In the Operatheek series for which Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and Universitaire Pers Leuven join forces, a sixth edition has been published. It is devoted to Giacomo Puccini, as Puccini died one hundred years ago in Brussels on 29 November 1924. The publication is accompanied by a production at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen of one of his most popular operas Madama Butterfly.
The title of the introductory chapter immediately serves as an eye-catcher: "An immoral piece"! The tragedy of the naive young geisha, seduced by an unscrupulous American lieutenant, indeed has an immoral conclusion that has much to do with the "discourse on race, identity and victimhood". Aspects that are explored further with interest in the booklet.
The first part of the listening guide: "The Birth of a Myth" is an extremely thorough and in-depth analysis of on the one hand the historical facts that determine the place and period in which the story takes place, on the other hand the literary approach by Western authors of precisely that exotic world of the East. Sailors are thus unmasked as disreputable sexual profiteers of young Japanese women, aided by marriage brokers. Van Dyck addresses the literary sources on which Puccini's librettists based themselves and the fashion of interest in exoticism, fueled by the World's Fair in Paris in 1889. Madame Chrysanthème, the novel by Pierre Loti (pseudonym of Lieutenant Julien Viaud) is merely a first source of inspiration. Van Dyck cites other authors and of course David Belasco's play Butterfly, which Puccini saw in London, when he was there for the premiere of Tosca in that city. From all sources of inspiration, Van Dyck precisely specifies the sense in which the figure of Cio Cio San is the epicenter of her drama. A fascinating analysis with various unexpected aspects.
In the second chapter, Italian Opera at the Fin de Siècle, the author delves deeper into the evolution in the stylistic characteristics of the opera genre, which breaks away from the strict formal structure in favor of dramatic content. He refers to the influence of French and German opera, with composers such as Massenet and Wagner. The historical context is also explained. Madama Butterfly is critically received on 17 February 1904. Puccini repeatedly makes adjustments to the opera until the final performance in Paris in 1907 leads to an almost definitive version, a version that also provides the published score that is generally performed.
A third chapter delves deeper into "Butterfly's Music" and discusses the way in which Puccini creates a unique musical profile that must evoke the Far East. Exotic stylistic elements must contrast with the familiar "Western sound". Extensively, from passage to passage in each act, the diversity of Puccini's tonal color is analyzed, also with musical examples. Particularly interesting is that the emotional and social impact of the scene is repeatedly revealed. One of the finest examples of this is undoubtedly Butterfly's great aria Un bel di vedremo.
This detailed third chapter most directly addresses the intention of the "Operatheek" booklets: it is a perfect guide to understanding the opera in its deepest fibers, both its context and the reactions of the characters and of course especially the tragedy of the main character.
The author has conducted an in-depth study of the composer and his time. The references to bibliography and musicological sources attest to this as well. In my view, this edition is therefore aimed not only at the modal opera-goer, who seeks a simple guide to be better prepared, but also serves the interested reader with already some prior knowledge of both Puccini and early twentieth-century opera.