Giacomo Puccini ~ Turandot

Synopsis
Place: Peking, China
Time: Legendary times

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.
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.
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.

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 them 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.

[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.



Tracks:
CD 1
Act 1
Track 01: Popolo di Pechino! (Un Mandarino, Coro) [2:15]
Track 02: Indietro, cani! (Coro, Liù) [0:47]
Track 03: Padre! Mio padre! (Calaf, Coro, Liù, Timur) [3:09]
Track 04: Gira la cote! (Coro, Calaf, Liù) [2:27]
Track 05: Perché tarda la luna? (Coro) [4:08]
Track 06: Là, sui monti dell'Est (Coro di ragazzi) [1:15]
Track 07: O giovinetto! Grazia, grazia! (Coro, Calaf) [3:38]
Track 08: La grazia, Principessa! - O divina bellezza (Coro / Calaf) [1:54]
Track 09: Figlio, che fai? (Timur, Calaf, Liù, Coro) [1:52]
Track 10: Fermo! Che fai? (Ping, Pong, Pang, Calaf) [1:59]
Track 11: Silenzio, olà! (Coro, Ping, Pang, Pong, Calaf, Timur) [1:54]
Track 12: Notte senza lumicino (Pang, Pong, Ping, Coro, Calaf, Timur) [2:49]
Track 13: Signore, ascolta! (Liù) [2:47]
Track 14: Non piangere, Liù (Calaf, Liù, Timur) [2:30]
Track 15: Ah! Per l'ultima volta! (Timur, Liù, Ping, Pang, Pong, Calaf, Coro) [3:08]

Act 2
Track 16: Olà, Pang! Olà, Pong! (Ping) [1:18]
Track 17: O China, che or sussulti (Ping, Pong, Pang) [2:05]
Track 18: Ho una casa nell'Honan (Ping, Pong, Pang) [3:11]
Track 19: O mondo pieno di pazzi innamorati! (Ping, Pong, Pang, Coro) [1:53]
Track 20: Addio, amore, addio, razza! (Ping, Pong, Pang) [1:55]
Track 21: Non v'e in China per nostra fortuna (Ping, Pong, Pang) [1:52]
Track 22: Udite trombe! Altro che pace! (Ping, Pong, Pang) [1:19]
Track 23: Gravi, enormi ed imponenti (Coro) [3:15]
Track 24: Un giuramento atroce mi costringe (Altoum, Calaf) [3:38]
Track 25: Diecimile anni al nostro Imperatore [1:32]
Track 26: Popolo di Pechino! (Il Mandarino, Coro di ragazzi) [1:41]



CD 2
Act 2
Track 01: In questa Reggia (Turandot, Coro) [3:05]
Track 02: O, Principi, che a lunghe carovane (Turandot, Coro, Calaf) [4:25]
Track 03: Straniero, ascolta (Turandot) [2:03]
Track 04: Sì! Rinasce! (Calaf, Coro) [0:56]
Track 05: Guizza al pari di fiamma (Turandot, L'Imperatore, Liù, Coro) [1:40]
Track 06: Sì, Principessa! (Calaf, Turandot, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [1:02]
Track 07: Gelo che ti dà foco (Turandot) [2:03]
Track 08: La mia vittoria (Calaf, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [1:53]
Track 09: Figlio del Cielo! (Turandot, L'Imperatore, Coro) [2:08]
Track 10: No, no, Principessa altera (Calaf, Altoum, Coro) [3:29]
Track 11: Ai tuoi piedi ci prostriam (La folla) [2:33]

Act 3
Track 12: Così comanda Turandot (Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [3:47]
Track 13: Nessun dorma (Calaf, Coro) [3:22]
Track 14: Tu che guardi le stelle (Ping, Pong, Pang, Calaf, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [2:26]
Track 15: Straniero, tu non sai (Ping, Pong, Pang, Calaf, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [1:45]
Track 16: Principessa divina! (Ping, Turandot, Calaf, Liù, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [2:47]
Track 17: Signor, non parlerò! (Liù, Ping, Timur, Calaf, Coro, Turandot, Coro di ragazzi) [1:35]
Track 18: Chi pose tanta forza nel tuo cuore? (Turandot, Liù) [2:58]
Track 19: Strappatele il segreto! (Turandot, Ping, Calaf, Coro, Liù, Coro di ragazzi) [1:32]
Track 20: Tu che di gel sei cinta (Liù, Coro, Calaf, Coro di ragazzi) [3:21]
Track 21: Liù! Liù! Sorgi! Sorgi! (Timur, Ping, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [2:36]
Track 22: Liù, bontà! Liù, dolcezza! (Timur, Pong, Ping, Pang, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [3:21]
Track 23: Principessa di morte! (Calaf, Turandot) [3:53]
Track 24: Che è mai di me? (Turandot, Calaf, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [2:59]
Track 25: La tua gloria risplende nell'incanto (Calaf, Turandot) [3:36]
Track 26: Più grande vittoria non voler! (Turandot, Calaf) [1:04]
Track 27: So il tuo nome! (Turandot, Calaf) [1:30]
Track 28: Diecimila anni al nostro Imperatore! (Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [1:49]
Track 29: Padre augusto (Turandot, Coro, Coro di ragazzi) [2:01]