Ying Huang: "Con onor muore" (Madame Butterfly)

[RiceBunny14]

What a tragic love story

[kagasaki6]

Beautiful, emotive, and o so heart wrenching.

[naty5552]

oooh Me dejó mal el final xD,llore la primera vez que lo vi! T-T

[COCOONFABULA]

this just tore my heart apart 

[hmro1978]

et a la france aussi pour F. Mitterrand

[parodycreator25]

wait. Buttefly's child was blonde and blue-eyed, thats why he remembered Butterfly to Pinkerton. Im confused.

[SsteinwayS]

@parodycreator25 I think they were going for something genetically realistic? If a Japanese former geisha and an American guy had a baby, I think the Asian genes would be slightly more dominant over blonde hair and blue eyes? It's a movie version anyway...the visual aspect at least has to be believable so that's probably why I'm thinking?

[parodycreator25]

@SsteinwayS yeah that's right . I remember in somewhere during the opera, im not sure, that "sorrow" remebers Pinkerton to Butterfly, but yeah genetically talking asian traits are slightly more dominant than "american" traits. but the kid is cute and thats all that matters now for me :D

[SsteinwayS]

@parodycreator25 lol it is a cute kid! But exotic operas in the 19th century weren't exactly historically/politically correct, but whatever! The music is to die for...literally!

[SsteinwayS]

@parodycreator25 Cute kid anyway... :P

[galoffio]

thanks to ITALY for its wonderful artists!!!!!!!

[FISTRIG]

this is one of the most touching and saddest things i have ever seen on screen. I know it is only pretend, a scene from a wonderful opera, but it breaks my heart nonetheless !

[vivelhistoire]

Her voice and Callas' are the only ones that I truly enjoy hearing... (and to a certain extent Freni and Netrebko) All the others seem to me painful and unnatural.

[SsteinwayS]

@vivelhistoire So many singers sound weird in Puccini...but a few make it sparkle no other! :)

[njimko23]

Ying Huang's look of joy of finally being in the arms of her love is priceless.

[SsteinwayS]

@njimko23 Just so tragic and wonderful all at once...

[kunsukeR]

The Ritual of Harakiri doesn't need a Biwa Player.

[SsteinwayS]

@kunsukeR But it does make it seem more cinematic, doesn't it! :P I'm not sure opera set in exotic places is exactly the most culturally accurate thing...and an opera film is definitely not meant to be reflective of the truth for sure :P Thanks for the info though! Good to know...

[wan7bakar]

The husband is bigamist. Silly girl killing herself for unfaithful man like that. As an oriental person if I found my man do that to me i will cut his ..... Harakiri /seppuku is a very painfulway to end your life 

[SsteinwayS]

@wan7bakar I don't want to know what you'd be cutting but...if I was in the same position I'd do the same! Then I guess you'd be channelling more of an Asian Lucia di Lammermoor? :P

[japanbuta]

@kunsukeR

Haha, that's right.

[zfranklyn]

this was the first opera i cried in

[SsteinwayS]

@zfranklyn It really is tragic...and this performance is so well-done! :(

[sandrinhabaptista]

É belo...!!! é belíssimo!!!! maravilhoso!

[orphan567]

I feel bad for that poor soprano. She must have felt like she had been punched in the throat.

[SsteinwayS]

@orphan567 It's heavy on the voice, and she's got a fairly light voice! Thankfully she hasn't sung it on stage...to my knowledge!

[milosh1702]

check out how Carla Martinis does it....

[sdsures]

*sniffles and reaches for the tissues* Great finale.

[SsteinwayS]

@sdsures Awww... :)

[arpeggio1358]

@SsteinwayS, i've seen this film in its entirety. I greatly admire Ying Huang's performance as Cio-Cio San. Troxell left me a bit cold as his Pinkerton is such a complete heel that it's impossible to see him as a man who just doesn't understand Japanese custom. Richard Cowan, though, is the finest Sharpless ever. He sees the tragedy coming and is powerless to stop it.

