Opera "Turandot": content, video, interesting facts

D. Puccini opera "Turandot"

Do you like riddles? Simple, complex, intriguing and sometimes incredibly interesting. There are a lot of stories in the fairy tale, when the hero had a serious test, where the main condition was to solve the most difficult riddle, otherwise he would be executed. This task also fell to the main character of the opera Giacomo Puccini "Turandot"to Prince Calaf.

Summary of the opera Puccini "Turandot" and a lot of interesting facts about this work, read on our page.

Summary

This work is shrouded in oriental flavor and the strongest drama that permeates even the heroes of the Italian comedy - funny “masks”. Here they appear as evil and calculating Chinese ministers. And what about Princess Turandot? She herself is cruel, callous and cold beauty, whose heart is chained into ice. To take revenge on the masculine family, Turandot came up with tests for the applicants for her hand - three riddles, and those who could not guess them were immediately executed, whether it be a Persian prince or another stranger. But her beauty captivated the young men, forcing them to go on desperate attempts, and this time Calaf, an unknown prince, fell in love with her. Thanks to his strong feeling and wit, he solved all three riddles, and he shocked the cruel princess.

In turn, Calaf offered her his test - to give his name in order to free himself from this promise - to marry a stranger. All of Beijing was thinking about this riddle, but no one knew the answer to it, only the young man’s father and his companion, a young slave Liu, who had no answer answered Kalaf. But Turandot did not recognize the name of the unknown prince from them either. The opera ends with a duet of the princess, Calaf and their passionate kiss. The mysterious young man still managed to melt the heart of the eastern beauty.

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Interesting Facts

• It is noteworthy that the plot of the opera was slightly modified compared with the original source. The composer has conceived a bright ending, where love wins, not clouded by the death of the girl Liu. The plot itself is taken from the story of the Azerbaijani author Nizami.
• The work on the performance stretched out for several years partly because the authors of the libretto, J. Adami and R. Simoni, could not complete the last act for a very long time. It was due to a strong employment.
• The composer initially, when he started this work, knew that this was his last performance and was constantly in a hurry, fearing that he would not have time to finish it. A friend and student of the composer Franco Alfano was able to finish the opera, taking advantage of the remaining sketches.
• Editorial Alfana is not very successful, although it is performed in almost all theaters in the world. In 2001, the Italian composer Luciano Berio wrote his version, and many music critics suggest that with time it will prevail in future productions.
• The premiere of the opera "Turandot" was held in Milan, conducted by the orchestra of A. Toscanini. In the middle of the third act, the music suddenly stopped, and the maestro removed the baton. Turning to the public, Toscanini said that it was in this place that the feather fell from the hands J. Puccini. The curtain slowly descended. Only the next day, the public was able to see the full version of the opera. Until now, in some productions, directors prefer to finish the performance at this point.
• Until the 20th century, the opera Turandot was banned in the People’s Republic of China. The government of the country believed that China was shown not from the best side. But in 1998, the ban was lifted by the sensational staging "Turandot in the Forbidden City". The staging cost $ 15 million. Conductor: Zubin Mehta, director: Zhang (Zang) Imo.

• The aria "Let no one sleep" is one of the most popular and sought-after samples of classical music and is included in the repertoire of a huge number of performers.
• There are several different versions of the ending of the work, but so far the most recognized public and producers is the one that Alfano wrote. Composers Luciano Berio in 2001 and Khao Veya in 2008 presented their versions of the "final" to the public.
• The scenery for the most famous opera at Lake of Constance in the framework of the popular Austrian music festival was erected for 12 months.
• The Puccini Opera is not the only work of the Gozzi tale. Earlier this plot attracted composer Busoni, who created his opera. The premiere of which was successfully held in 1917 in Zurich.
• Princess Turandot’s party is considered quite complex. The singer Birgit Nilsson, during the performance of the opera in the Metropolitan Opera, in the second act, sustained a high note much longer than tenor Franco Correli. Naturally, during the intermission, the annoyed artist turned to the director with a statement that he did not want to continue to continue to participate in the play. He did not come up with anything else, how to advise the singer to take revenge on the performer and bite her neck in the scene when Calaf kisses Turandot.
• The famous actor Nikolai Naumov, while still a schoolboy, played the role of Prince Calaf in the Mimosh theater of mimics and plastics.

