Opera by Italian composer Puccini will have two performances at the festival; The event takes place from the 12th to the 25th of January; There will be more than 200 presentations, all free of charge.
A love story, the mismatches of war, a tragedy. Madama Butterfly over the last century has won the heart of a legion of admirers around the world. The Italian Giacomo Puccini, who would complete a century of life this year, is the composer who turned John Luther Long’s novel into one of the best-known operas in the world. And she was chosen to be presented at the 20th edition of the Santa Catarina International Music Festival (Femusc), the largest school event in Latin America. The FEMUSC takes place from January 12 to 25 in Jaraguá do Sul (SC).
Madama Butterlfy debuted at the Ala Scala theater in Milan in 1904 and tells the story of a Navy lieutenant who falls in love with Cio-Cio-san, a Japanese geisha, marries her, but does not take seriously the commitment to his wife, so with 15 years. CIO-CIO-SAN stands for Butterfly, a reference to Japanese kimonos with their wide bows on their backs. The debut of the performance, rejected by the public, made Puccini dwell on the work for another four months. Time it took to get out of failure to a resounding success. “It was the opera with the deepest feeling and imagination I have ever created”, he even declared the composer.
At FEMUSC, the opera in Três Atos, arrives with the musical direction of André dos Santos at the head of the Femusc Opera Orchestra. André has been leading the operas of the Santa Catarina Festival for many years and is considered one of the most experienced opera conductors and voice coaches in Brazil, with a passage through the operas of Paris and Losangeles. The orchestra is composed of about 40 musicians, and will have as Spalla Professor Ole Bohn (violin). The Coral da Récita will be on behalf of the 30 participants of the FEMUSC Opera and Lyrical Song Program. To complete, a child member of Femusckinho (Femusc’s children’s arm) will play the role of “Trouble”, in one of the last scenes of the opera.
In the approximately two and a half hours of duration, the show at FEMUSC will be presented in its entirety, in the conventional version of 1907. This is not the first Puccini’s work shown at Femusc. Considered one of the greatest opera composers of the genre in musical history, the festival presented two Puccini titles, both in 2018 – “La Bohème” and “Suor Angélica”.
According to the creator of the event, conductor Alex Klein, Madama Butterfly, however, is seen as the most famous work by Puccini. “It is interesting to remember that Puccini was involved with our beloved Carlos Gomes back in Italy and in the famous alla Scala theater”, says Klein. “This time, we brought Madama Butterfly who is a top title, superior exponent of her art and ability to tell a story through music, with impressive dramatic effects.”.
Madama Butterfly will have two performances at Femusc. January 24th and 25th, at 8:30 pm and 2:00 pm, respectively. Both in the large SCAR auditorium, in the center of Jaraguá do Sul.
