“Madama Butterfly”: The colonial narrative of exoticisation in stagings of Giacomo Puccini’s opera in Bregenz, Venice and Frankfurt (2022/2023)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68347/rh22s036Keywords:
“Madama Butterfly”, colonial narrative, exoticisation, Giacomo Puccini, opera production, Bregenz, Venice, Frankfurt, postcolonial theory, cultural criticism, historical musicology, repertoire leadershipAbstract
This study examines the colonial narrative and exoticisation in Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly through productions in Bregenz, Venice and Frankfurt. The analysis takes as its starting point the Ukrainian article “Colonialism and Sharovarshchyna: The Shadow Side of the Phenomenon” by Yevheniia Havrushko, which identifies the exoticisation of colonised space as a central narrative. The study explores how Puccini’s work extends beyond the celebrated operatic character and engages with contemporary social and political issues. It traces the development of colonial discourse from the fin de siècle to the present and analyses how modern productions reflect the opera’s colonial legacy. Based on a comparative analysis of the three recent productions, each placing different emphases on the opera’s social and political dimensions, the study shows how contemporary stage theatre addresses colonial heritage and its consequences. [Editorial translation of the German abstract prepared by the editorial office.]
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