[SsteinwayS]

@arpeggio1358 Yeah, this was an amaaazing film...great to have such an amazingly talented Asian Butterfly for once! :)

[arpeggio1358]

@SsteinwayS I agree completely. She's really exceptional.

[UROCKMYSOX249]

And let my heart stop listening to Cio Cio San!

[SsteinwayS]

If only we all could die to such divine music and singing!! :(

[olbel]

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­

[SsteinwayS]

...times two!!!! :)

[papagena92]

Her voice is sweet, but a little too light and nightingale-like for my taste... But it goes with her age in the story (18), and the acting is SUPERB!!!!!!!!

[SsteinwayS]

It suits the role of Butterfly perfectly, and the acting is SUPERB! But yes, she's no Puccini artist for sure. She has said herself in previous interviews before (like the ones I've posted) that she has a light colouratura voice better suited to Mozart and Rossini. But wow! This is still amazing, and her acting and singing suit the music and role perfectly! I'm glad she was selected for this film. She really embodies Butterfly's naivety and vulnerability...that's why it's so convincing!

[papagena92]

(the subtitles are partly wrong...)

[SsteinwayS]

Yes I know...I stole them from some other video because I don't have the original ones anymore :(

[SsteinwayS]

It is great!  Fantastic film...

[BPFanatico]

Wondering if Pinkerton adopted the child in the end?

[SsteinwayS]

Well, considering that it's his own son...I guess it wouldn't be adoption, but Pinkerton had asked Butterfly to send him back to American for Pinkerton and his wife to raise. However, Butterfly saw the situation as a disgrace, and rather than live with the shame, committed suicide! Such a cruel and sad story :(

[BPFanatico]

@SsteinwayS i c......but why did the son went to the coach instead.

[SsteinwayS]

Ach...it's the beauty of opera...it doesn't always have to make sense! The child is to be sent to America, but Puccini and the librettist took some "liberties" :) But I think in most (maybe all?) actual opera productions of "Madama Butterfly", Pinkerton's last calls of "Butterfly" are not included, simply because they don't make sense, as you said! After all, the boy is going to America and Pinkerton's in Japan with Butterfly!

[LaCarusiella]

@SsteinwayS why don't they make sense? I think Pinkerton was calling on Butterfly because he wanted to ask her forgiveness before going back to America...who knows..maybe it's just my imagination!

[SsteinwayS]

@LaCarusiella Well, because he's supposed to have gone to America and the boy's being sent there...I think Butterfly's supposed to die alone, but of course, in this version, it's so much more tragic and beautiful if he comes back at the end!! :(

[Maksimfan]

@SsteinwayS Actually the death scene in this is quite true to the opera, with Butterfly reading commiting Harakiri only, Pinkerton never reaches Butterfly, you just hear him calling her name from outside as she dies.

[SsteinwayS]

@Maksimfan But I love that he comes inside after and she dies in her arms!! *sniff* I love this production...very realistic and totally believable (plus AMAZING voices)!

[vivelhistoire]

She and Maria Callas are my favorites... Huang is wonderful, and does a good actress too here... Callas is a godess, no doubts...

[SsteinwayS]

Callas is just amazing! Ying Huang is so splendid...my favourite modern Butterfly for sure!

[vivelhistoire]

@SsteinwayS The difference is that Callas was intimidating, divine, surreal... With Huang and especially in a movie adaptation, you put a real face on Butterfly (I must say, the fact that she is asian and very young matters), you feel a lot of affection for her and the interpret. I have found an interview with Huang (search it on Google Videos) where she speaks in english about her experience and the differences between Asian and Western opera.

[SsteinwayS]

Yes, Callas is more an ideal of the image and voice, and to me every role she sang was more a personification of Callas rather than Callas as the character. A true legend! I agree...Ying Huang is a true personification of Butterfly...both interesting and beautiful interpretations!

