Geraldine Farrar as Cio-cio San in the
Metropolitan Opera's 1907 production. Caruso
played the lead male role of Pinkerton
Over a couple decades of composing, Puccini wrote a series of operas that are still the core of the repertoire. Madame Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) opened a 110 years ago tonight. In a world with very few creative types who we will remember a century from now, we remember this guy and this work. Opera isn't for everyone, obviously but in the time of this composition, it was what you did, what you saw, where you took your date for want of a better description. Operas were movies, talkies if you will, plays set to music and music set to theater. Anyway, enough. Happy President's Day.
