GIACOMO PUCCINI: Turandot

Turandot Oksana Dyka
Calàf Alfred Kim
Liù Selene Zanetti
Timur Géza Gábor
Ping Zoltán Kelemen
Pong Donát Varga
Pang Zoltán Megyesi
Emperor Altoum/Prince of Persia László Kálmán
Mandarin István Gáspár

The Children’s Choir of the Zoltán Kodály Hungarian Choir School (choirmasters: Borbála Sapszon and Ferenc Sapszon)
Hungarian National Choir (choirmaster: Csaba Somos)
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Carlo Montanaro

Turandot, Puccini’s final work, based on a story by Carlo Gozzi and eventually completed after the composer’s death by Franco Alfano, is one of the most popular operas of all time. This concert-format production by the Hungarian National Orchestra and Choir features a true cavalcade of international star soloists, with Ukrainian soprano Oksana Dyka singing the title role and South Korean tenor Alfred Kim taking on the famous aria Nessun dorma as Prince Calaf and the Italian soprano Selene Zanetti appearing as the self-sacrificing Liu, all joined by the outstanding Hungarian artists Géza Gábor, Zoltán Kelemen, Donát Varga, Zoltán Megyesi, László Kálmán and István Gáspár in the other roles. And taking the podium will be a true Italian opera specialist in the form of Carlo Montanaro.

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) wrote his final opera, Turandot, based on a play Schiller had based on a story adapted from an earlier Persian tale by the 18th-century Italian writer Carlo Gozzi. The three-act opera centres on ancient concepts and symbols, along with the world of fairy tales and myths. One of these is the riddle that decrees one’s fate. The other is the secret of one’s name. Love, cruelty, pain, yearning, self-sacrifice. These are only a few of the the dramatic elements that viscerally draw viewers into the magic circle of the ever-tightening story. Singing the title role of Turandot, which remained unfinished after the composer’s death until it was completed by Franco Alfano, in this concert-format performance by the Hungarian National Philharmonic and Choir will be the Ukrainian soprano Oksana Dyka, with the South Korean tenor Alfred Kim portraying Prince Calaf and the Italian soprano soprano Selene Zanetti taking the stage as the self-sacrificing Liu. We can also look forward to having some superb Hungarian singers as part of the international cast: Géza Gábor, Zoltán Kelemen, Donát Varga, Zoltán Megyesi, László Kálmán and István Gáspár. The Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro, with his energy and passion is already a great favourite among the Müpa Budapest audience, one who is deeply steeped in the opera repertoire.