Turandot (Blu-ray) - Chailly, Stemme, Antonenko

Release Date: 1/27/17
Conductor: Riccardo Chailly
Artists: Nina Stemme, Aleksandrs Antonenko
Orchestra: Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala
Chorus: Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala

Format: Widescreen
Language: English
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Music Group
DVD Release Date: January 27, 2017

Turandot
Puccini’s final opera is an epic fairy tale set in a China of legend,
Featuring a most unusual score with an astounding and innovative use of chorus and orchestra, it is still recognizably Puccini.
The unenviable task of completing the opera’s final scene upon Puccini’s sudden death was left to the composer Franco Alfano. Conductor Arturo Toscanini oversaw Alfano’s contribution and led the world premiere. World premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, April 1926. Met and U.S. premiere: November 16, 1926.

Composer
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)

Setting
In Gozzi’s play, the original commedia dell’arte characters wandered from Italy to China and were members of the Imperial court. The China of this opera, set in “legendary times,” is a mythical land where the clash of the sexes is drawn in high relief.

Met History
Although the Met presented the American premiere of Turandot in 1926, Puccini’s last work didn’t become an audience favorite until the opening of Cecil Beaton’s 1961 production, which featured Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli. Their dynamic (and highly competitive) appearances together helped secure the opera’s box office appeal. The current Franco Zeffirelli production was first seen in 1987 with Eva Marton, Plácido Domingo, and Leona Mitchell.