There’s love, tragedy, betrayal and high drama in Gozo this month played out with operatic flair as both the Astra Theatre and Aurora Theatre bring international names and great music to Victoria’s stages.

Both Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (October 14) and Verdi’s Rigoletto (October 26 and 28) are perennially popular worldwide, so it’s a wonder to have both, presented very differently.

Madama Butterfly was the first-ever opera staged in Gozo, performed by Leone Philharmonic Society at the Aurora in January 1977. Tickets cost no more than two Maltese liri (€4.65) and singers were brought over from Italian opera houses, igniting a passion here which remains strong today. 

The poster for Madama Butterfly

Puccini was a master of operatic storytelling: richly emotive poignant melodies infused with Japanese elements tell the tragic tale of unrequited love and cultural misunderstanding as Japanese Geisha Cio-Cio San falls in love with an American naval officer with devastating consequences. Hauntingly beautiful, the opera features memorable arias and duets, including Cio-Cio San’s famous aria Un Bel Dì Vedremo (One Fine Day).

“The Leone Philharmonic Society celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, so as we look back at the milestones in its history, it seemed the perfect time to revisit Madama Butterfly,” theatre manager Matthew Sultana says. “However, rather than replicate the 1977 production, we have a great fresh take.”

Italian soprano Federica Vitali will perform the title role in Madama Butterfly.

Sultana is delighted to be hosting several formidable artists to Gozo for the show: Italian soprano Federica Vitali, in the title role, is an emerging star on the European stage with vocal prowess and considerable charm. Opposite her as Pinkerton, Georgian-born tenor Mikheil Sheshaberidze is, excitingly, making his debut in Malta and mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer appears as her faithful maid, Suzuki.

Sultana is also excited about premiering a bold aesthetic: moving away from traditional staging, contemporary designer Luke Azzopardi and stage director/choreographer Riccardo Buscarini have collaborated on a lush look for both set and costumes which border on couture. The Japanese landscape is a striking array of contemporary greens, with accents of red and pink cherry blossom, and there’s plenty of space for the imagination.

“Designing a production like Puccini’s Madama Butterfly means going back to the origin of fashion; a study of fabric, shape and essential lines. It is the quintessential opera for any fashion designer to work on because it has a sort of paradoxical power. It allows the costumes to speak louder than the music; the physical presence of the bodies on stage blend with the fecund terrain on which they stand. It is so beautifully simple and self-explanatory and sees nature becoming a mirror reflecting human longing.”

The poster for Rigoletto

From Nagasaki, Japan, during the late 19th century and early 20th century, audiences can then step back in time to atmospheric 16th-century Italy with Verdi’s Rigoletto for which the Astra Theatre, with its large-scale ornate foyer, dark red décor and sweeping double staircase, is the perfect venue.

As a springboard for local talent, like Joseph Calleja who first performed here in 1997, we are including Maltese and Gozitan voices too

Rigoletto, a cruel-witted hunchbacked court jester, seeks revenge against the playboy Duke of Mantua for seducing his daughter, Gilda.

Passionate and dramatic, this powerful story told with distinct musical characterisations is a tragic tale of the complexities of being human, moral ambiguity, deceit and revenge.

Georgian-born tenor Mikheil Sheshaberidze will play the part of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.

“Performed here in Gozo only two or three times over the last 40 years [since the opening of the theatre], it seemed the right time to put it on again,” Richard Formosa, president of Astra Theatre, says.

“It’s one of the classics which the local audience deserve the opportunity to see. I’m very excited about the strong line-up of international names we have coming to perform with the theatre’s Opera Chorus and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra so that the quality of the production matches that of far larger countries!”

The talented ensemble of performers, under the artistic direction of Italian director Enrico Stinchelli, includes Simone Piazzola in the title role of the hunchback jester, Rigoletto. His world-class velvet baritone is noble and commanding.

Rigoletto’s daughter, Gilda, is performed by the award-winning young Albanian soprano, Enkeleda Kamani, whose voice is naturally svelte, light and agile, and yet dramatic. The Duke of Mantua is performed by the illustrious Roman tenor Gianluca Terranova, a lyric tenor with great stage presence.

Mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer

“As a springboard for local talent too, like Joseph Calleja who first performed here in 1997, we are including Maltese and Gozitan voices too,” Formosa adds.

 “We’ve chosen a classical interpretation with the added benefits of modern theatre lighting and projections, used sensitively. The set is grand and architectural, built here by Joseph Cauchi and a team of volunteers, which we hope might then tour Sicily.”

“Over the weekend, visitors can also enjoy Wind Quartet performances and a talk exploring Rigoletto’s themes, characters and musical intricacies on the Saturday morning [28th] as part of the Festival Mediterranea. There’ll even be nature-inspired sculpture by Ruben Formosa too!”

Gozo’s operas are supported by the Gozo Cultural Programme managed by Arts Council Malta and the Ministry for Gozo. For more information and to book your tickets, visit www.teatruaurora.com. and/or www.teatruastra.org.mt.