Italiano nacido en 1858 y muerto en 1924. Nessum Dorma, Aria de Turandot, es uno de los más sublimes momentos de la ópera mundias. Puccini muere sin terminar Turandot una de sus grandes obras y una de las grandes obras del arte universal.

1858 Nace en Lucca, Tosca un 22 de Diciembre.

1896 La Boheme.

1924 Muere.

1926 Turandot , Teatro alla Scala, Milano. (Terminada por Franco Alfano)

DESCARGA LA PARTITURA DEL ARIA  NESSUN DORMA  DE LA OPERA TURANDOT PARA PIANO Y VOZ (SOPRANO O TENOR).

FORMATO PDF.

Nessun Dorma

And this is how it is done. All comments saying that Paul Potts’ version is better than this, shalt be instantly deleted.

The expression at the finale “Vincero!” is worth a million words. This is probably the most emotional performace I’ve ever seen. This is why he is The Pavarotti.

Turiu prisipažinti, kai pirmą kartą išgirdau apie tiesioginę operos transliaciją kine, ši mintis atrodė šiek tiek juokingai. Argi ne geriau nueiti į „tikrą“ operą? Ir dar 50 litų?! Kas eitų į tokią nesąmonę? Bet po kurio laiko ši mintis neatrodė tokia absurdiška. Visgi Metropoliteno opera, visgi HD… Nusprendžiau, jog bent vieną kartą tikrai būtų įdomu nueiti. Taigi, velkamės išeiginius marškinius ir einam žiūrėti Pučinio „Tiurandot“.

Techniniai nesklandumai

Kai kam nors pasakodavau, kad eisiu į operos transliaciją, juokaudavau, kad nutrūks ryšys, dings vaizdas ar garsas, ar dar kas nors atsitiks. Neklydau. Pirmam veiksme trumpam buvo dingęs ryšys. Aišku, pačioje įdomiausioje vietoje, kur turėjo nukirsti persų princui galvą. Kai ryšys atsinaujino, scenoje princo nebebuvo ir minia, prašanti jo pasigailėti, jau spėjo išsiskirstyti. Keliasdešimt sekundžių pagadino visą veiksmą.

Man taip pat užkliuvo garso kokybė. Garsesnėse vietose, ypač dainuojant chorui ar tenorui solistui, girdėjosi iškraipymai. Neapsimesiu daug išmanančiu, bet drįstu spėti, kad dėl to kalta vietinė garso atkūrimo sistema, nes tas šaižus „fuzas“ labiau girdėjosi kažkur kairėje. Jei gerai pamenu, panašų iškraipymą toje salėje esu girdėjęs ir ankščiau, žiūrėdamas kažkokį filmą. Forum cinemas tikrai turėtų pasistengti išspręsti šią problemą.

Opera

Pati opera buvo įspūdinga. Scenografija, kostiumai, choreografija, vaidyba, vokalas, filmavimas ir transliacijos režisūra – viskas buvo tobula. Opera sudarė trys veiksmai, su 25 minučių pertraukomis. Pertraukų metu transliuodavo vaizdus iš užkulisių: kaip scenos darbuotojai stato milžiniškas dekoracijas, interviu su atlikėjais, dirigentu, orkestro nariais ir dar kažkuo. Labai patiko solistė Marina Poplavskaya, vaidinusi vergę Liu, o Marcello Giordanio atlikta arija „Nessun Dorma“ buvo tiesiog nepakartojama.

Opernhaus „Vingis“

Kol neatvykau į „Vingį“, nežinojau kur einu, į kino teatrą ar į operą. Tačiau forum cinemas pasistengė, jog žiūrovai pajustų, kad atėjo į operą. Atidaryta „Domino“ teatro drabužinė leido pasikabinti paltus ir striukes, ištiestas raudonas kilimas (iki eskalatoriaus ), skambučiai skelbė pertraukų pabaigą, kino teatro darbuotojai apsirengę baltais marškiniais, lemenėmis ir varlytėmis. Ir, aišku, karštas šokoladas bare – tiesiog neatsiejama operos teatro dalis.

Bendras įspūdis

Visiškai nesigailiu, jog nuėjau, tikrai buvo verta.

Le Metropolitan Opera of New York partage ses spectacles en live HD dans le monde entier -non, les Etats-Unis ne sont plus une île . Ce n’est apparemment pas nouveau puisque c’est au moins  la deuxième saison en France, la quatrième en général (ils ont commencé avec le CAnada apparemment) .  Cette année dans pas mal de Pathés. Ca a du bien marcher, l’année dernière c’était 18 € voir l”article ici et c’est passé à 27.

Hier donc, c’était Turandot, à Munich comme à Moscou <a href="http://">http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/broadcast/hd_events_alternates.aspx</a>. Dommage, pas à Pékin, Turandot aurait pu s’y prêter. En Asie seuls les Japonais et les Sud-Coréens y ont droit. Avec comme réalisateur, Franco Zeffirelli, qui avait déjà adapté cet opéra pour la télévision il y a plus de 20 ans.

