Festival Theatre, Malvern – 18th February 2024
Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau
5*****
Ellen Kent operas return to Malvern for the first of this year’s visits with another outstanding production of the mega popular Madama Butterfly.
Set in 1904 in Nagasaki, an American naval officer enters into a marriage of convenience with a young Japanese girl. He intends to divorce her when he finds an American wife and shortly after sails off on his naval ship…. She, meanwhile, devotes herself entirely to waiting for her new husband in the expectation of a new American life. Because of this she is disowned by her Japanese friends and family.
Elena Dee reprised the role of the titular character, bringing her to life in glorious technicolor, widescreen detail. The stratospheric high notes are always breathtaking but I was blown away by her command of the quiet held notes which, for me, produced a particularly thrilling effect. “One Fine Day” is undoubtedly the standout aria and Dee delivered a flawless performance. Her acting was extraordinarily strong, bringing drama and passion, but it was her comedic timing that surprised me tonight – notably in the scene where she explains what American Judges do when hearing a divorce petition. Simply wonderful!
Georgi Meladze was the perfect romantic lead as Pinkerton, his powerful tenor voice being truly compelling. All the cast were magnificent but special praise should go to Iurie Gisca as the Consul and Natalia Matveeva as Suzuki, both of whom gave stellar support and had voices to match our heroic leads.
The set was a magnificent representation of a Japanese garden complete with running water and a house that was cunningly employed to the point it was almost a character in its own right. The costumes were, as in previous years, absolutely gorgeous with spectacular, sumptuous kimonos. The entire production deserves much praise for giving us such treats for the eyes.
Opera isn’t, of course, just music; it’s musical drama. A lushly romantic piece of writing from Puccini, the entire score has a lovely languid sensuality that sits alongside the tragedy to give us a truly fulfilling spectacle. This is the Italian verismo style where the composer wished to convey the realism of the situation, with all its consequences, hurt and pain and that most certainly came across tonight.
The orchestra sounded rich and full, equally impressive in the subtle, romantic sections as the more strident harrowing ones, transporting us faithfully to the inner turmoil of the characters through their sonorous playing. There was an impressive balance between those onstage and off, allowing us to enjoy every nuance of the score, thanks to the world class conducting of Vasyl Vasylenko.
As in previous visits the Ukrainian flag and National anthem closed the evening’s performance on an even more heartbreaking high – it’s a tragedy they are still suffering under the horror of war and I hope the audience volume levels told them all they need to know about how much support the Ukrainian people still have from us.
Another triumphant performance of one of the world’s most acclaimed and much loved operas with a stunning production and performances; the 5 stars I have to give it were richly deserved. Bravissimo tutti! I cannot wait to see their next production when they return in April with Carmen.