#madama-butterfly — Public Fediverse posts

“”Traduttore, traditore”*…

Translation is key to communication across cultures– and across time. But as the old Italian adage above suggests, transaction is difficult; indeed, translation is sure, from time to time, to fail. (C.f., e.g., here) The estimable Jonathan Bate shares a “tragic” example…

One of the most consequential misunderstandings in the history of literary criticism turns on a single Greek word. In Aristotle’s Poetics, that word is hamartia. It is usually rendered, in classrooms and handbooks, as “tragic flaw,” and on that translation an entire tradition of reading tragedy has been erected. Yet if we return to Aristotle’s Greek and trace the word’s history with some philological care, it becomes clear that this familiar formula rests on a slow but decisive mistranslation—less an error at a single moment than a long cultural drift in which a term meaning “mistake” gradually hardened into a doctrine of moral defect.

In classical Greek, hamartia belongs to the language of action rather than character. Its root sense is concrete and kinetic: to miss one’s mark, as an archer misses the target. By extension, it denotes an error, a misjudgment, a false step—often one made in ignorance of some crucial fact. Aristotle uses the term this way throughout his works, ethical and otherwise. In the Poetics, when he says that the tragic hero falls into misfortune “because of hamartia,” he is careful to exclude two alternatives. The hero does not fall because he is wicked, nor because he is exceptionally virtuous. Tragedy, for Aristotle, does not punish vice or reward goodness; it stages the vulnerability of human action to error within an intelligible but unstable world. The downfall comes about δι’ ἁμαρτίαν—because of an error, not because the hero is “flawed” in a modern psychological or ethical sense…

[Bate locates this reading in the larger corpus of Aristotle’s thinking, then traces the evolution of the reading of hamartia— and of the culture(s) that informed those understandings. He concludes…]

… the history of hamartia traces a remarkable arc: from error in action, to moral fault, to sin, to vice, to psychological flaw. Each step made sense within its own intellectual climate, yet the cumulative effect was to impose on Aristotle a conception of tragedy he would scarcely have recognized. What began as a missed mark became a stain on the soul. And with that shift, tragedy itself was subtly transformed—from a meditation on human fallibility into a lesson on personal failure…

The history of a misreading: “Aristotle and the so-called Tragic Flaw,” from @profbate.bsky.social.

* Old Italian adage: “translator, traitor” (or, “to translate is to betray”) See here and here.

###

As we tangle with tragedy, we might recall that it was on this date in 1904 that Giacomo Puccini‘s Madama Butterfly premiered at La Scala in Milan. The tragic opera (with a libretto by  Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa) was based on the 1898 short story “Madame Butterfly” by John Luther Long, which in turn was based on stories told to Long by his sister Jennie Correll, and on the semi-autobiographical 1887 French novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti. Long’s version was dramatized by David Belasco as the one-act play Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan, which, after premiering in New York in 1900, moved to London, where Puccini saw it in the summer of that year.

The premiere in Milan was a fiasco, beset by several bad staging decisions, from the lack of an intermission during the second act to the device of giving audience plants nightingale whistles to deepen the sense of sunrise in the final scene– which the audience took as a cue to make their own animal noises. Today Madama Butterfly is considered a masterpiece and is the sixth most performed opera in the world.

Madama Butterfly is an absolute gem of the musical and operatic world. I was fortunate enough to watch a gorgeous production by the COC.

#tabularasa #blog #blogger #opera #madamabutterfly #puccini

https://tabularasa.robsonrc.net/2025/05/08/madama-butterfly/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

#30DaySongChallenge: Day 8: A song that proves you have good taste

#MariaCallas - Madame Butterfly - "Un bel di vedremo from Puccini's Madama Butterfly"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcEoBOHp-7Q
#Opera #Puccini #MadamaButterfly

‘I Saw The TV Glow’ Channels Indie Market In Limited Expansion, ‘Madama Butterfly’ Soars – Specialty Box Office
#News #ForceofNatureTheDry2 #ISawtheTVGlow #JaneSchoenbrun #Madamabutterfly #NotAnotherChurchMovie #Poolman #ShindaShinda #SpecialtyBoxOffice #Wildcat

https://deadline.com/2024/05/indie-film-box-office-i-saw-the-tv-glow-madame-butterfly-1235912913/

That was the final Madama Butterfly tonight!!!!! 😢

#operaSelfie #backstage #operaSinger #opera #puccini #MadamaButterfly

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

📍 Landestheater Detmold
🗓️ July 1
🕢 19:30

Conductor: György Mészáros

Symphonic Orchestra of Landestheaters Detmold

Cio-Cio-San: Megan Marie Hart
Suzuki: Dorothee Bienert
Kate Pinkerton: Stephanie Hershaw
B.F. Pinkerton: Ji-Woon Kim
Sharpless: Andreas Jören
Goro: Nando Zickgraf
Yamadori: Hyunsik Shin
Bonzo: Irakli Atanelishvili

