Royal Opera

Turandot

In Cinemas 22, 23 & 26 Apr 2023
Conductor
Antonio Pappano
Orchestra
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Cast
Anna Pirozzi (Princess Turandot), Yonghoon Lee (Calaf), Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha (Liù), Vitalij Kowaljow (Timur), Hansung Yoo (Ping), Aled Hall (Pang)
Composer
Giacomo Puccini
Director
Andrei Serban
Set Design
Sally Jacobs
Duration
3h12 including 2 intervals
Sung in Italian, with English subtitles
Captured live from Covent Garden, London, 22 Mar 2023
Official Event Listing
  • Serban's production has a substance to it beyond the shimmering delight of its choreography and eye-catching set. Pappano’s inspired reading of the score is one of the finest we have heard.
    Dominic Lowe, BACHTRACK
    A triumph!
    Amanda Holloway, THE STAGE
    Powerful. A blazing, visually resplendent masterpiece. With Pappano and the Royal Opera orchestra on top form, the music glitters with invention at every turn.
    Richard Fairman, FINANCIAL TIMES
    For the full 'Turandot' experience, see Serban's production... now on its third generation of audiences it continues to amaze. As the imperious princess, Italian superstar Anna Pirozzi brought the house down.
    Claudia Pritchard, CULTURE WHISPER
    A spectacular feast for the eyes and ears. Anna Pirozzi and Yonghoon Lee lead a rousing performance, and Rangwanasha is an absolute tour-de-force.
    Mike Hardy, OPERAWIRE

Opera in three acts (1926)

Puccini’s final opera is a glorious pageant of rich colour, dance and drama.

In the court of Princess Turandot (star Italian soprano Anna Pirozzi), suitors who fail to solve her riddles are brutally killed. But when a mysterious Prince (acclaimed tenor Yonghoon Lee) answers one correctly, suddenly he holds all the power – and a glorious secret. When life hangs in the balance, can love conquer all?

The terrific international cast also includes extraordinary soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha as Liù and bass Vitalij Kowaljow as Timur.

Andrei Serban's spectacular and thrilling 1984 staging - revived her for the 15th time! - has long been a classic, drawing on Chinese and Italian theatrical traditions to conjure a vision of ancient China steeped in legend and fantasy. Puccini's score is rich in musical marvels - not least the instantly recognisable 'Nessun dorma' - and offers memorable arias, chorus numbers and moments of high drama.

With this revival, ROH Music Director Antonio Pappano conducts this most adventurous of Puccini’s works on stage for the first time.