Opera in HD: Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera

Giacomo Puccini’s final masterpiece in Franco Zeffirelli’s opulent production by the MetOpera

Stream from anywhere on Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Puccini’s Turandot, a grand spectacle of timeless music, rich decorations, dramatic arias, and dazzling performers is a crown-jewel in the Metropolitan Opera repertoire.

The legendary story about the cold and proud Chinese princess claiming her superiority over every contender for her heart is lavishly staged in this historic Franco Zeffirelli‘s  production from 1987.

In its Week 18 of the free streaming, the MetOpera features the recording made on November 7, 2009. The cast includes soprano Maria Guleghina in the title role, tenor Marcello Giordani as Prince Calaf, soprano Marina Poplavskaya as Liu, and Samuel Ramey as Timur. Rich orchestration, the inclusion of the uncommon musical instruments in the score, innovative use of the chorus, and ballet are all parts of this grand spectacle of pride, revenge, and love. The free stream is available from 7.30pm for 23 hours.

STREAM NOW

Stay in the know about future events and offers by subscribing to ARTS-NY newsletter  Subscribe

 

 

The creation of this opera is a tale in itself. Puccini first came across this subject after reading F. Schiller’s translation into German of Carlo Gozzi’s play with the same title. Gozzi’s play, in turn, was based on one of “The Seven Beauties” fables by Nizami, the 12th-century Persian poet renowned for his narrative poems and lyrical verses. “The Seven Beauties” plot ties together time (days of the week), colors (each story is given a color), and actions. In Nizami’s plot, a tale about a cold and independent daughter of the king of Turan, Turandokht, was told on the first day under a red dome. According to another historical version about Gozzi’s play Turandot, it was inspired by the fairy tales Les Mille et Un Jours (1722) by François Pétis de la Croix from the original version in Persian. 

But the puzzling references and historical notes don’t stop there. When Puccini started his work on the opera in 1920, he received a Chinese music box as a gift from Italy’s former ambassador to China. The box played several Chinese songs, three of which were included in the score of the opera and ultimately transformed the plot to a legendary time in China. It is not surprising that the leitmotif for Turandot is the folk melody “Mo Li Hua“.

Puccini was so immersed in this project that his librettists Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni couldn’t keep up and were behind with the text. By March 1924, the score was almost completed up to the finale. But Puccini wasn’t happy with the verses for the final duet so the librettists continued writing until October of that year. Puccini’s sudden death from a heart attack on November 29, 1924, left the music unfinished and was eventually completed by an Italian composer Franco Alfano. The opera premiered at La Scala, Milan, on Sunday 25 April 1926.

Stay in the know about future events and offers by subscribing to ARTS-NY newsletter     Subscribe

 

Starting from 1926 Turandot is successfully performed at every opera house around the world. In China, the opera has entered the regular repertoire only in 1998 when it was performed for the first time under the title of Turandot at the Forbidden City.
The third act of the opera starts with Nessun Dorma, one of the most recognizable arias memorably popularized by Luciano Pavarotti among other artists. While an unforgettable recording of Turandot with Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti with Zubin Mehta conducting is available, nothing can beat the live performance at the Met Opera!

 

STREAM NOW

 

Stay in the know about future events and offers by subscribing to ARTS-NY newsletter                           Subscribe

 

Venue: Met Opera, Lincoln Center, NY