Turandot, the last and unfinished opera by Giacomo Puccini, was staged at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and triumphantly concluded the 2016-2017 season.
The original libretto, on which Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni worked, was constructed from a play of the same name written in 1762 by Carlo Gozzi, later adapted by Friedrich Schiller.
Puccini’s score unfortunately remained unfinished due to the composer’s death in 1924, at a time when he had left behind romanticism to enjoy a new and more original season in his glorious artistic career.
The first theatrical performance took place on April 25, 1926, at La Scala in Milan, in a three-act and five-scene edition.
Turandot offers moments of great tension, irony, and dark humor: powerful choruses alternate with the famous arias “Nessun Dorma…”, “Tu che di gel sei cinta…”, “O Signore ascolta…”, not to mention the indispensable trio of masks
Ping, Pang, and Pong at the start of the second act. These three figures are the key to interpreting the opera’s metaphorical meaning by showing us the true moral and intellectual content. Grasping the intimate essence of love’s madness and the
blindness of pride, appreciating concrete life, and intimately savoring happiness while accepting our limits: here is the desperate, raw, and sarcastic message from the three masks to the world and the adventurous Calaf.
Finally, the prince who fell in love will win the prize of Love, but at the sad and painful sacrifice of the devoted slave Liù, another martyr of Cupid.
The direction of Giuliano Montaldo, already a director for Italian television, was perfect and succeeded in further enhancing the lyricism and exoticism of the represented subject, thanks also to the scenes by Luciano Ricceri, costumes by Elisabetta Montaldo,
and the original ballet choreographies.
On the occasion of this Genoese edition of Turandot, the performers showcased their full value: tenor Rudy Park (Calaf), Norma Fantini (soprano, Turandot), the highly acclaimed Serena Gamberoni (soprano, Liù), Mihailo Sljivic (bass, Timur), Alessio
Cacciamani (baritone, Mandarin), Vincenzo Taormina (baritone, Ping)
