On the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 72nd birthday anniversary on July 28, 2024, the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Culture, and the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya have organized an opera performance of "Madama Butterfly" on Tuesday, July 23, and Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at the Main Auditorium, Thailand Cultural Centre.
On the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 72nd birthday anniversary on July 28, 2024, the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Culture, and the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya have organized an opera performance of "Madama Butterfly" on Tuesday, July 23, and Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at the Main Auditorium, Thailand Cultural Centre.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, the foundation's patron, has envisioned the foundation organizing the opera "Madama Butterfly," composed by Italian Giacomo Puccini with Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. This opera tells the tragic love story of a Japanese geisha and an American naval officer, highlighting themes of love and honor. Premiered at La Scala in Milan, Italy, in 1904, it remains one of the world's most frequently performed operas.
For this performance, Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari serves as Executive Producer, selecting the cast from Opera Production in Vienna. Auditions were held for roles such as Mother, Aunt, Cousin, Geishas, Relative and Servants, and chorus members. The entire wardrobe for the production has been newly designed, with Her Royal Highness herself designing 14 costumes for the nine main characters: Cio-Cio San (the heroine), Pinkerton (the hero), Suzuki (the maid), Yamadori (the prince), Kate Pinkerton (the new wife), Bonzo (the Japanese priest), Goro (the matchmaker), Sharpless (the hero's friend), and the Commissario (the Japanese nobleman). An additional 40 costumes were designed by the SIRIVANNAVARI team under her direction.
The cast from Opera Production includes leading European opera singers such as Viktorija Miskunaite and Laura del Rio (Soprano) as Madama Butterfly, Gianluca Terranova (Tenor) as B.F. Pinkerton, Alissandra Volpe (Mezzo-Soprano) as Suzuki, Massimo Cavalletti (Baritone) as Sharpless, and Orlando Polidoro (Tenor). They are joined by three renowned Thai opera singers. The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra will perform, conducted by German conductor Valentin Egel.
