Dec. 20, 2010
Refreshing Interpretation of a Masterpiece
The absolute star of the evening was Maria Luigia Borsi (Cio-Cio San), who was spirited and sensitive as the young geisha in love with a foreigner. Her acting was a pleasure to watch as Butterfly progressed from naïve girl to hopeful lover, abandoned mother, and finally proud Japanese willing to act on the consequences of her choice. Borsi’s facial expressions and body language were convincing, and her lyric soprano expressed the large range of feelings that Puccini demands of his heroine. I send a note of thanks to the theatre’s makeup and wig artists, who so skillfully transformed Italian Borsi into Japanese teenager.
(this review has not been translated)
- by Kathleen Gail Jensen (ConcertoNet.com)
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Dec. 7, 2010 (Premier)
Review: Madama Butterfly
"Giordano Bellincampi leads with the Royal Danish Opera in an exquisite interplay with the Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi who owns an eminent ability with her voice to convey the subtle shifts of the young geisha moods of Butterfly.
The last time I saw this opera at the Royal (then the Old Scene at Kongens Nytorv) was in 1998 with the late great Danish singer Inga Nielsen, and a few years earlier by Swedish singer Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, but none of them portrayed Butterfly, as I remember, with such convulsive internal intensity as Maria Lugia Borsi."
(translated from Swedish)
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-by Kjell A Johansson (Ystads Allehanda - Swedish periodical)
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Dec. 8, 2010 (Premier)
Visually seductive Madame Butterfly
"Italian Maria Luigia Borsi gives the innocent Madame Butterfly a surprisingly mature expression of the otherwise delicate figure. Borsi's appearance is elegant and finely tailored with a little Asian flair. There is warmth, fullness and maturity in her big voice, which in itself is nice, albeit without as much of the butterfly delicacy."
(translated from Danish)
- by Benjamin Enzenberg (KultuNaut, online source)
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Dec. 4, 2010 (Premier)
Review: Madama Butterfly
"In Copenhagen, Maria Luigia Borsi in the premiere team showed a touching personality with a smooth supple voice, very beautiful in the small nuances. She creates a fine character."
(translated from Swedish)
- by Carlhåkan Larsén (Sydsvenskan - Swedish periodical)
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Dec. 4, 2010 (Premier)
Singers excel in The Royal Theatre's new "Madama Butterfly", but it was missing a fresh scenography.
"The Italian guest soprano Maria Luigia Borsi bears brilliantly the demanding title role. She comes across clearly in the whole spectrum of emotions - from naive, in love to unbearable grief and pain."
(translated from Dutch)
- by Christine Christiansen (KPN, online source)
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Dec. 4, 2010 (Premier)
Opera: Beautiful as a Butterfly
"It is so beautiful and so sad, and in tonight's premiere of Madama Butterfly, Italian Maria Luigia Borsi gave us a fascinating title role. Her voice sounds a bit hard, but also moving, and not without sweetness and never boring, and one learns to appreciate the contrast between the adult voice and that of the lovely *Little(Japanese)Match-Seller, which, as the opera progressed, reflected her femininity.
(translated from Dutch)
- by Soren Box Beer (Berlingske, online version)
*Little(Japanese)Match-Seller - reference to a short story by Hans Christian Andersen.
