Operas by Giacomo Puccini

Le Villi (1884) Edgar (1889) Manon Lescaut (1893) La bohème (1896) Tosca (1900) Madama Butterfly (1904) La fanciulla del West (1910) La rondine (1917) Il trittico: Il tabarro (1918) Il trittico: Suor Angelica (1918) Il trittico: Gianni Schicchi (1918) Turandot (1926) Image File history File links ComposerPuccini. ... Le villi (The Willis) is an opera composed by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, based on the short story Les Willis by Alphonse Karr. ... Edgar is an opera in three acts (originally four acts) by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, based on the play in verse La Coupe et les lèvres by Alfred de Musset. ... Manon Lescaut is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica, based on L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost. ... For other uses, see La bohème (disambiguation). ... Original poster Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Victorien Sardous drama, La Tosca. ... Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) is an opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. ... La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco. ... A poster for the Italian premiere. ... Il trittico (The Triptych) is the title to a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini. ... Il tabarro (The Cloak) is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on Didier Golds La Houppelande. ... Il trittico (The Triptych) is the title to a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini. ... Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica) is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. ... Il trittico (The Triptych) is the title to a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini. ... Gianni Schicchi is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, based on a story that is referred to in Dantes The Divine Comedy. ...

For the opera by Ferruccio Busoni, see Turandot (Busoni).

Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, based on the play Turandot by Carlo Gozzi. It was left unfinished by Puccini at his death, and completed by Franco Alfano. The first performance, at the Teatro alla Scala, in Milan, on 25 April 1926, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, included only Puccini's music and not Alfano's additions. Later performances were of the completed score. Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (April 1, 1866 – July 27, 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, music teacher and conductor. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire. ... A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ... // Turandot Carlo Gozzi wrote Turandot for the Comedia dellarte. ... Carlo, Count Gozzi (13 December 1720 – April 4, 1806), was an Italian dramatist. ... Franco Alfano (March 8, 1875 – October 27, 1954) was an Italian composer and pianist. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, by night. ... Milan (Italian: ; Lombard: Milán (listen)) is one of the biggest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Arturo Toscanini listening to playbacks at RCA Victor (BMG Music) Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was an Italian musician. ...

Turandot is a Persian word and name meaning "the daughter of Turan", Turan being a region of Central Asia which used to be part of the Persian Empire. In Persian, the fairy tale is known as "Turandokht", with "dokht" being a contraction for "Dokhtar" (meaning "Daughter"), and both the "kh" and "t" are clearly pronounced. However, according to Puccini scholar Patrick Vincent Casali, the final "t" should not be sounded in the pronunciation of the opera's name or when referring to the title character, as Puccini never pronounced it (according to Rosa Raisa, the first singer to play the title role) and, as Casali notes, the musical setting of many of Calaf's intonations of the name makes sounding the final "t" all but impossible. ^[1] Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Turan (in Persian: ) is the ancient Iranian name for the Northeastern nomads. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

"In questa reggia" — A citation from the score.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1132x378, 171 KB) Licence : / Licenza: 2004, Fl. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1132x378, 171 KB) Licence : / Licenza: 2004, Fl. ...

