It was this second version that premiered in the United States in 1906, first in Washington, D.C., in October, and then in New York in November, by Henry Savage’s New English Opera Company (so named because it performed in English-language translations). This second version was performed on in Brescia, where it was a great success. After a disastrous premiere, Puccini withdrew the opera and substantially rewrote it, this time in three acts. The original version was in two acts and had its premiere on February 17, 1904, at La Scala in Milan. Puccini wrote five versions of the opera. Madama Butterfly is a staple of the standard operatic repertoire for companies around the world and it ranks as number 7 in the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide. Her statue, along with that of Puccini, can be found in the Glover Garden in Nagasaki, the city where the opera is set. On May 28, 1904, this version was performed in Brescia and was a huge success.īetween 19, Japan’s best-known opera singer Tamaki Miura won international fame for her performances as Cio-Cio San. Puccini revised the opera, splitting the second act into two acts and making other changes. This was due in large part to the late completion and inadequate time for rehearsals. It was very poorly received despite the presence of such notable singers as soprano Rosina Storchio, tenor Giovanni Zenatello and baritone Giuseppe De Luca in the lead roles. The original version of the opera, in two acts, had its premiere on 17 February 1904 at La Scala in Milan. According to one scholar, the story of the opera was based on events that actually occurred in Nagasaki in the early 1890s. Elements also appear to derive from the novel Madame Chrysanthème (1887) by Pierre Loti. The libretto of the opera is based in part on the short story “Madame Butterfly” (1898) by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco. Madama Butterfly ( Madame Butterfly) is an opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

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