Turandot

Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini (which was left unfinished by Puccini at his death, and completed by Franco Alfano) to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, based on the play by Carlo Gozzi. First performance: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1926.

Plot

:Place: Beijing (Peking), China.

Related Topics:
Beijing - China

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:Time: Legendary times.

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Act I

In front of the imperial palace.

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A Mandarin announces the law of the land: Any man who desires to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles. If he fails, he will be put to death. The Prince of Persia has failed, and he is to be beheaded at moonrise. As the crowd surges towards the gates of the palace, crying for blood, an old man is pushed to the ground, and his young slave-girl Liù calls 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 hatred of 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 he once smiled upon her.

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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 gesture orders the execution to continue. The Prince of Tartary, seeing Turandot for the first time, is enthralled by her beauty. 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. Liù, who is secretly in love with the Prince, pleads with him 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.

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Act II

Scene 1

A pavilion in the imperial palace. Before sunrise.

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Ping, Pang, and Pong lament their place as ministers. Because of Turandot's bloody reign, they continually accompany young men to death.

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Scene 2

The courtyard of the palace. Sunrise.

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The Emperor Altoum sits on his grand throne in his palace. Three times he urges the Prince to withdraw his challenge, and three times the Prince refuses. The Mandarin announces the beginning of the challenge. In the aria In Questa Reggia, Turandot explains that her ancestor of millenia 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." The Princess is shaken, but tells him that he is correct. She presents her third riddle: "What is like ice, but burns?" As the prince thinks, Turandot taunts him. Suddenly he cries out victory and answers, "Turandot!" The crowd cheers for the 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." The Emperor declares that he hopes to call the Prince his son come sunrise, and as he exits, the curtain falls.

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Act III

Scene 1

The palace gardens. Night.

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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 offer the Prince women and riches if he will only give up Turandot, but he refuses. A group of soldiers 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. 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 him, she is beaten. Turandot is impressed by Liù's resistance and asks her secret. Liù tells her, "Love." Turandot demands that Ping tear the Prince's name from Liù, and he threatens Liù with death. He orders her to be tortured. 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 that Liu's spirit may return to seek revenge. The crowd is subduded with shame and fear. The grieving Timur and the crowd follow Liù's body as it is carried away. Even the three ministers, Ping, Pang and Pong express remorse and then exit, leaving Turandot and the Prince alone.

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

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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. Dawn is breaking as the Prince reveals to her his name, Calaf, and places his life in her hands as the trumpets sound.

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Scene 2

The courtyard of the palace. Sunrise.

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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.

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