Christmas Opera

I had always wanted to see an opera and last year for my birthday Nadalene took me to see my first one. La Traviata.

Angelique and Nadalene bought me tickets for the opera for a Christmas gift and the opera was to take place on April 25, 2009 (it was a week ago Saturday). The opera we saw was Madam Butterfly.

Angelique and Nadalene looked stunning. Angelique wore a black skirt and a teal and black top. Nadalene wore a green/blue sweater dress with a black shawl. I wore a black pant outfit. And really we all looked beautiful.

The evening started with dinner and drinks at Resto Gare which is a train dining car that looks like the Orient Express. The room was lovely. Angelique had some kind of seafood crepe. I had a very fancy meatloaf with wild mushrooms and sauce. Nadalene had a spinach and cheese quiche. Everything was scrumptious.

At this point I made a mistake. I had a rum and coke after just taking some strong pain killers. I thought the rum would help.

Dinner was so delightful and the conversation was even better than the food (which was delicious). We were running late.

Our seats were wonderful. We were in the 16th row on the main floor.

Madam Butterfly is about an arranged marriage of a 15 year old (Butterfly) to an American naval officer. Butterfly considers this a real marriage and so renounces her ancestral religion and takes on her husband’s faith. By doing this Butterfly’s family disowns her. Butterfly’s husband returns to the United States and stays away for three years. During that time, Butterfly has his son and while he is away he marries an American woman. He returns and Butterfly learning the truth kills herself; and the husband and his American wife take the child.

It was a sad opera (I guess they all are) and I hated the arrogance of the American naval officer who right from the start thought this was just a young girl that he could dispose of when he wanted to (in the beginning of the opera he mentions that ‘she will do’ until he gets a real American wife. Prick.).

The set stays the same throughout the opera and there were some really beautiful scenes when the family comes for the wedding and when Butterfly hears that her husband has come back and the cherry blossoms float all over the stage.

Before Butterfly learns the truth she waits for her husband all night. As she was standing on the stage waiting, my eyes were totally drooping. My head even snapped back once (combo of rum and pills). Angelique whispers over to me ‘Is she going to stand there all night?’ About five minutes later when she is still standing, even though it was sad, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Then the tragedy of Butterfly killing herself and seeing her little son stand by her side was terribly sad.

Favourite quotes from the opera were:

The day of the wedding “Night of rapture, stars unnumbered.”

Butterfly is going to kill herself with the same sword that her father had killed himself “To die with honour when one can no longer live with honour.”

At the end of the evening when we waltzed ourselves back to our car we carried on to get some cakes and cheesecakes and have them with tea.

Thanks for the Christmas opera Angelique and Nadalene.