Madam Butterfly lacking in some passion and emotion

When I glanced at the cast list for Sunday’s Ellen Kent production of Puccini’s Madam Butterfly at the Caird Hall in Dundee, there were some familiar names missing.

Having attended many of these Opera International performances over the years, I had become accustomed to several leading lights of the company.

However, there was also something missing. The usual goose-bumps and spine-tingling moments weren’t there.

More often than not the arias and duets that flow from the composer’s pen – like Viena la sera and Volliatemi bene – open up the floodgates of emotion, but I was left strangely unmoved on more than one occasion.

Maria HeeJung Kim’s Un Bel Di did merit the sustained applause that followed, however, and the Humming Chorus was another beautifully-phrased and emotive part of the production.

I felt that Kim (Cio-Cio San) and Giorgio Meladze (Pinkerton) seemed reluctant to commit as the opera’s story gradually unfolded. I couldn’t fault their singing, but while their interaction wasn’t exactly lukewarm, neither did it set the place ablaze with passion.

I thought the performances of Iurie Gisca (Sharpless) and Zara Vardanean (Susuki) were more convincing, although it wasn’t until the latter stages of the opera that she came into her own.

The sets are always one of the telling factors of Ellen Kent’s success over the years, and in this case transformed the Caird Hall into a true theatre.

Musically the production was as tight as a drum, with conductor Vasyl Vasylenko ensuring the large orchestra didn’t drown out those on stage.

All things considered, it was a fine night at the opera, proving that grand opera still has a place in the musical fabric of Dundee.