Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona

1630-1640: Japan establishes the "sakoku" policy, which prohibits immigration and emigration to the country and strictly limits foreign trade: the only place that maintains trade relations with Europe is Dejima, an artificial islet in Nagasaki Bay. 1853: Japan is forced to open two ports for trade with the United States as a direct consequence of the Treaty of Kanagawa, ending centuries of Japanese foreign policy of isolation and closed borders. One of the effects of opening up Japan's trade was the emergence of a pronounced interest among Western artists in Japanese decorative arts, aesthetics, clothing and handicrafts. The Universal Exhibitions in London (1862) and Paris (1867) exhibited works by Japanese artists in Europe for the very first time. Artists such as Manet, Degas, Monet, Cassatt, Toulouse-Lautrec and van Gogh, among others, began to incorporate Japanese themes and designs into their own works: Japonisme was born. This interest in Japan helped make Pierre Loti's works a resounding success, including the novel Madame Chrysanthème (1887), one of the sources of inspiration for Madama Butterfly. The musical field was also influenced by Japonisme: Camille Saint-Saëns's opera La Princesse Jaune (1872), Gilbert and Sullivan's opera The Mikado (1885) and Sydney Jones's operetta The Geisha (1896) are just some examples. By adapting David Belasco's Madame Butterfly (based on a folktale by John Luther Long), which he saw in London in 1900, Puccini achieved a score that is both gargantuan and fascinating: a true masterpiece. He once again collaborated with librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (with whom he had already created La bohème and Tosca) to adapt the tragic story of Cio-Cio-San. Cio-Cio-San, the young Japanese bride of US naval officer Lieutenant Pinkerton, represents a broken dream: she believes she is embarking on a real marriage, but it is actually a short-lived romance, shattered when he abandons her shortly after they marry. She lives her life in the hope of his return; a tragic dream. She, who renounced her religion and community, learns too late that, for Pinkerton, her marriage is merely an illusion, with tragic consequences. Three years later, Cio-Cio-San and her son, Dolore, see Pinkerton's ship in the harbour. She excitedly awaits his visit, but when Pinkerton and his American wife Kate arrive and want to take the boy to America, Cio-Cio-San says goodbye to her son and takes her own life. Although the premiere at Milan's Teatro alla Scala in 1904 was poorly received, in the same year Puccini revised the opera for performances in Brescia. Madama Butterfly quickly became a very popular opera and remains one of Puccini's most beloved works. Leiser-Caurier's exquisite production is specifically inspired by the images of Japan in Europe during the 19th century. Sueña Yoncheva, Saioa Hernández and Ailyn Pérez will play the sad oriental heroine ready to sacrifice herself when faced with the cruel reality of betrayal.