Texas Classical Review

Fabio Luisi led the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a magnificent rendition of Madama Butterfly on Friday night. Like the DSO’s presentation of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in 2024, the concert performance was enhanced with a smart yet minimal staging and dramatic lighting, which helped bring Puccini’s tragic story to life within the Meyerson Symphony Center.

All of the principals truly made the most of their substantive roles. Evan LeRoy Johnson had perhaps the strongest voice of the evening, marshaling his rich tenor to depict Pinkerton’s casual swagger during the opening scene and to convey the intensity of his infatuation with Butterfly during their duet, “Viena la sera,” only to redirect his full-bodied tones into Pinkerton’s self-absorbed expressions of guilt over his betrayal of Butterfly. 

Jennifer Rowley’s portrayal of Butterfly was equally vivid; her clear soprano voice perfectly complemented Johnson’s tenor during the love duet and sustained her character’s fervent optimism throughout the second act, particularly during her major solo moment, the audience favorite, “Un bel dì vedremo.”

As Suzuki, Manuela Custer’s dulcet mezzo-soprano brought a gravitas that situated the character as an effective foil to Butterfly’s naïve idealism.  Likewise, Alessandro Luongo’s resonant baritone complemented Johnson’s tenor in a manner that reflected the camaraderie between Sharpless and Pinkerton while also underscoring Sharpless’s compassion and sense of fairness in contrast to Pinkerton’s self-indulgence.

Goro, the marriage broker, is eager to profit from such indulgence, and Keith Jameson’s smooth and clear tenor perfectly embodied Goro’s furtive nature.

Kidon Choi’s rich baritone provided the voices of two characters:  Prince Yamadori, who attempts to convince Butterfly to forsake her devotion to Pinkerton, and Butterfly’s uncle, the Bonze, who fiercely chastised Butterfly for deserting her Japanese religion in favor of Christianity.

Choi’s Bonze was an (uninvited) member of the wedding party that also included Butterfly’s uncle Yakushidé (Franklin Hurst), who echoed the Bonze’s denunciations of Butterfly when he was not asking for more wine, Butterfly’s mother, aunt and cousin (Margaurite Mathis, Anita Moore and Melania MacDonald) as they prattled over their impressions of Pinkerton, and the Imperial Commissioner and the Official Registrar (Hayden Ponder and Logan Dovalina) as they meticulously formalized the marriage contract.

Diana Benoit rounded out the cast of singers as Pinkerton’s American wife Kate, who cajoles Butterfly into releasing her child (performed by Hanyi Lu) into the care of his American father and stepmother.

The Dallas Symphony Chorus bolstered the production with both dramatic and sonic support, filling in voices of the broader wedding party and depicting the songs and shouts of the crew of Pinkerton’s vessel as it sails into the harbor.

Throughout the performance, the DSO under Luisi provided a supple backdrop that perfectly matched the subtly shifting moods stemming from the developing story and interaction of the characters.  Emotional high points allowed the orchestra to come to the fore, punctuating the moments with forceful brass and percussion as the strings reiterated the melodic “hooks” that Puccini builds into his memorable numbers. 

While the minimal staging that augmented the sonic splendor of the performance was comparable to that of the DSO’s performances of Wagner’s Ring, Friday’s presentation of Madama Butterfly added a few subtle yet notable features.  The front portion of the stage was reserved for movement and interaction between the singers as before, but this time included isolated items such as a table or cushions to provide the merest hint of a domestic space.  Many of the key characters wore props that functioned as “costumes”:  Johnson wore a naval officer’s cap, Jameson wore a bowler hat, and both Rowley and Custer wore kimonos,

Lighting projected on the organ pipework above the orchestra heightened the mood of a given scene, typically with simple colors projected onto the pipes.  During the love duet, the projection resembled a starscape, reinforcing the context of Pinkerton’s and Butterfly’s “wedding night.”

The conclusion of the opera depicting Butterfly’s death brought all of these elements together into a striking climax.  Accompanied by the strident strains of the DSO under Luisi, Rowley as Butterfly appeared to “stab” herself using a closed red hand fan as a “dagger.”  As Rowley “collapsed,” to the stage, she spread the fan while being bathed in a red spotlight, resulting in a powerful image that underscored the violence within Puccini’s story.

The DSO’s performance of Madama Butterfly was a satisfying follow-up to their presentation of the Ring and one hopes that Fabio Luisi will continue to bring such rewarding and successful opera nights to Dallas audiences.

The program will be repeated 2 p.m. Sunday. dallassymphony.org