Royal Opera House Releases 'Ancora un Passo' Clip from MADAMA BUTTERFLY

The Royal Opera House has shared a new video excerpt featuring "Ancora un passo," one of the radiant opening numbers from its current production of Puccini's MADAMA BUTTERFLY. The clip captures Cio-Cio-San's expression of joy in Act I, a moment that stands in devastating contrast to the sorrow that defines the opera's later acts.

MADAMA BUTTERFLY traces the tragic fate of Cio-Cio-San, a young Japanese woman who marries the American naval officer Pinkerton and waits years for his return, unaware of his betrayal. Giacomo Puccini developed the opera alongside librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, the same collaborators behind LA BOHÈME and TOSCA, drawing on David Belasco's stage adaptation of John Luther Long's short story. The score ranks among Puccini's most atmospheric, incorporating Japanese folk melodies and building toward iconic moments including the aria "Un bel dì, vedremo" and the celebrated Humming Chorus. The opera's world premiere at La Scala in 1904 met a cold reception, but a revised version performed later that year in Brescia earned wide acclaim and launched the work toward its enduring popularity.

The Royal Opera's staging is directed by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier and plays at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The production has drawn attention for its unflinching engagement with the opera's themes of imperialism and cultural exploitation alongside its musical splendor.

The Royal Opera House previously released a clip of the Flower Duet from the same production, offering another window into the Leiser and Caurier staging ahead of performances at Covent Garden.