7-9 May 2005

Vienna's Volksoper is proudly hosting a fine cast for a rendition of Puccini's, arguably, most popular and commanding opera, Madam Butterfly. The Chinese soprano Hui He performs the lead role of Madam Butterfly with Russian tenor Viktor Afanasenko as Pinkerton. Written and composed by Puccini in 1904, Madam Butterfly is a heart-wrenching tale, based on a novel by John Luther Long, of a once innocent young Japanese girl called Cio Cio San (Madam Butterfly) who marries and bears the child of a US naval officer and spends the rest of her days waiting for his return. Tickets cost from _3.50 to _65, concessions available.