History

The story of Turandot was taken from the Persian collection of stories called The Book of One Thousand and One Nights or Hezar o-yek shab (1722 French translation Les Mille et un Jours by Francois Petis de la Croix), where the character of "Turandokht" as a cold Chinese princess was found. But this story about a Chinese princess bears much resemblance to Persian poet Nizami's story about a Russian princess being pursued by the Sassanid king Behram. The story of Turandokht is one of the best known from de la Croix's translation. Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ... François Pétis de la Croix (1653 - 1713) was a French orientalist. ... External links The Legend of Leyli and Majnun Nizami, Jamal al-Din Ilyas. ... Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Puccini first began working on Turandot in March 1920 after meeting with librettists Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. He began composition in January 1921. By March 1924 he had completed the opera up to the final duet. However, he was unsatisfied with the text of the final duet, and did not continue until October 8, when he chose Adami's fourth version of the duet text. On October 10 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and some weeks later went to Brussels, Belgium for treatment. There he underwent surgery on November 24, but died of complications on November 29, 1924. He left behind 36 pages of sketches on 23 sheets for the end of Turandot, together with instructions that Riccardo Zandonai should finish the opera. Puccini's son Tonio objected, and eventually Franco Alfano was chosen to flesh out the sketches. Alfano provided a first version of the ending with a few passages of his own, and even a few sentences added to the libretto which was not considered complete even by Puccini himself. After the severe criticisms by editor Ricordi and the conductor Arturo Toscanini, he was forced to write a second, strictly censored version that followed Puccini's sketches more closely, to the point where he did not set some of Adami's text to music because Puccini had not indicated how he wanted it to sound. Ricordi's real concern was not the quality of Alfano's work, but that he wanted the end of Turandot to sound as if it had been written by Puccini, and Alfano's editing had to be seamless. The debate over which version of the ending is better is still open, but the consensus generally tends towards Alfano's first score. Scrutiny of the sketches, which Ricordi later allowed scholars to analyze (and sometimes publish), showed how Alfano actually didn't even try to use most of the short sketches on the sheets, with the exception of those with an obvious placement and one short theme he freely transformed, and used for the sake of stylistic continuity. From 1976 to 1988 the American composer Janet Maguire, convinced that the whole ending is coded in the sketches left by Puccini, composed a new ending, but this has never been performed. In 2001 Luciano Berio made a new official completion, but this has received a mixed reception. Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (282nd in leap years). ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years). ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums[] Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Riccardo Zandonai (30 May 1883 – 5 June 1944) was an Italian opera composer. ... Franco Alfano (March 8, 1875 – October 27, 1954) was an Italian composer and pianist. ... Arturo Toscanini listening to playbacks at RCA Victor (BMG Music) Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was an Italian musician. ... Luciano Berio (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian composer. ...

The première of Turandot was at La Scala, Milan, on Sunday April 25, 1926, 1 year and 5 months after Puccini's death. It was conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Premiere, from French language première meaning first, generally means a first performance. Premieres for theatrical, musical, and other productions are often extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media attention. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, by night. ... Milan (Italian: ; Lombard: Milán (listen)) is one of the biggest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Arturo Toscanini listening to playbacks at RCA Victor (BMG Music) Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was an Italian musician. ...

In the middle of Act III, two measures after the words "Liù, poesia!", the orchestra rested. Toscanini stopped and laid down his baton. He turned to the audience and announced: "Qui finisce l'opera, perché a questo punto il maestro è morto" ("Here the opera ends, because at this point the maestro died"). The curtain was lowered slowly.^[2] Later performances included Alfano's ending. Despite this, Turandot has maintained popularity. According to Opera America, it is today's twelfth most performed opera in North America. Opera America, officially OPERA America, is a service organization in North America promoting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera. ...

For many years, the People's Republic of China forbade performance of Turandot because they said it portrayed China and the Chinese unfavorably. In the late 1990s they relented, and in September 1998 the opera was performed for eight nights at the Forbidden City, complete with opulent sets and soldiers from the People's Liberation Army as extras. It was an international collaboration, with director Zhang Yimou as choreographer and Zubin Mehta as conductor. The singing roles saw Giovanna Casolla as Princess Turandot, Sergey Larin as Calaf, and Barbara Frittoli as Liù. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... This article is about the Chinese imperial palace in Beijing. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Zhang Yimou (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ;  ) (born November 14, 1951) is an internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker and one-time cinematographer. ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... Zubin Mehta (born April 29, 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. ...

As with Madama Butterfly, Puccini strove for a semblance of Asian authenticity (at least to western ears) by using music from the region in question. Eight of the themes used in Turandot are based on traditional Chinese music. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) is an opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. ...

Roles

Arturo Toscanini listening to playbacks at RCA Victor (BMG Music) Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was an Italian musician. ... Look up soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice. ... A bass (or basso in Italian) is a male singer who sings in the deepest vocal range of the human voice. ... Miguel Burró Fleta was a Spanish tenor. ... Original Turandot poster For the opera by Ferruccio Busoni, see Turandot (Busoni). ... Baritone (French: baryton; Deutsch: Bariton; Italian: baritono) is most commonly the type of male voice that lies between bass and tenor. ...

Synopsis

Original Turandot poster

Place: Peking, China

Time: Legendary times

Image File history File links PF_916002~Puccini-Turandot-Posters. ... Image File history File links PF_916002~Puccini-Turandot-Posters. ...   (Chinese:  ; Pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; IPA: ), a metropolis in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

Act I

In front of the imperial palace.

