After seeing a performance of the one‐act play ‘Madame Butterfly’ in 1900, Puccini conceived an idea of adapting it for an opera. This poignant tragedy about the love between a Japanese girl and an American sailor became the three‐act opera that premiered at Milan’s La Scala Opera Theatre in 1904. To add an element of realism, Puccini vigorously researched Japanese music and his librettist, Illica, even travelled to Japan.