Popular arias

Calaf's aria "Nessun dorma" (listen)

Liu's aria "Tanto amore segreto" (listen)

aria Turandot "In questa reggia" (listen)

Liu's aria "Signore, ascolta!" (listen)

Final duo Turandot and Calaf "Principessa di Morte" (listen)

History of creation

At the heart of the opera "Turandot" is an Azerbaijani story of the XII century. At one time, she very much attracted the attention of playwright K. Gozzi, who created a fairy tale for her. It is noteworthy that when F. Schiller translated it into German, he slightly changed the characters of the characters - strengthening them, and also rewrote the famous scene of the riddles of the main character. When already Puccini saw the dramatic performance of director Max Reinhard on this work in 1919, then he immediately had the idea to create an opera. It was at this time that the tale has just received the widest distribution in Europe.

The composer appealed to his librettists Adami and Simoni to engage in the literary component. Moreover, Puccini himself also actively participated in the development of the libretto, as evidenced by the numerous notes, wishes and instructions in his letters. Work on the work began in 1920 and lasted until 1924, but Puccini did not have time to finish it, despite all his efforts. Thus, the final duet and final, thanks to the preserved sketches, was completed after the composer’s death by his talented pupil Franco Alfano. And the opera itself is called the "swan song" of the composer.

It should be understood that such a work as "Turandot" was not at all characteristic of the composer. In it, Puccini had to change the traditions of the chamber, which until now were in all his theatrical works. Speaking of genre affiliation, this work clearly shows signs of opera seria. Plus, while working on the play, Puccini intentionally strengthened the dramatic line, because even the comical "masks" that are borrowed characters of the Italian comedy - Pantalone, Brigella, Tartaglia, received Chinese names and at the same time became cruel and far from harmless ministers. The modified final is also overshadowed by the death of Liu. Moreover, the image of this girl is fundamentally different from that insidious rival Adelma, represented in the fairy tale Gozzi. It is no coincidence that this essay Puccini considered his best creation.

Production history

The world premiere of the opera was successfully held in April 1926 at La Scala Theater. The director was Gioacchino Forzano, the conductor is Arturo Toscanini. It was this performance that was staged without the final duet and finale; in the rest of the productions, the directors used the version of F. Alfano. In the same year, “Turandot” was successfully staged on many stages of Europe and the world.

The long-awaited premiere in the USSR was successfully held in 1928 in Baku. The audience of the Bolshoi Theater first saw the legendary opera only in 1931. Director Leonid Baratov and conductor Lev Steinberg put a lot of effort and his talent for this. This performance was already in Russian and just withstood 39 submissions, until it was filmed in 1934.

Among the modern interpretations should be noted a grand idea in the Austrian city of Bregenz, where the music festival. In 2015, the audience was amazed by the extraordinary scenery for the opera Turandot, staged by Marco Arturo Marelli. Right on Lake Constance, a stage and a wall of China was erected. Such magnificent scenery has not yet created a single theater. In order to install this structure, it took 119 spruce and steel piles, which were immersed six meters in the ground. About 40 firms from Germany, Austria, Romania and Switzerland were involved in the work. The weight of the Chinese wall is 335 tons. In addition, attracts the attention of terracotta warriors, who are located on the stage (205 figures) and rail carousel, laid around the stage. Accompanied the performance of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Needless to say, the success of this production was grand.

Another opera staging that amazes with its scenery is the premiere in Kazan in 2012, then this version was staged in many European cities. The set designer Igor Grinevich worked on the scenery. For this production a real 10 meter emperor castle was built. In addition, on the stage there were beautiful fountains with water and cascading waterfalls. The cost of all the decoration and costumes sewn from genuine leather and Chinese silk amounted to 6 million rubles.

Interesting productions should include the work of director Vyacheslav Starodubtsev in the Novosibirsk Theater. The opera was put in the style of a quest, plus also with unusual decorations in the style of the Russian avant-garde, references to the works of Kandinsky. This performance stands out against the background of other productions and unusual costumes, as well as the interpretation of images. Thus, according to Starodubtsev, Liu's soul, after her death, passed on to Princess Turandot.

Such an interesting plot also attracted filmmakers, and the opera was repeatedly screened. It is enough to cite as an example the work of the Italian director Mario Lanfranca, shot in 1958, or the 1971 version of Ruben Simonov and Alexander Shorin. The film of 1990 Georgian director Otar Shamatava is also worth mentioning.

Opera "Turandot"- this is a mixture of amazing, colorful music and powerful dramatic action that will not leave anyone indifferent from the audience. Try it and you will experience the mysteries of the cunning princess and enjoy the wonderful creation Giacomo Puccini.