A Mandarin announces the law of the land ("Popolo di Pekino! La legge è questa...)": Any man who desires to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles. If he fails, he will be beheaded. The Prince of Persia has failed and is to be beheaded at moonrise. As the crowd surges towards the gates of the palace, crying for blood, a blind old man is pushed to the ground while his slave-girl, Liù, cries for help. A young man hears her cry and recognizes the old man as his long-lost father Timur, the deposed king of Tartary. The young Prince of Tartary urges his father not to speak his name because he fears the Chinese rulers who have conquered Tartary. Timur tells his son that of all his servants, only Liù has remained faithful to him. When the Prince asks her why, she tells him that once, long ago in the palace, he smiled upon her.

The moon rises, and the crowd's cries for blood turn into silence. The doomed Prince of Persia is led before the crowd on his way to execution, and the crowd's mood turns to mercy. They call on Turandot to spare the Prince. She appears, and with a single imperious gesture orders the execution to continue. The Prince of Tartary, who has never seen Turandot before, falls immediately in love. As he cries out her name with joy, the crowd screams in horror: The Prince of Persia has been beheaded. Timur urges his son to desist, and Liù, who is secretly in love with the Prince, pleads with him in her acclaimed "Signore, Ascolta" not to attempt the riddles. The ministers Ping, Pong, and Pang appear and warn him that Turandot is unattainable. The Prince refuses to listen to them and rushes to the gong that hangs in front of the palace. Calling Turandot's name, he strikes the gong three times, thereby declaring himself a suitor. Ping, Pong, and Pang laugh, and the curtain falls.

Act II

Scene 1

A pavilion in the imperial palace. Before sunrise.

Ping, grand chancellor (Baritone), Pang, grand purveyor (Tenor), and Pong, grand cook (Tenor) from Act 2 Scene 1. This is from the 2002 coproduction of the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

Ping, Pang, and Pong lament their place as ministers, poring over palace documents and presiding over endless rituals. They prepare themselves for either a wedding or a funeral. Ping suddenly longs for his country house in Honan, with its small lake surrounded by bamboo. Pong remembers his grove of forests near Tsiang, and Pang recalls his gardens near Kiu. The three share fond memories of life away from the palace, but are shaken back to the realities of Turandot's bloody reign. They continually accompany young men to death and recall their ghastly fate. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (852x480, 81 KB)Ping, grand chancellor (Bass), Pang, grand purveyor (Tenor), and Pong, grand cook (Tenor) from Act 2 Scene 1 of the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, This is from the 2002 coproduction of the Mariinski Theatre St. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (852x480, 81 KB)Ping, grand chancellor (Bass), Pang, grand purveyor (Tenor), and Pong, grand cook (Tenor) from Act 2 Scene 1 of the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, This is from the 2002 coproduction of the Mariinski Theatre St. ... The Maryinsky (or Mariinsky) Theatre (or Theater), is the St Petersburg theatre where the Mariinsky Ballet is located. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (Baden-Baden Festival Theatre) is Germanys largest opera house and concert hall with 2,500 seats. ...

As the palace trumpet sounds, the ministers ready themselves for another spectacle as they await the entrance of the Emperor.

Scene 2

The courtyard of the palace. Sunrise.

Screenshot from the same production, Act 2 Scene 2.

The Emperor Altoum, father of Turandot, sits on his grand throne in his palace. Three times he urges the Prince to withdraw his challenge, and three times the Prince refuses. Turandot enters, and in the aria "In questa reggia", she explains that her ancestor of millennia past, Princess Lo-u-Ling, was ravished and murdered by a foreigner, and now out of revenge she has sworn to never let any man possess her. She warns the Prince to withdraw, but again he refuses. The Princess presents her first riddle: "What is born each night and dies each dawn?" The Prince correctly replies, "Hope." The Princess, unnerved, presents her second riddle: "What flickers red and warm like a flame, but is not fire?" The Prince thinks for a moment before replying, "Blood". Turandot is shaken. She presents her third riddle: "What is like ice, but burns like fire?" As the prince thinks, Turandot taunts him. Suddenly he cries out victory and announces, "Turandot!" The crowd cheers for the triumphant Prince. Turandot throws herself at the Emperor's feet and pleads him not to leave her to the Prince's mercy. The Emperor insists that an oath is sacred, and it is Turandot's duty to wed the Prince. As she cries out in anger, the Prince stops her, saying that he has a proposal for her. "You do not know my name. Bring me my name," he tells her. "Bring me my name before sunrise, and at sunrise, I will die". Turandot accepts. The Emperor declares that he hopes to call the Prince his son come sunrise, and as he exits, the curtain falls. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (852x480, 74 KB)Screenshot from Act 2 Scene 2 of the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, This is from the 2002 coproduction of the Mariinski Theatre St. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (852x480, 74 KB)Screenshot from Act 2 Scene 2 of the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, This is from the 2002 coproduction of the Mariinski Theatre St. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Turandot. ...