Une merveilleuse Liu, l’esclave du roi de Perse en exil. Et des décors somptueux. Gros avantage de ce direct live c’est qu’une partie des entractes se déroule dans les coulisses et qu’on assiste aux changements de décor, qui sont impressionnants. J’ai bien failli ne pas aller me chercher ma coupe de champagne offerte par le ciné,  moi !

Aux entractes également, l’interview des chanteurs et du chef d’orchestre par la journaliste super siliconée super glossée et qui fait la quête pour le MET.

Donc, si ça vous intéresse pour une autre fois, allez voir, il y a surement encore des places !

This Franco Zeffirelli production is wonderful. The sets by Zeffirelli himself, along with costume designs by Anna Anni and Dada Saligeri, give a sense of power and magnificence, while the predominantly dark lighting by Gil Wechsler gives a sense of menace. All one then needs is a good conductor and fine singers, and here we were excellently served by Andris Nelsons in the orchestra pit, and Maria Guleghina and Marcello Giordani in the main parts of Turandot and Calaf. With her great stage presence and powerful voice, Ms. Guleghina portrayed Turandot to perfection, and interacted superbly with Giordani. His evident determination to crack the riddles, showing uncertainty before working out the answers, was admirably done, and despite a brief loss of pitch in Act II he sang heroically, rendering Nessun dorma with perfect timing and build-up.

The supporting role of Calaf’s father Timur was sensitively portrayed by Samuel Ramey, and the bravely faithful Liu was beautifully sung and acted by Marina Poplavskaya. I particularly liked the way Charles Anthony portrayed the emperor, singing with wonderful Chinese intonation, and one of the intermission features by Patricia Racette was an interview with Anthony, who told us he first sang at the Met in 1954, and that his real family name was Caruso. What a superbly appropriate fact, since the opera is concerned with finding out the prince’s real name. But that was just icing on the cake, because this opera was brilliantly performed. And it shows the Met to be setting a template for opera performance that puts into a shadow some of the more confusing and hyper-intellectual nonsense that one occasionally meets. Thank you Metropolitan Opera!

Well, according to the poll, 75% feel that neither Lindstrom nor Guleghina were authentic enough in their portrayal of Puccini’s Principessa di Gelo.  So, what do I mean by authenticity?  When a composer creates a character, it is not solely their dramatis personae that is taken into account.  In fact, most operatic characters are defined by their singing, by the style of their music, and thus a number of elements come into play that go above and beyond fach.  To be authentic, language, aesthetic understanding, musicality, and emotional impetus are mandatory.

The role of Turandot is usually sung by a dramatic spinto, but don’t let this confuse you.  There are many moments where lyric qualities are absolutely necessary.  Actually, Turandot’s style and her mannerisms shift as her persona goes through a series of emotional shifts.  As such, the singer portraying her must possess all of these capabilities.  The role was originally sung by Puccini’s favourite soprano, Maria Jeritza.  The other great, and my personal favourite, was Birgit Nilsson.  Unfortunately, neither Lindstrom or Guleghina came close…should we expect them to?  ABSOLUTELY!  Just because we are hedging on 2010 doesn’t mean that we should consider that the great era of singers has come to an end.  Obviously, this notion affects the young generation of singers and how they are being instructed (but that’s another issue altogether).

Lindstrom’s debut was exciting, to say the least, and the voice has the type of laser quality that is absolutely necessary of Turandot.  Lacking in this quality deems Turandot’s persona to be warmer than she should be.  The upper tessitura requires that kind of silver shimmer that lingers in the theater long after the note has ended.  Unfortunately, Ms. Lindstrom’s middle and lower voice were uneven in relationship to her upper voice.  This is a technical issue and not the result of the role itself.  Interestingly, singers of this fach need to use chest resonance in the middle and lower voices because the top is so heavy.  Pushing the head voice down too far isn’t condusive.

Guleghina, on the other hand, has a much darker tone and is, in my opinion, not as much a spinto as she is a Dramatic Soprano.  She is more comfortable in the middle and lower range than the top and unfortunately many of her upper notes left much to be desired.  She infused portamenti into those phrases where the higher notes are meant to be held, lingering, spinning, and laser-like, in order to save herself.  There is no question that the voice is important in the genre, but unfortunately, she didn’t impress more than Lindstrom.

Perhaps we should make a clone by combining the two of them:  Lindstrom’s top with Guleghina’s middle and bottom would be ideal….but still, never Nilsson.

