When Puccini heard the story of a young Japanese girl who sacrifices everything for a faithless U.S. Navy lieutenant, he knew he had found a winning idea for a new opera and immediately began work on Madame Butterfly. Puccini's score, infused with atmospheric Eastern motifs, is mesmerizing. From the passionate Act I love duet to Butterfly's steadfast declaration of her love, "Un bel di," to the tender, anticipatory beauty of the "Humming Chorus," this is opera for the ages.