(I watched that video a long time ago and I actually edited it for posting a few weeks ago! It's funny how Beverly Sills ruled the show in that interview :P)

[vivelhistoire]

@SsteinwayS (sorry, my comment is too long). It's intriguing, I find, how you have opera singers interpreting so well songs in french, italian or german with such an emotion that requires understanding every word, yet it is not their native language, you don't even know if they speak it or not... And when they speak, both Callas and Huang have their native accents... Last but not least, I find very powerful how she sings and blindfolds the child, increasing his terror...

[SsteinwayS]

It's true...but for instance, in Rusalka, a lot of singers simply memorize the very difficult Czech words and sound phonetically, but still - most of them speak at least two or three languages fluently! Amazing! And don't forget that some sing also in Czech as I mentioned and Russian, Spanish, or even Yiddish! And for some, English is not a native language to speak. But Callas was actually born American! :)

[vivelhistoire]

@SsteinwayS Oh, I thought she was born in Greece and her parents moved when she was very young to NY.... She does have a slight Greek accent in her English and French interviews.. As for the interview with Huang, I found it rather annoying and rather rude how Sills wouldn't let her place a word. She barely talked a minute or two in total over the seventeen minutes that the interview lasted. But of course, this is my very personal opinion :)

[SsteinwayS]

Hehe...I think it was a little bit the opposite...she was born in NY, but she lived in Greece when she was young. To me, the accent remains enigmatic and beautiful, much as she is...

And back to the interview, I felt the exact same thing...but at least she did get to talk about herself a little bit, because it's very interesting how she decided to sing Western opera. But just sitting there, she had this wonderful grace and prescence! :)

[vivelhistoire]

@SsteinwayS Thanks for correcting :) I can be confused at biographies... :)

[SsteinwayS]

@vivelhistoire No problem :) Wikipedia helps ;)

[operagirl81]

I have this movie. I love it!

[SsteinwayS]

It's great, isn't it! :)

[operagirl81]

@SsteinwayS Yes! In fact this video clip makes me feel like taking my DVD copy of it and watching the whole thing again. I haven't pulled that one out in a long time! It's definitely a beautiful, wonderful movie adaptation.

[SsteinwayS]

It's a superb movie adaptation...I'm glad you love it too! You're so lucky to be able to watch it again :)

[SsteinwayS]

Lucky! I love it too! I just have clips from it...

[Arachnaphillic]

beautiful sad story a man taking advantage of a naive beautiful girl, I don't think pinkerton was evil in that sense he just was male and honor is a huge thing to them, it would have been shameful for her to go, she had fought alot for him only for him to embarrassed "it is better to die than be disgraced."

[SsteinwayS]

It's so very sad! But you're right, the circumstances were just not right for them to be together, and it was the culture to "die than to be disgraced". But wouldn't it have been nice for them to be together! Although this tragic ending is certainly more memorable and beautiful in its sadness :(

[polarkit]

CHILLS.

EVERYWHERE.

ALL OVER MY BODY.

[SsteinwayS]

It's fantastic!!

[Ruoktoday1]

In any musical genre has there ever been a better writer of melody than Puccini ? His numerous brilliant arias are the main reason I have an interest in opera - timeless classics. He is the master.

[SsteinwayS]

He truly is amazing! One might also say that in classical music, every composer has something special to bring to the musical table, and every composer has something to offer. Other great melodists that come to mind? Chopin, Schubert, Bellini, Strauss even Wagner...but Puccini is certainly special!

[rossmcl177]

Interesting reactions here to the Pinkerton character. Yes he is a b*stard and very insensitive. But he is not an evil villain in the true opertatic sense. He is filled with deep remorse for what happens, and his music is very sympathetic. He is really just a naive kid who made a mistake - and then felt terrible about it. Now if you want a real operatic villain, try Scarpia or Iago. lol

[SsteinwayS]

True...but it still makes you hate him! That said, the love duet is still very endearing and sincere and the ending makes you feel sorry for him.

