• Poetry & Literature

    Opera Preview Lecture: Madame Butterfly

    Salt Lake City Public Library

    October 15, 2008

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    Madame Butterfly is ranked number one on OPERA America's list of the top 20 most-performed works in North America. Some scholars suggest its tragic tale reflects actual events that occurred in Nagasaki, Japan, during the early 1890s. Madame Butterfly passionately explores the consequences of obsessive devotion. Pinkerton, a U.S. Navy officer in Japan, contracts what he considers a temporary marriage to Cio-Cio-San, called 'Butterfly,' who renounces religion and family in her adoration for him. When Pinkerton leaves for America, he promises to return 'when the robins nest again.' Butterfly blissfully ignores warnings of his unfaithfulness and adamantly insists that her husband would never forget his son, 'Sorrow.' Pinkerton does come back, but Butterfly's devotion and heart are shattered when she realizes he has not returned for her. Join Dr. Thomas Cimarusti from the Music Department at Utah Valley University for a discussion of this heartbreaking story. Cimarusti has a PhD in Historical Musicology from Florida State University. He has taught at Brigham Young University and at the Westminster Community Center in Tallahassee, Florida.

    • Ticket Info

      Tickets: Free Admission

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    • Dates & Times

      Dates:
      October 15, 2008

      Times:
      Wednesday 7:00pm

    • Venue Info

      Salt Lake City Public Library

      210 East 400 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111

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    • Locations

      Greater Salt Lake

    • Accessibility Info

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