Staging & Costumes:
Zoran Todorovich

🎟️ https://www.landestheater-detmold.de/de/programm/madama-butterfly/39692666

📽️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AtentRdFPM

#opera #operaSinger #MadamaButterfly #Detmold #Puccini

Performance schedule update:

DON GIOVANNI (as Donna Anna)

🕖 April 15, 19:00
🕖 May 20, 19:00

EUGENE ONEGIN (as Tatjana)

🕢 April 29, 19:30
🕕 May 14, 18:00
🕢 June 2, 19:30
🕢 June 22, 19:30
🕢 July 15, 19:30

MADAMA BUTTERFLY ( as Cio-Cio-San)

🕢 July 1, 19:30

🗓️ http://www.meganmariehart.com/engagements.html

#opera #operaSinger #Darmstadt #StaatstheaterDarmstadt #Mozart #DonGiovanni #DonnaAnna #Tschaikowski #Tchaikovsky #EugeneOnegin #ЕвгенийОнегин #Tatyana #Tatjana #Татьяна #Puccini #MadamaButterfly #CioCioSan

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

📍 Stadttheater Lippstadt
🗓️ March 10
🕗 20:00

Cio-Cio-San: Megan Marie Hart
Suzuki: Dorothee Bienert
Kate Pinkerton: Aditi Smeets
B.F. Pinkerton: Stephen Chambers
Sharpless: Andreas Jören
Goro: Yoseph Park
Yamadori: Lifan Yang
Bonzo: Seungweon Lee

Conductor: Per-Otto Johansson
Symphonisches Orchester des Landestheaters

Staging & Costumes: Zoran Todorovich

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AtentRdFP

🎟️ https://tickets.vibus.de/Shop/-/Lippstadt/Stadttheater_Lippstadt/Großes_Haus/Madame_Butterfly/-/00000000000000/VstDetails.aspx?VstKey=10001100004024000

#opera #MadamaButterfly #Lippstadt #Puccini #lippe #operasinger

ZORAN TODOROVICH will be B.F. Pinkerton tonight! How's that for a treat!!!

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

📍 Theater im Park, Bad Oeynhausen

🗓 March 4
🕖 19:30

Conductor: Per-Otto Johansson
Symphonisches Orchester des Landestheaters Detmold
Staging & Costumes: Zoran Todorovich

🎟️ https://staatsbad-oeynhausen.reservix.de/tickets-madame-butterfly-oper-von-giacomo-puccini-in-bad-oeynhausen-theater-im-park-am-4-3-2023/e1943218

#opera #BadOeynhausen #Oeynhausen #MadamaButterfly #TheaterImPark #ZoranTodorovich #News #MindenLuebbecke #NRW #Puccini

I’m in #Detmold to sing #MadamaButterfly, and someone’s been missing me back home!

That’s #Einstein the #Stadtkater of #Darmstadt. My husband keeps finding him on the outside windowsills!
(Didn’t want to wait for #caturday. Also, #operasinger and #opera. Gotta work now.)

#catContent

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

📍 Landestheater Detmold
🗓️ February 22
🕢 19:30

Cio-Cio-San: Megan Marie Hart
Suzuki: Christianne Bélanger
Kate Pinkerton: Aditi Smeets
B.F. Pinkerton: Stephen Chambers
Sharpless: Andreas Jören
Goro: Nando Zickgraf
Yamadori: Lifan Yang
Bonzo: Irakli Atanelishvili

Conductor: Per-Otto Johansson
Symphonisches Orchester des Landestheaters

Staging & Costumes: Zoran Todorovich

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AtentRdFP

🎟️ https://www.landestheater-detmold.de/de/programm/madama-butterfly/39481309

#opera #MadamaButterfly #Detmold #Puccini #lippe

Dear #BadOeynhausen, I am very happy to announce that I will soon sing again in your beautiful Theater im Park!

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

📍 Theater im Park, Bad Oeynhausen

🗓 March 4
🕖 19:30

Conductor: Per-Otto Johansson
Symphonisches Orchester des Landestheaters Detmold
Staging & Costumes: Zoran Todorovich

#Oeynhausen #TheaterImPark #MindenLuebbecke #NRW #opera #Puccini #MadamaButterfly

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AtentRdFPM

🎟️ https://staatsbad-oeynhausen.reservix.de/tickets-madame-butterfly-oper-von-giacomo-puccini-in-bad-oeynhausen-theater-im-park-am-4-3-2023/e1943218

Madama B.F. Pinkerton! Backstage picture from my dressing room during intermission on christmas day in Detmold. Today I'm going back home to Darmstadt, and tomorrow I plan to do nothing, agressively.

