Turandot : An Opera in Two Acts
Turandot : An Opera in Two Acts by Ekaterinburg Ballet and Opera Theatre
Wednesday 11 September 2019, 7:00 PM
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Conductor: Konstantin Chudovsky
Music Director: Oliver von Dohnanyi
Stage Director: Jean-Romain Vesperini
Set Design: Dirk Hofaker
Lighting Designer: Christophe Chaupin
Choirmaster: Elvira Gaifullina
One of Russia’s leading opera theaters, Ekaterinburg Opera Theatre brings to Bangkok Puccini’s two-act opera Turandot, sung in Italian. This opera theatre, the oldest in Russia, is the winner of several ‘Golden Mask’ award; the prestigious award is equivalent to the Oscars. Looked upon as a custodian of Russian and international musical traditions, the opera theatre since 2010, was nominated 83 times for 18 performances and received 15 ‘Golden Mask’ awards. In 2017, their opera production ‘Satyagraha’ was awarded the National Opera award ‘Casta Diva’. While the ‘National Opera Award – Onegin’ named it the ‘best musical theatre of the country’ with its soloist, Nadezhda Babintsev, an Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, winning the Prima Donna Award.
Their Turandot is a remarkable version featuring leading Italian tenor Paolo Lardinzzone playing the lead role of Prince Calaf; Paolo has performed in leading opera theatres including La Scala of Milan. Singing Turandot is soprano Zoya Tsererina from St Petersburg. This production is based on the original Franco Alfano version; Alfano completed Puccini’s Turandot in 1926. Set in China, it has Prince Calaf falling in love with the coldhearted
Princess. To marry her, a suitor must solve three riddles; wrong answer results in death. Calaf passes the test, but Turandot still refuses to marry him. He offers her a way out: if she is able to learn his name before dawn the next day, then at daybreak he will die.
