Scene from Turandot, dir. Mariusz Treliński, photo: Krzysztof Bieliński / Grand Theatre - Polish National Theatre
First staged in Warsaw on December 15, 1932 at the same venue, this production retains the original language version, supplemented by Polish subtitles. It enjoyed its world premiere in Milan's Teatro Alla Scala, on April 26, 1926, before quickly spreading to venues in Buenos Aires, Venice, Vienna, Dresden, New York, Paris, Rome and Moscow.
Turandot is an opera in three acts, with a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Puccini became familiar with the narrative by reading the late eighteenth century German playwright, Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of an earlier text by the Italian dramatist Carlo Gozzi (entitled Re Turandote); although the narrative originally derived from a Persian anthology of tales, called The Book of One Thousand and One Days. The word "Turandot" is Persian in origin and refers to the region, Turan, in Central Asia (formerly of the Persian Empire). Puccini begun work on the opera in March of 1920 but died before the work's completion. Italian composer and pianist, Franco Alfano, subsequently finished it (despite Puccini's original request that this task be bequeathed to Riccardo Zandonai). Interestingly, it was not the finished version that premiered in Milan in 1926, but Puccini's unfinished version: Alfano's version premiered the following night instead.
Set in Beijing's Forbidden City, the plot begins with the announcement that any prince wishing to marry Princess Turandot must answer three riddles. Marriage will be his reward, but death will befall those who fail to respond correctly - a sign of the princess's bloody reign. Knowing the odds and witnessing the princess's temper first hand, mystery prince Calàf is nevertheless determined to wed her. And so the battle of wits begins.
Turandot premieres on April 17 at Teatr Wielki. Repeat performances on April 19, 21 & 26, 2011.
- Turandot conducted by: Carlo Montanaro and Tadeusz Kozłowski, direction: Mariusz Treliński, set design: Boris Kudlička, costumes: Magdalena Musiał; choir master: Bogdan Gola, choreography: Tomasz Wygoda. A co-production with the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.
For more information, see: www.teatrwielki.pl
Grand Theatre - National Opera House
pl. Teatralny 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Executive Director: Waldemar Dąbrowski
Artistic Director: Mariusz Treliński
tel. (+48 22) 692 02 00
fax (+48 22) 826 04 23
www.teatrwielki.pl
Source: PAP, www.teatrwielki.pl