Junior Butterfly

Now the 2006 Festival Puccini takes place in Italy, and a Japanese sequel to "Madam Butterfly" was staged on August 3 and 9.

The Japan Times: Japan sequel to 'Madam Butterfly' takes flight in Italy
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060805a5.html

"Junior Butterfly" is the first non-Puccini opera ever to be performed at the festival. Its libretto was written by Masahiko Shimada and its music was composed by Shigeaki Saegusa. I wonder why I haven't known it until now.

This is a story of Junior Butterfly, a son of Cio-Cio-san and Pinkerton raised in US. He comes to Japan as a US embassy staff just before World War II. He falls in love with Naomi and get married with a son. And the war breaks out. Their love ends in tragedy when Naomi dies in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

This opera was peformed on August 9! It must be played in Japan again, and I do want to watch it at that time.

Today is Japanese anniversary of the end of World War II.

Links in Japanese:
http://www.saegusa-s.co.jp/con060803.html
http://www.saegusa-s.co.jp/
http://www.sanspo.com/sokuho/0804sokuho012.html
http://www.sankei.co.jp/databox/tokuhain/0608/060806m_int_57_1.htm
http://classic-japan.cocolog-nifty.com/news/2006/08/jr_a1dd.html
http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/michiamanomiki/9005