Turandot Archives - North West End UK

3Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Turandot – Royal Opera House

In spite of the date, it was sadly no joke that due to technical issues with the transmission, we lost the majority of the opening act and just when everything was set for the final act to unfold, further issues saw us stutter through the opening of Nessun Dorma before a freeze and then a jump to the next scene. All of this combined with the fact that the wrong programme information was sent out gives great cause for concern when opera is striving to reinforce its audience and its future with a selected live performance transmitted globally – on this occasion to over one thousand cinemas in twenty-two countries. None of this is the fault of the creatives and cast and having seen the 2023 revival, that serves as a useful point of reference for me to review this 2025 revival in spite of t...

Turandot – Arcola Theatre

From the 19th of July, the Grimeborn Opera Festival returns for the sixteenth year, featuring twelve operas from across the globe. This professional production of Puccini's final opera, set in China and rooted in Central and East Asian literature, has an entire cast from the Asian diaspora. This reimagining explores the toxicity of online obsession in the face of human tragedy, as Calaf is lured into a virtual, addictive world by the imperious digital fantasy princess Turandot. Turnadot is often remembered for the famous rendition of "Nessun Dorma." by Luciano Pavarotti. When one thinks of operas, one imagines massive sets with casts of 70 plus in the chorus and an entire live orchestra. But this recreation creates a unique alchemy with intentional gaze, elegant costume and light projec...

Turandot – The Metropolitan Opera, New York

The Met Opera’s latest faithful revival of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1987 production remains a sight to behold along with every other sensory overload you can imagine as the volume is most definitely turned up to 11 and beyond. In legendary Peking, any prince seeking to marry Princess Turandot (Liudmyla Monastyrska) must answer three riddles: if he fails, he will die. Among the crowd Calàf (Yonghoon Lee) discovers his long-lost father, Timur (Ferruccio Furlanetto). As the latest failed suitor goes to his death, the crowd implore the princess to spare him, but she orders the execution to proceed. Calàf is transfixed by her beauty and decides to win her heart. Timor and the slave girl Liù (Ermonela Jaho) as well as the ministers Ping, Pang, and Pong try to discourage him. Whilst the three mi...