Act III

Scene 1

The palace gardens. Night.

In the distance, heralds call out Turandot's command: "This night, none shall sleep in Peking! The penalty for all will be death if the Prince's name is not discovered by morning!" The Prince, in the aria "Nessun dorma", anticipates his victory. Ping, Pong, and Pang appear and offer the Prince women and riches if he will only give up Turandot, but he refuses. A group of soldiers then drag in Timur and Liù. They have been seen speaking to the Prince, so they must know his name. Turandot enters and orders Timur and Liù to speak. The Prince feigns ignorance, saying they know nothing. Liù declares that she alone knows the Prince's name, but she will not reveal it. Ping demands the Prince's name, and when she refuses, she is tortured. Turandot is clearly taken by Liù's resolve and asks her who put so much strength in her heart. Liù answers "Princess, Love!". Turandot demands that Ping tear the Prince's name from Liù, and he orders her to be tortured. Liù counters Turandot in her aria "Tu che di gel sei cinta," saying that she too shall learn love. Having spoken, Liù seizes a dagger from a soldier's belt and stabs herself. As she staggers towards the Prince and falls dead, the crowd screams for her to speak the Prince's name. Since Timur is blind, he must be told about Liù's death, and he cries out in anguish. Timur warns that the gods will be offended by this outrage, and the crowd is subdued with shame and fear. The grieving Timur and the crowd follow Liù's body as it is carried away. Even Ping, Pang and Pong express remorse and leave Turandot and the Prince alone. Nessun dorma is an aria from the final Act of Giacomo Puccinis opera Turandot. ...

Here Puccini's work ends. The remainder of the music was completed by Franco Alfano.

The Prince tries to convince Turandot to love him. At first she is disgusted, but after he kisses her, she feels herself turning towards passion. As dawn breaks, the Prince reveals his name: Calaf, son of Timur.

Scene 2

The courtyard of the palace. Dawn.

Turandot and Calaf approach the Emperor's throne. She declares that she knows the Prince's name: "His name is ... love!" As the crowd cheers, the curtain falls.

Noted arias

• "Nessun dorma" -- "None shall sleep" (Calaf)
• "Signore, ascolta" -- "My lord, listen" (Liù)
• "Non piangere, Liù" -- "Don't cry, Liù" (Calaf)
• "In questa reggia" -- "In this palace" (Turandot)
• "Tanto amore segreto" -- "So much secret love" (Liù)
• "Tu che di gel sei cinta" -- "You who are begirdled in ice" (Liù)
• "Del primo pianto" (Turandot — from the final scenes not completed by Puccini)

Nessun dorma has become a popular culture standard and is recognizable to most Western ears. Nessun dorma is an aria from the final Act of Giacomo Puccinis opera Turandot. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Turandot. ... Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, (literally: the culture of the people) consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ...

References

ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... The grave accent ( ` ) is a diacritic mark used in written Greek until 1982 (polytonic orthography), French, Catalan, Welsh, Italian, Vietnamese, Scottish Gaelic, Norwegian, Portuguese and other languages. ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of... In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word. ... Not to be confused with the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Not to be confused with the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Not to be confused with the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ...

External links

• Recordings of Turandot
• Background on the opera's origins and melodies
• Story & Music (and photos) available from the Metropolitan Opera International Radio Broadcast Information Center (2006-07 Broadcast)
• MP3 Creative Commons Recording
• Recommended discographyIn Spanish.
• Opera Today - complete libretto with translations

See also

• About Turandot's character and differences between Gozzi's and Schiller's version

// Turandot Carlo Gozzi wrote Turandot for the Comedia dellarte. ...