friday’s coming closer and i can’t wait because a few weeks ago i purchased tickets for Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”, at the Athens Concert Hall. Madama Butterfly it’s in the top 3 of my favorite lyric plays, among Puccini’s “Turandot” and Bizet’s” Les pecheurs de perles” and i had a chance to see it a couple years ago at the Greek National Opera- not a very succesfull cast though. there’s a love story (of course! what were you thinking?) but it’s not as simple as that, because there’s also some strong motherhood nuance that makes the story dramatic and heart-breaking in a different way than other romantic operas.

here for you is the most well known aria from the play, by Maria Callas, since i suppose there isn’t any other better version

* Puccini_ Madama Butterfly – Un Bel Di Vedremo *

Butterfly’s dreaming of the day that her beloved husband will return home after a long absence and describes it with every detail:
One beautiful day we will see a puff of smoke on the far horizon. Then a ship will appear and enter the harbor. I won’t go down to meet him,no, i’ll wait on the hill for him to come. After a long time, i’ ll see in the far distance a man beginning the walk out of the city and up the hill. When he arrives, he will call “Butterfly” from a distance- but i will not answer, partly for fun and partly not to die from the excitement of the first meeting. Then he will speak the names he used to call me: “Little one. Dear wife. Orange blossom.” I promise you that this will happen.

And of course she dies in the end.

info and ticket purchase here