Turandot

Accessible opera booklet

Giacomo Puccini

Introduction

Turandot
by Giacomo Puccini

Opera in three acts and five scenes.

Libretto by
Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni

This is the accessible program booklet for Turandot by Giacomo Puccini.
It provides audio versions of the texts, audio descriptions, and videos in ISL, International Sign Language. The texts can be easily zoomed in and out, and the contrast of the display can be increased. The “Audio Text” button plays the audio of the texts read by a male voice while the “Audio Description” button plays the audio descriptions of the pictures read by a female voice. The “ISL” button plays videos in International Sign Language.
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Introduction

Synopsis

Act I

A Mandarin man in Beijing relays Princess Turandot's decree to the people: any prince seeking to marry her must solve three riddles, or face beheading (as witnessed with the latest failed suitor from Persia). While the crowd awaits the next trial, Calàf (an exiled prince in disguise) reunites with his blind father Timur, accompanied by the loyal slave girl Liù. However, when he sees Turandot, he falls in love with her at first sight and decides to try his luck in turn. The three imperial ministers (Ping, Pang, and Pong) try to dissuade him, while Liù (who has always loved him) begs him not to risk his life. But their pleas are futile. After asking Liù to take care of the elderly Timur, Calàfbravely steps forward to face the perilous trial.

The stage is dominated by a structure made of wooden poles forming walkways, piers, and ladders as though it were underwater. The people of Peking stand along the entire structure, bowing at the waist. They are dressed in raggedy clothes that are gray and purple. Behind the structure to the left stands a tower made of gold colored bricks surmounted by crests that reproduces the Yellow Crane Tower in the People’s Republic of China. About halfway up the tower, there is a balcony where a messenger stands flanked by the imperial guards. To the right of the tower there is a sort of light gray brick wall that screens and restricts the space on the stage. It is covered in paintings of bright blue dragons with twisted bodies. The paintings recall those on the Nine-Dragon Wall in the Forbidden City. In the background are the tiers of the arena.

Act 1

At center stage, prince Calàf is surrounded by the three ministers of state Ping, Pong and Pang. Calàf is wearing a dark green suede shirt with a long dark brown suede jacket over it. The borders of the jacket are accented with thick, light gray fur. He is also wearing dark brown suede pants and leather boots that are brown and dark green. His brown hair is shoulder length, and he has a beard. Ping, Pong and Pang all wear a dominant color: yellow, red and green respectively. They are wearing gaudy robes that fall to the calves with sleeves that widen at the wrists. The yellow robe is accented with pieces of gold fabric, the red one has gold embroidery, and the green one has red plumes. On their feet they are wearing boots made of cloth in the same dominant color as their robes. They are wearing hats that sway, with squares on the yellow hat, circles on the red one, and crescent moons on the green one. They are holding fans that are the same color as their robes.

Picture one
Prince Calàf and the three ministers of state Ping, Pong and Pang.

Act II

Following Ping, Pang, and Pong's reflections on conditions in China, the trial unfolds with the Emperor, Turandot's father, in attendance. Initially, the princess expresses her desire to execute all suitors to avenge the violent death of an ancestor, then poses the three riddles. Although Calàf solves them, Turandot refuses his marriage proposal. Consequently, the prince issues his own challenge: “Guess my name before dawn, and you may execute me. Otherwise, you must marry me”.

The stage is dominated by the palace of emperor Altoum. The gold and silver of the building glitter with jade green reflections. The main part of the building is formed by the baldacchino above the throne. It recalls the Baldacchino of Saint Peter’s Basilica by Bernini. It is supported by four twisted Solomonic columns with dragons coiled around them. Sitting on the throne is emperor Altoum. To the right and left of the baldacchino stand the banners of the emperor, one on each side. They are silver and gold with a blue dragon emblazoned on them. In front there are steps where the crowd stands. There are ballerinas in pink with parasols, supernumeraries in white with plumes, dignitaries in beige with fans, and concubines dressed in clothes made of shiny cloth. This scene creates an effective contrast between the imperial space and that of the commoners, which appears even more shabby and listless.

