SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA REVIEW
 

Puccini, Madama Butterfly: Buenos Aires Lírica. Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Buenos Aires Lírica, Conductor: Carlos Vieu. Teatro Avenida, Buenos Aires. 28.5.2010. (JSJ)

Director: Crystal Manich

Sets: Nicolás Boni

Costumes: Lucía Marmorek

Lighting: Gabriel Lorenti

Chorus: Juan Casasbellas

Cast:

Cio-Cio San (Butterfly): Florencia Fabris

Suzuki: Vanesa Mautner

Kate Pinkerton: María Belén Rivarola

Pinkerton: Enrique Folger

Sharpless: Ernesto Bauer

Goro: Santiago Burgi

Yamadori: Mariano Fernández Bustinza

The Bonze: Walter Schwarz 

Enrique Folger (Pinkerton) Butterfly (Florencia Fabris) and Vanesa Mautner (Suzuki)

As a contrast to its successful Fidelio, Buenos Aires Lírica offered a change of mood with a new – and similarly successful – production of Madama Butterfly. The sets were those used for a 2006 production by the Asociación Cultural El Circulo in Rosario and nicely created a Japanese mood without being too fussy or overbearing. But what they conveyed in warmth and richness they lacked with supporting props and for example after their marriage Pinkerton and Butterfly retired not to a bed but to their garden. Otherwise, the production by American Crystal Manich, making her debut, was very pleasing, and the costumes too were attractive and appropriate, as was the lighting.

Butterfly was beautifully and clearly sung by the young Florencia Fabris. However, perhaps as the effect of the make-up, she looked much older than Cio-Cio San’s 15 years, and also seemed awkward in movement. Enrique Folger played Pinkerton with style, accurate and in fine tone, adding another successful production to his growing list of appearances. Vanesa Mautner as Suzuki was accomplished, but Ernesto Bauer as Sharpless was less satisfactory, principally because he lacks vocal weight.

Santiago Burgi gave an outstanding performance as Goro, and Walter Schwarz as the Bonze and Mariano Fernández Bustinza as Yamadori were both noteworthy. The version given was the reorchestration for a chamber orchestra by Héctor Panizza and was conducted with the usual aplomb by Carlos Vieu. The chorus was also good.

Just one other point need be mentioned, and that was that incorrectly, Butterfly’s child was a girl – and since the child in question was appearing in only three of the five productions and a boy in the others, strangely too!

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Picture © Liliana Morsia