Madama Butterfly

         Madama Butterlfy written by Giacomo Puccini in 1898 is an opera that took place in Japan and was performed in three different acts.  While I was watching this opera, I especially noticed the characters.  This not only had to do with the colors of their costumes, but the color of the background. The scene where this opera took place was white, which made the performers pastel costumes stand out even more to the audience.  Many would have considered the background of the opera boring because it was plain white with few props. However,  the director of this opera achieved his goal of having the actors and actresses be the main focal point of the show. After watching this opera, I proceed to look up the same opera but performed more recently.  I found one that was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 2016. 

 

Above is an image from that opera. I was in awe after seeing these costumes. The colors and design specifically stood out to me and would have to anyone sitting in the audience. These costumes very closely resemble the outfits that would have been wore in Japan as well. 

            Additionally, I wanted to add about my own personal experience seeing an opera. A few years I saw “The Tempest” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City with my music class. At that point in time I would have not considered opera an art. However, now I view it as more of an art than music, even though it does involve a lot of vocal practice. Luckily, the opera I watched was in English but there were still subtitles displayed in front of each seat because of the high and low voices that made it difficult to understand. I can vividly remember seeing all the amazing costumes, mostly consisting of blues and darker colors since the opera was about a storm. There was one character I could never forget. Her costume was so elaborate with detail and large in size, it almost appeared to be like icicles extending from her body in every way. Not only was her costume memorable, her voice was as well. The voice of this actress was so high in pitch, unlike anything I had ever heard before and she, in particular, was very hard to understand. Overall, at the opera I had a great experience and would most likely go back again to see another performance.