Act II

At center stage kneels princess Turandot. To her left is Calàf, dressed the same as in the previous picture. Turandot is wearing a pale ice blue robe that falls to her feet, with sleeves that widen at her wrists. They are shiny and accented by rolling embroidery in sky blue. The shoulders are padded, resembling armor. The front of the robe is decorated with shiny sky-blue bands. At her feet, only the toes of her shoes are visible, and they are same color as the robe. On her head she is wearing a headdress in the shape of silver sunburst. The tips of the rays are blue.

Picture two
Princess Turandot.

Act III

As Beijing remains vigilant under Turandot's decree, Calàf waits for dawn, confident in his imminent victory. However, the ministers capture Timur and Liu. Liu chooses to kill herself in order not to divulge the secret of the man she loves. Her suicide deeply affects everyone. It prompts Calàf to confront Turandot, and he manages to kiss her and thaw her icy heart. The princess confesses to him that she has loved him from the start. Calàf then reveals his identity, leaving his fate in her hands. As the people and court assemble, Turandot proclaims the stranger's name to be “Love”. The sun rises and everyone celebrates the new royal couple.

The stage is dominated by a structure made of wood where the people of Peking are gathered. Some are sitting, others crouching, and still others prostrate. On the central walkway stand the three ministers of state Ping, Pong e Pang, dressed in yellow, red and green, with a dominant color for each. Princess Turandot is there dressed in a silvery suit similar to armor. In the back, along the brick wall with the dragons, you can discern pagodas and towering buildings with overlapping roofs: a forbidden city hidden from view. In the background are the tiers of the arena.

Act III

Synopsis

Characters

Princess Turandot [soprano]
The Emperor Altoum [tenor]
Timur [bass]
The Unknown Prince (Calàf) [tenor]
Liù [soprano]
Ping [baritone]
Pang [tenor]
Pong [tenor]
A Mandarin [baritone]
The Prince of Persia [tenor]
The Executioner

The imperial guards, the executioner's servants, the boys, the priests, the mandarins, the dignitaries, the eight wise men, Turandot's handmaidens, the soldiers, the standard-bearers, the musicians, the shadows of the dead, the crowd.

Characters

Director's Notes

Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, was left unfinished at his death. However, perhaps due to its choral, exotic, and grandiose qualities, Turandot was the very first of Puccini’s works to make its debut at the Arena in 1928. It brings to life “the China of the time of fairy tales,” as imagined by the Veronese authors of the libretto, Adami and Simoni. The story was inspired by the tragicomic fairy tale by Carlo Gozzi. Franco Zeffirelli sets it in a China removed from time and in the geographical space of the “fantastical,” marvelous Orient. The set design works its way into the collective imagination, like the rich illustrations in old fairy tale books for children. Even after its debut in the Arena in 2010, the edition by Zeffirelli, with his directing and scenography, still catches the eye, like with the scene change that anticipates the entrance of emperor Altoum. Here, the bleak, disturbing darkness animated by the faceless crowd of the common people dressed in rags is suddenly engulfed by the light of a palace made entirely of gold with rich details that is made even more magical by the bright costumes dominated by the colors of gold and silver. In addition to the magnificence of the scenes, the direction continues to receive praise for its adept portrayal of the most pervasive and arguably most demanding character in the opera: the “people of Peking”. Throughout the production, this irrational crowd not only adds to the opulent spectacle of the scenes but also actively shapes the destinies of the main characters.

Director's Notes

Credits

The texts and images contained in this accessible program booklet have been provided by Fondazione Arena di Verona.

Design, planning, texts and descriptions
Elena Di Giovanni, Francesca Raffi (Università degli Studi di Macerata)

Technical supervision
ALI – Accessibilità Lingue Inclusione

Technical design, planning and digital development
Tadao Agency

Voices
Marco Quaglia (texts)
Giulia Heathfield Di Renzi (descriptions)

Videos in ISL
Daniel Bongioanni

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Credits