Puccini will probably never be my favorite composer, but I can't deny the power of his soaring themes and lush love duets...and Butterfly's aria "Un bel di" is pretty much a perfect expression of that character's single-minded and naive faith in her love. I'm here covering the role of her maid Suzuki and also singing in the chorus. Unfortunately I've not had much time to explore Wichita- but will one of these days. It can be odd to spend most of the day in the basement of the performing arts center, only to emerge for food breaks, with no idea of the outside world.
Of course that's the beauty of opera isn't it? All-consuming for about 2.5 or 3 hours. And as our stage manager was telling us, it's much tidier than straight theater or musical theater because generally speaking, the composer has given you everything you need to know and we as artists just have to follow the directions....
