and easy to read books about opera. Each is
an opera guide packed with useful information and informed opinion,
helping to make you a truly knowledgeable opera-goer, and so
maximising your enjoyment of a great musical experience. Other Short
Guides to Great Operas' that you may enjoy include those on Tosca, La
Bohème and Lucia di Lammermoor.
Michael Steen OBE was born in Dublin, studied at the Royal College
of Music and was organ scholar at Oriel College, Oxford. As well as
pursuing a successful career in the City, he has been chairman of
the Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and of the Royal
College of Music Society, and is Treasurer of The Open University.
Michael saw his first opera in 1960 when he was 15, and was
enchanted. Michael saw his first opera in 1960 when he was 15, and
was enchanted. He now goes to the opera at least once a month, often
much more, and has seen performances all around the world, for
example in Milan, Bayreuth, St, Petersberg, Vienna, Dresden, Moscow,
Sydney, New York, Wexford, Berlin, Budapest, Paris, Cape Town and
many across the UK. His previous books include The Lives and Times
of the Great Composers - described as 'hugely informative and
deliciously gossipy' by the Spectator - and Enchantress of Nations.
His Great Operas - bringing together guides to twenty-five of the
world's finest musical experience - is published by Icon Books in
November 2012.