#operaSinger #MadamaButterfly #operaBubble #CioCioSan #Backstage #costumeSelfie #stageMakeUp #opera

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Giacomo Puccini

Conductor: György Mészáros

Symphonisches Orchester des Landestheaters Detmold

Cio-Cio-San: Megan Marie Hart
Suzuki: Dorothee Bienert
Kate Pinkerton: Aditi Smeets
B.F. Pinkerton: Ji-Woon Kim
Sharpless: KS Andreas Jören
Goro: Nando Zickgraf
Yamadori: Hyunsik Shin
Bonzo: Seungweon Lee

Staging & Costumes:
Zoran Todorovich

📍 Landestheater Detmold
🗓️ December 25
🕕 18:00

https://www.landestheater-detmold.de/de/programm/madama-butterfly/39845587

#opera #operaBubble #MadamaButterfly #Lippe #Detmold #Puccini

🦋 MADAMA BUTTERFLY
📍 Landestheater Detmold
🗓️ Sunday, December 25
🕕 18:00 (6pm)

🎄 Merry Christmas!

📽️ Trailer: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6AtentRdFPM

ℹ️ info & 🎟️ tickets: https://www.landestheater-detmold.de/de/programm/madama-butterfly/39845587

#opera #operaSinger #operaBubble #MadamaButterfly #Lippe #Detmold #LandestheaterDetmold #Puccini #Butterfly #Cio-Cio-San #SelfPromotion #christmas

Our family outing to the #opera #MadamaButterfly was a wonderful day! First picked up my family and celebrated my mother in law Claudia’s birthday with delicious, enormous pieces of cake at café Ideal in #Fulda. On the way to the #SchlosstheaterFulda we ran into @SandraFleischmann and chatted in front of backlit posters of @meganmariehart as Butterfly. We got to meet music director Per-Otto Johansson, lovely human and great artist, and then the Intendant, who personally took care of us!
🧵1/6

Picking up the family to take them to Madama Butterfly in Fulda — We’re on a mission from Puccini!

#roadtrip #puccini #opera #MadamaButterfly

🦋 MADAMA BUTTERFLY
📍 Schlosstheater Fulda
🗓️ Today!
🕕 18:00

Staging & costumes: Zoran Todorovich

Conductor: Per-Otto Johansson

Symphonisches Orchester & Choirs of Landestheater Detmold

Cio-Cio-San: Megan Marie Hart
Suzuki: Christianne Bélanger
Kate Pinkerton — Aditi Smeets
B.F. Pinkerton: Ji-Woon Kim
Sharpless: Johan Hyungbong Choi
Goro: Nando Zickgraf
Yamadori: Lifan Yang
Bonzo: Seungweon Lee

#Fulda #opera #Puccini #MadamaButterfly

🎟️ https://schlosstheater-fulda.eventim-inhouse.de/webshop/webticket/seatmap?eventId=2667&el=true
ℹ️ https://www.landestheater-detmold.de/de/programm/madama-butterfly/39462852

Morgen mache ich mit der ganzen Familie einen Ausflug nach Nagasaki! Puccinis Madama Butterfly in Fulda:

🦋 MADAMA BUTTERFLY
📍 Schlosstheater Fulda
🗓️ Sonntag, 27. November
🕕 18:00 Uhr Beginn
🕠 17:30 Einführung (Foyer)

ℹ️ Mehr unter: https://www.landestheater-detmold.de/de/programm/madama-butterfly/39462852
🎟️ Karten: https://schlosstheater-fulda.eventim-inhouse.de/webshop/webticket/seatmap?eventId=2667&el=true

#Oper #Kultur #Hessen #Fulda #GiacomoPuccini #Puccini #MadamaButterfly #SchlosstheaterFulda #italienischeOper #LandestheaterDetmold #MeganMarieHart #ZoranTodorovich #Opernfan

Promoting my next performance:

🦋 MADAMA BUTTERFLY 🦋
📍 Schlosstheater Fulda in Fulda, Hesse, Germany
🗓️ Sunday, November 27
🕕 18:00 (Introduction at 🕠 17:30 in the foyer)

ℹ️ more info: https://www.landestheater-detmold.de/de/programm/madama-butterfly/39462852
🎟️ ticket link: https://schlosstheater-fulda.eventim-inhouse.de/webshop/webticket/seatmap?eventId=2667&el=true

(Disclaimer: I do not get a cut from ticket sales, just love to get more people to see it! Please boost!!)

#opera #operaSinger #operaBubble #MadamaButterfly #Hessen #Hesse #Fulda #SchlosstheaterFulda #Puccini #Butterfly #Cio-Cio-San #SelfPromotion

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Teaser trailer of the 2022/2023 Landestheater Detmold production, staging and costumes by Zoran Todorovich.

#opera #operaSinger #MadamaButterfly #Puccini #operaTrailer #operaBubble #CioCioSan #ZoranTodorovich #LandestheaterDetmold #music

edit: more tags!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6AtentRdFPM