Koprodukcija s / Coproduction with - Fondazione Arena di Verona.

Veliki talijanski skladatelj Giacomo Puccini napisao je operu Madama Butterfly krajem 1903., zabilježivši na partituri  i vrijeme kada je odložio pero: bilo je to 27. prosinca 1903., malo prije ponoći. Iako je autor unaprijed vjerovao u uspjeh svojega novog djela, na praizvedbi u milanskoj Scali 17. veljače 1904., na kraju izvedbe uslijedili su brojni zvižduci i sveopće negodovanje. No, Puccinija to nije osobito uzbudilo jer je bio posve uvjeren u kvalitetu svojega djela. Izvedba u Bresci u svibnju 1904. godine dala mu je za pravo i tada započinje trijumfalan put ove opere po talijanskim i svjetskim pozornicama.

Madama Butterfly  jedna je od najdirljivih Puccinijevih opera koja pripovijeda o nesretnoj sudbini Cio-Cio San, mlade Japanke zvane Butterfly  / Leptirica, i poručnika američke mornarice B. F. Pinkertona. Potaknuta beskrajnom ljubavlju prema Pinkertonu Cio-Cio San prelazi na kršćanstvo, no niti to, kao ni sva ostala njezina nastojanja da zadrži svoju ljubav uz sebe, nije bilo dovoljno te ona na kraju, ostavljena, odustaje od života. Dramatična i potresna priča o srazu dvaju svjetova u kojima bezuvjetna ljubav nije bila dovoljna za sreću i miran život, uzburkala je publiku i kritiku već na samom početku, ne prestajući očaravati ljubitelje opere sve do danas. Poslije više od petnaest godina Opera zagrebačkoga Hrvatskog narodnog kazališta ponovno ima na repertoaru ovo besmrtno djelo, koje će na scenu biti postavljeno u koprodukciji s Fondazione Arena di Verona, uglednim organizatorom  jednoga od najpoznatijih svjetskih ljetnih opernih festivala.

The great Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote Madama Butterfly at the end of 1903. Although the author believed in the success of his new work in advance, at the premiere in Milan's Scala on February 17, 1904, at the end of the performance there were numerous whistles. However, Puccini was not particularly worried, since he believed in the quality of his work.
The performance in Brescia in May 1904 was a huge success, and since then, the opera was performed on numerous Italian and world stages.
Madama Butterfly is one of Puccini's most successful operas. It is a story of the unfortunate fate of Cio-Cio San, a young Japanese woman called Butterfly, and US Navy Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton.
A dramatic and poignant story about the collision of two worlds in which unconditional love was not enough for happiness and a peaceful life, stirred up the audience and critics from the very beginning, and continues to enchant opera lovers to this day. After more than fifteen years, the Opera of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb brings this Puccini’s opera to the Croatian audience.

ANDREA CIGNI graduated directing from the Faculty of Art, Music and Theater in Bologna, and gained experience as an actor and participant in dance productions. He made his debut as a director in 2006 in Cremona with a music and dance production “Madrigals of Buenos Aires”. Since then he has been directing opera productions in Italian and European theaters.