Opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Luigi Ilica and Giuseppe Giacosa
Based on the play "Geisha" by David Belasco and the novella by John Luther Long

First performance: 17 February 1904, Teatro alla Scala - Milan
First performance in Bulgaria: 2 June 1924, Sofia.
First performance in Ruse: 25 March 1950, conductor - Konstantin Iliev, director - Mikhail Hadjimishev, artist - Ani Hadjimisheva, choirmaster - Nikolai Nikolaev

Madame Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) - soprano
Suzuki, her maid - mezzo-soprano
Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, American naval officer - tenor
Kate Pinkerton, his wife - soprano
Sharpless, American Consul in Nagasaki - baritone
Goro, marriage broker - tenor
Prince Yamadori - tenor
Bonzo, Buddhist minister - bass
Commissioner - bass

Set in Nagasaki, Japan, 1904.

Short synopsis:

First act

An American warship has arrived at the Japanese port of Nagasaki. The marriage broker, Goro, shows Pinkerton - a U.S. Navy officer - the villa he has arranged for him and the young geisha, Cio-Cio-San, also known as Madam Butterfly. The experienced Goro has taken every necessary step to ensure the future spouses enjoy a comfortable life - a secluded, charming villa and discreet servants, including the bride’s devoted maid, Suzuki. Goro has summoned the Imperial Commissioner from Nagasaki, who will wed the young couple according to an ancient Japanese tradition. He has also invited the American consul in the city, Sharpless, as well as the bride’s relatives and many of her friends to attend the festive ceremony. All the invited guests arrive. The guests, especially the women, regard the groom with suspicion. Butterfly sincerely loves Pinkerton and, with her innate trustfulness, tells him that she has already visited a Protestant church to embrace his faith.
The Imperial Commissioner reads the wedding contract, and the newlyweds sign it. The official guests depart, leaving only the relatives and friends. Dusk falls. Suddenly, the celebration is disrupted by loud shouts and the beating of a gong. Cio-Cio-San’s uncle appears, leading a group of bonzes (Japanese Buddhist priests). Having learned that his niece has renounced the faith of her ancestors for the sake of her husband, he curses her. Horrified, her relatives join in condemning her as well. Enraged, Pinkerton drives them away. He then soothes the frightened and distressed Butterfly with tender words.

Second act

Inside Butterfly's house. Suzuki prays before Buddha, asking him to ease the suffering of her mistress, caused by Pinkerton’s long absence. He has left for his homeland, promising to return when the cherry blossoms bloom and the birds sing. Three times the birds have built their nests, yet he has not come back. Suzuki reminds Cio-Cio-San that no foreigner who married a Japanese woman has ever returned. Butterfly firmly believes in Pinkerton and grows angry at Suzuki. Sharpless, the American consul, arrives. Pinkerton has written to him, informing him of his return to Japan - but this time, accompanied by his real wife, an American woman. He asks Sharpless to prepare Butterfly for the news. The consul begins reading the letter, but Butterfly keeps interrupting him with impatient questions. Meanwhile, the wealthy Japanese prince Yamadori arrives once again to ask for Butterfly’s hand in marriage. At that moment, Sharpless directly asks her what she would do if her husband never returns. Deeply hurt, Cio-Cio-san replies that, in that case, the best thing for her would be to die. Crushed by sorrow, Butterfly still clings to the hope that Pinkerton will come back - at least for the sake of their child…
A cannon shot announces the arrival of the ship of F. B. Pinkerton. Overjoyed, Butterfly, together with Suzuki, decorates the entire house with flowers and stays to await her beloved.

Third act

Dawn breaks, but Butterfly still hopes that Pinkerton will come. Suzuki wakes up and urges her mistress to lie down and rest, promising to call her as soon as Pinkerton arrives.
Pinkerton and Sharpless arrive. Suzuki tells them how Butterfly has waited all night. Pinkerton asks Sharpless to help him in this difficult moment by persuading Butterfly to hand over the child, while he himself steps outside to avoid meeting her. Butterfly enters. She immediately notices the discomfort of Suzuki and Sharpless, but when she sees the foreign woman outside, she understands the truth.
Kate Pinkerton asks Butterfly to give her the child, but the mother proudly responds that she will only hand him over to his father and asks to be left alone. Butterfly recalls her father’s motto: “He who cannot live with honor, dies with honor,” and decides to end her life. Sensing Butterfly’s decision, Suzuki rushes to stop her, bringing the child to her. With a heart torn by pain, Butterfly kisses her child one last time, sends him to the garden, and takes her own life.