[SsteinwayS]

Hey no problem. It's really just a beautiful tragedy. The way Butterfly foolishly hopes her American husband will one day come back to her and the way he eventually betrays and destroys her is just so sad but true to life. Damn Pinkerton!

[TempodiPiano]

Why did Butterfly commit suicide ? She said she has lost her honor ; she loses her love and child, friends, family ; but she's young : only 18 ; and nobody in this opera dares teach her how to live, even Sharpless. Her death at the end is unbearable. Comble de délicatesse assassiné par un cliché opératique ; sacrifice de la prima donna ; est-ce une raison suffisante ? Dans Tosca, les 3 meurtres sont logiques.

[SsteinwayS]

I think it is because she is so young that she has poor judgment, and as a result, the great degree of hopelessness and disappointment in her life was just too much to bear. It was also in the culture of Japan at the time to die rather to bear dishonour, and her father died this way to preserve his own honour. Tragic as it is, the "verismo" style of the artistic period focused on the gore and guts, rather than happy endings. The tragic ending is perhaps what makes the opera so memorable!

[cvgf08]

also because its an opera.. the main character always dies in operas.. for example carmen, shes killed

[SsteinwayS]

Not always, but often! :(

[operagirl81]

@cvgf08 Well, when you get to the "Verismo" era (which means "realism") then yeah you get the more tragic operas. The main character doesn't always die in operas.

[SsteinwayS]

@operagirl81 But they certainly do suffer :(

[nestersg]

@TempodiPiano

Also remember in that time women didn't have many options. She couldn't be a Geisha anymore to earn money, she had no family left, no one would marry her because she had ben dishonored... it was just not a good time to be a woman.

[SsteinwayS]

So true...if she was alive today, she could divorce damn Pinkerton and seize his assets!! Unfortunately though...that obviously didn't happen. :(

[yukikoforevernoise]

god that kid must be like . . . "damn, stop yelling in my ears" . . . but really I like this soprano . . . good version . . . one of, if not my favorite, soprano aria . . .

[SsteinwayS]

Haha...I guess so!

I LOVE Huang Ying. I think she is really amazing too. And this is definitely one of the top renditions, if not the best rendition of this aria!

[katchoo2]

Each time I hear this, it brings me nearly to tears.

[papagena92]

@katchoo2 same here. and this is the only version which truly DOES.

[acrosby11]

After this, It's impossible now to listen to any other version.

[mightyaphrodite9]

Spectacular, Butterfly's sadness is so epically portrayed as she bids her son goodbye - the best rendition I have heard of this aria.

[SsteinwayS]

Yes - most definitely the most convincingrendition I've seen too!

[orphan567]

why are puccini's operas always so sad?

[SsteinwayS]

This version is so well-acted that it becomes even sadder! :(

[nestersg]

I'd guess to make them more relatable.

[SsteinwayS]

Yes...life can certainly be tough! And it was the period when real-life verismo opera was popular, so understandably it doesn't not always the traditional happy ending that we get in those operas (like in Puccini operas)!

[tzvetabg2001]

I have not listened to a better performance of this aria. Ying Huang sings like the little perfect nightingale Butterfly is supposed to be. Furthermore, her acting is superb (truly, most singers are so engrossed in their singing that they look as if they're going to kill the child at any moment).

[SsteinwayS]

I agree!

[naughtynati]

i'm not a big fan of this opera but thanks very much for posting this!

[SsteinwayS]

I'm not either, but this is quite an amazing rendition! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[naughtynati]

taking a music history class about music and gender, and this is one of the songs we're studying (b/c of gender roles & orientalism). this is definitely the best recording i found to listen to on youtube!

[SsteinwayS]

I would agree (of modern performances)! I think Callas is still amazing in this role as well.

[kcizzle727]

beautifully tragic

[nestersg]

I weep

[SsteinwayS]

Me too!