Music by Giacomo Puccini
(completed by Franco Alfano)
Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Based on the play Turandotte by Carlo Gozzi
First performance at La Scala, Milan, Italy on April 25, 1926
Sung in Italian with English Supertitles
Time and Place: China in legendary times
THE CAST
(in order of appearance)
| A Mandarin, baritone |
|
Joe Pechota (USA) |
| Timur, banished Tartar king, bass |
|
Maxim Mikhailov (Russia)* |
| Liù, a slave girl, soprano | Ai-Lan Zhu (China) | |
| Unknown Prince (Calàf), Timur's son, tenor | Dario Volonté (Argentina)* | |
| Prince of Persia, actor | Tom Oberjat (USA) | |
| Handmaiden, soprano | Stacy Fraser (USA)*+ | |
| Handmaiden, mezzo-soprano | Janelle Rollinson (USA)*+ | |
| Princess Turandot of China, soprano | Anna Shafajinskaia (Russia)* | |
| Ping, Grand Chancellor of China, baritone | Scott Hendricks(USA)* | |
| Pang, Supreme lord of provisions, tenor | Beau Palmer (USA) + | |
| Pong, Lord of the Imperial Kitchen, tenor | Joseph Hu (Taiwan)+ | |
| The Emperor Altoum, tenor | Joseph Frank (USA) | |
| The Prince of Persia, actor | tba | |
| Conductor | Edoardo Müller (Italy) | |
| Director | Lotfi Mansouri (Iran) | |
| Turandot's ladies, Imperial guards, executioner and henchmen, children, priests, mandarins, dignitaries, eight wise men, servants, soldiers, flag bearers, musicians, ghosts of the dead, crowds | ||
* San Diego Opera debut
+ San Diego Opera Ensemble alumnus
Production from San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Set Designer: David Hockney, Costumes: Ian Falconer
Estimated running time approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes with two
intermissions
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
| Turandot = too-rahn-DOHT* | Shafajinskaia = shah-fah-jin-SKY-ah |
| Calàf = kahl-AHF* | Dario Volonté = DAH-ree-oh vo-lohn-TEH |
| Timur = tee-MOOR* |
Maxim Mikhailov = max-EEM mik-AYE-lohf |
| Liù = lee-OO (quickly) | Ai-Lan Zhu = AYE-lan DROO |
| Pechota - peh-COH-tah | Lotfi Mansouri = LOT-fee man-SUR-ee |
| Edoardo Müller = ed-WARH-doh MEOOL-ler | |
| Giacomo Puccini = JAH-koh-moh pooch-CHEE-nee | |
*While these names are usually written without accent marks, the music clearly indicates that, in each case, the accent is on the final syllable.