The London City Philharmonic brings their Madama Butterfly to St John’s Smith Square in two performances. An Opera about the tragic tale of Cio Cio San, a young Japanese girl who falls in love with American naval officer Pinkerton, with devastating consequences. This will be a semi-staged performance in a concert version conducted by Olsi Qinami. 

Cio-Cio-San, the young Japanese bride of American naval officer Lieutenant Pinkerton, finds her romantic idyll shattered when he deserts her shortly after their marriage. She lives in hope that one day he will return.

Three years later, Cio-Cio-San and her son, Dolore, see Pinkerton’s ship in the harbour. She excitedly awaits his visit – but when Pinkerton and his new American wife Kate arrive and learn about Dolore's existence, they ask to take the boy away. Cio-Cio-San bids her son farewell and takes her own life.

Puccini was captivated by David Belasco’s play Madame Butterfly when he saw it in London in 1900. He collaborated with librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (with whom he had created La Bohème and Tosca) to adapt Cio-Cio-San’s tragic tale for the operatic stage. Puccini drew on Japanese folk melodies to create his Butterfly score and each aria is imbued with distinct emotion.