An Opera in 3 Acts
Performed in Italian with Chinese and English Surtitles
A Musica Viva ProductionSCHEDULE:12/12/2014 (Fri) 19:4513/12/2014 (Sat) 14:3013/12/2014 (Sat) 19:4514/12/2014 (Sun) 14:30Tickets: HK$ 630, HK$ 460, HK$ 300, HK$ 150ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Turandot is the last opera written by Giacomo Puccini. The libretto was written by dramatist Renato Simoni in collaboration with the poet Giuseppe Adami. The Princess Turandot will only marry a suitor of royal blood who can answer three riddles set by her. Anyone who fails will be beheaded. Calaf, heir to the throne of Tartary, successfully answers all three riddles. But Turandot now reneges on her promise. Calaf offers to release her and to die at her hand if she can discover his name before dawn. Finally, Turandot is deeply moved by Calaf’s genuine affections.
When Puccini died in November 1924, he left the final duet and concluding scene of Turandot unfinished. Franco Alfano was engaged to complete the opera based on the sketches and notes left by Puccini. The Alfano ending has been performed as an integral part of Puccini’s masterpiece ever since its first appearance in 1926. The important contemporary Italian composer Luciano Berio was commissioned by the House of Ricordi, Puccini’s publisher, to compose a new ending for the opera in 2002. This Berio version has been performed by the Los Angeles Opera, at the Amsterdam Muziektheater, the Salzburg Festival and other important productions. Musica Viva will perform both the Alfano (in the first and third performances) and Berio (in the second and last) endings in this production. This will not only be the Asian premiere of Berio’s effort, but also the first time ever of both endings being presented side by side in consecutive performances of the same production.
The production is directed by Lo Kingman and conducted by Lio Kuokman. Lio has been recently appointed assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is the first Chinese conductor to assume this position. He is also the winner of this year’s Evgeny Svetlanov Competition in France. The production features a team of world-renowned opera stars who have sung with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Chicago Lyric Opera, National Opera in London and some of the most prestigious companies world-wide, performing with excellent artists from Hong Kong.Further information at: http://bit.ly/104lNdH