Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot
Estimated run time 3:02
Act I 32 min / 40 min intermission / Act II 43 min / 28 min intermission / Act III 39 min
Saturday, October 12, 10:55am
World premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1926. Puccini’s final opera is an epic fairy tale set in a China of legend, loosely based on a play by 18th-century Italian dramatist Carlo Gozzi. Featuring a most unusual score with an astounding and innovative use of chorus and orchestra, it is still recognizably Puccini, bursting with instantly appealing melody. The unenviable task of completing the opera’s final scene upon Puccini’s sudden death was left to the composer Franco Alfano. Conductor Arturo Toscanini oversaw Alfano’s contribution and led the world premiere.
Two of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Christine Goerke and Nina Stemme, reprise their fierce portrayals of the title princess. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece, which also features tenors Roberto Aronica and Marco Berti as Calàf, sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Hibla Gerzmava as Liù, and bass-baritone James Morris as Timur.
Adult/Senior $21 ♦ Student $11
Sponsored by Dr. Victor & Janet Ashear, Christine Gempp Love Foundation, Witzel Family Foundation
