TURANDOT
By Giacomo Puccini
Taconic Opera presents Puccini’s final masterpiece, Turandot, fully staged with full orchestra and conducted by maestro Jun Nakabayashi. Turandot, written by the composer of La Bohème and Madame Butterfly, features one of the most famous songs in the world, "Nessun Dorma." The opera tells the story of a cold-hearted princess who will marry any man who can answer her three riddles. Any man who fails must die. This grand opera, directed by Dan Montez, will feature two casts on two different days. The opera will be traditionally staged, but true to its nature as a fantasy.
The historical relevance of the opera cannot be understated. It is controversial in some respects. In the Metropolitan Opera's recent traditional staging, they dealt with some of its controversy with a well-written article by Christopher Browner that appeared in the house programs. You can read this article here on the MET website. Puccini spent a great deal of time researching music from different sources to try to get this opera right. Although, stereotypes exist within the opera, the music is meticulously composed with authentic Chinese music and, as Mr. Browning says, "is also one of the most exhilarating and impressive works ever to take the operatic stage." Sadly, Puccini passed away while composing this work, but luckily for us, he finished Calaf's and Liù's final arias. His student, Franco Alfano, finished the work from sketches. We are excited to share this masterpiece with you for the first time!