The Magic of Turandot – An Opera in Music
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The Magic of Turandot – An Opera in Music is a must-have for any opera lover. This classic opera tells the story of a Chinese princess who falls in love with a foreign prince. The music is beautiful and the story is timeless.
Introduction
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, completed by Franco Alfano. The libretto was written in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, based on Carlo Gozzi’s play of the same name, itself based on One Thousand and One Nights. Though begun in 1923, the opera’s completion and premiere were delayed because of Puccini’s ill health and conflicts with his publisher.
Puccini died in 1924 before he could finish the opera. Alfano completed the work, which premiered on 26 December 1926 with Arturo Toscanini conducting at La Scala in Milan. Though Toscanini presented a version cut from Alfano’s ending, Turandot is one of the most frequently performed operas today.
What is Turandot?
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, completed by Franco Alfano. The libretto is based on a play of the same name by Carlo Gozzi. Like Puccini’s other works, Turandot is a tragic love story; however, unlike his previous operas, it does not end with a tragic death.
The History of Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, completed by Franco Alfano. It is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire. The story is set in China and is based on a Chinese folk tale, “The Story of the Princess Turandot”, which was originally published as part of the epic poem Heptameron (first day, story 10) by the 13th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi. It tells of how Calaf, son of the deposed king Timur, falls in love with the cold Princess Turandot, who has decreed that anyone seeking her hand in marriage must first answer three riddles; if he fails, he will be beheaded.
The Music of Turandot
The music of Turandot is some of the most beautiful and evocative ever written for the opera stage. Set in ancient China, the story tells of a Princess who has sworn never to marry anyone who cannot answer three riddles. When Prince Calaf comes along and solves them, she falls in love with him, but he is already betrothed to another. A tragic series of events ensues, culminating in a dramatic climax that will stay with you long after the final curtain falls.
The Magic of Turandot
The Magic of Turandot – An Opera in Music is a 2004 album by Andrea Bocelli, released by Sugar Music and Decca Records.
The album features Bocelli’s renditions of various well-known operatic arias, such as “Nessun dorma” from Turandot, “La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto, and “Che gelida manina” from La bohème. Bocelli is accompanied on the album by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by Marco Armiliato.
The album was recorded over a period of four days at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy. It debuted at number one on the Italian Albums Chart, and has been certified 5× Platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry. In the United States, it debuted at number one on the Billboard Classical Albums chart and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
