Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. The text is based on Friedrich Schiller’s adaptation of the play Turandot by Carlo Gozzi. Turandot was unfinished by the time of Puccini’s death, and was later completed by Franco Alfano.The first performance was held at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 25 April 1926, and conducted by Arturo Toscanini. This performance included only Puccini’s music and not Alfano’s additions.
Conductor: Roberto Gianolla (Italy)
Director / Set designer / Costume designer: Giancarlo del Monaco (Italy)
Light designer: Wolfgang von Zoubek (Austria)
Choreographer: Sasha Evtimova
Concert Master: Kliment Todoroski
Chorus master: Gjurgica Dashikj, Jasmina Gjorgjeska
Ass. conductor: Katerina Stojkovska
Ass. Director: Trajko Jordanovski, Ljupka Jakimovska
Piano Accompanists: Janinka Nevcheva, Elena Siljanoska, Andrej Naunov, Jordan Petrushevski
Prompters: Nevena Georgieva
Stage managers: Dragan Kostadinovikj, Marko Pavlevski
CAST:
Turandot: Han Jyng Tso (China / Italy)
Calaf: James Lee (South Korea)
Liù: Biljana Josifov
Timur: Igor Durlovski
Ping: Dragan Ampov
Pang: Jane Dunimagloski
Pong: Dejan Stoev
A Mandarin: Dime Petrov
Altoum: Marjan Nikolovski
The choir and orchestra of the National Opera and Ballet
Synopsis
Act 1
In a legendary time, at the square in front of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, the Princess, Turandot, is a woman of great beauty, but has a cold heart that is as cold as ice. She said, “Any prince seeking to marry me must answer three riddles. But if he fails, he will have to die.”
At the square, a failed prince’s fate, who is going to the guillotine, excites a lot of the audience’s blood. In the crowd, a vanquished king of Tartary, Timur, meets his long-lost son, Prince Calaf, again. Calaf falls in love with Turandot at first sight. He proclaims to try to answer her three riddles. One of Timur’s slave girls, Liu, attempts to stop his reckless resolve, but his determination strengthens.
Act 2
Turandot appears, and begins to ask Calaf her three riddles.
Q1. What thing is reborn every night? …A. ‘Hope’
Q2. What burns hot, but is not fire? …A. ‘Blood’
Q3. What ice can make fire? …A. ‘Turandot’
Calaf successfully answers her three riddles. Turandot is upset, and refuses to marry him. Calaf says to her, “If you can learn my name by dawn, I will forfeit my life.”
Act 3
Turandot gives the crowd in Beijing an order not to sleep until someone learns his name. The people of Beijing frantically find out his name. They catch Liu. Turandot asks Liu why she never says his name. Liu answers that it is because of her love to him, and kills herself.
After the crowd goes home, Turandot remains alone to confront Calaf. Then, Calaf gives away his name to her.
At the break of dawn, Turandot proclaims the victory to learn his name in front of the crowd. She says to the crowd, “His name is …Love”, and she then concedes defeat and marries him.