Birgit Nilsson, the quintessential Turandot

Turandot: 14 e 15 Novembre al Teatro Sociale di Mantova in scena: Turandot, dramma Lirico in tre atti, musica di Giacomo Puccini. Maestro e Direttore G. Acquaviva, Regia M. Scaparro, Riprese S. Attèndoli, Scene E. Frigerio riprese da M. Bertuccelli. Costumi F. Squarciapino, Lighting Designer J.P. Carradori. Maestro del Coro F. Tosi, Maestro del Coro Voci Bianche A. Veggiotti. Orchestra e Coro della Fondazione Festival Pucciniano, Coro delle Voci Bianche dell’Accademia di Canto e Musica da Camera M. Langhi. Acquista subito il Tuo biglietto, non perdere questa serata…

Film director Franco Zeffirelli, famed to the masses for his hippie-era rendering of Romeo and Juliet, is the creative force behind the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Turandot. As a relative newcomer to Giacomo Puccini’s last work, I went in without ghosts of any Turandots past to influence my perspective.

I got a show every sense of the word. Under Zefferelli’s lively direction and set production, Turandot gleams, glides and literally glitters. It could afford to pump up its musical volume at times, but a solid cast and what must have been a vast budget ensure that it is always a spectacle to behold.

Our opening night also saw an opera rarity: star soprano Maria Guleghina was ill, and instead Lise Lindstrom stepped into the title role. That’s a huge responsibility and opportunity (it’s also the plot of Phantom of the Opera), but Lindstrom pulled it off with conviction. A sympathetic crowd, after audibly gasping at the news, cheered the fine performance in bows strangely positioned after every act.

There are huge, impressive, theatrically gaudy sets — multiple layers of ancient “Chinese” pagodas, curved bridges, twisted town squares and an ornate gold-and-marble Imperial throne room with pool. The costumes are gorgeous confections, fantasies of a mystical China in every color of the rainbow. There is a lot of white and gold and silver, and Turandot herself sparkles. From my up-in-the-rafters seats, I appreciated all the overdone plumage. Our eyes are never bored with Zeffirelli.

The same could not be said of my ears. There were a few times when the performance felt too quiet — softer where it should have been thundering, with wonderful arias crowded in by too many sets and people. There’s a sense that the main characters and storyline are overshadowed by the grand scale of the production. As tragic slave girl Liu, soprano Marina Poplavskaya is a particular standout, and tenor Marcello Giordani as hero Calaf has a bold voice that made it all the way up to the rafters. The Metropolitan orchestra, under Andris Nelsons’s conducting, sounds as rich as Zefirelli’s set work looks.

The fairytale narrative of the icy-hearted Princess Turandot, her brash suitor and their colorful companions feels both familiar and doesn’t wear thin. It runs on at long length, but we’re left waiting to see what tricks and trappings will roll out next. And “Nessun dorma,” one of opera’s most famous arias, is exquisite in every incarnation herein.  I won’t ruin the finale, but needless to say, it involves a whole lot of glitz, glitter, gilt, and guilt — the stuff of true operatic gold.

Turandot: 14 e 15 Novembre al Teatro Sociale di Mantova in scena: Turandot, dramma Lirico in tre atti, musica di Giacomo Puccini. Maestro e Direttore G. Acquaviva, Regia M. Scaparro, Riprese S. Attèndoli, Scene E. Frigerio riprese da M. Bertuccelli. Costumi F. Squarciapino, Lighting Designer J.P. Carradori. Maestro del Coro F. Tosi, Maestro del Coro Voci Bianche A. Veggiotti. Orchestra e Coro della Fondazione Festival Pucciniano, Coro delle Voci Bianche dell’Accademia di Canto e Musica da Camera M. Langhi. Acquista subito il Tuo biglietto, non perdere questa serata…

Apparently Antony Hegarty loves a good cup of Joe. So much in fact that he is endorsing Italian coffee brand Lavazza by recording the aria “Nessum Dorma” (“None Shall Sleep”) from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot backed by the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra.

This performance truly highlights Hegarty’s voice and presents it in a way that most can appreciate what amazing pipes he really has. Every person that I let listen to The Crying Light tends to cringe and scoff but if I played them “Epilepsy Is Dancing” (embedded below) and after they were done scoffing played them “Nessum Dorma” they would never guess that it was the same performer. Not because Hegarty changes his vocal fluctuations or that tell tale vibrato but because this is the voice that people associate with opera, not baroque-pop.

You can read the little press release here.

Antony Hegarty – “Nessum Dorma”

Sitting in an empty concert hall, I remember leaning over the polished banister, enthralled by the enormous sound escaping the quaking lips on a bearded chin.  I had the opportunity to attend the dress rehearsal of Puccini’s opera, Turandot, with my fifth grade class, and the memory of hearing “Nessun Dorma” for the first time has remained one of my fondest musical recollections.  The celebrated aria gives me goose bumps each time I hear it – each time my junior year English teacher’s cell phone went off with the sound of Luciano Pavarotti’s resounding “Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!”

Luciano Pavarotti – Nessun Dorma

I get the same feeling each time my Grandmother plays her favorite recording of Paul Potts’s reverberating performance of the aria at our family’s holiday celebrations.  Potts became famous after his performance of “Nessun Dorma” on the popular TV series Britain’s Got Talent.  The aria’s presence is not that of an unapproachable operatic intellect, but that of a pop song.

Paul Potts – Nessun Dorma

The popularity of the aria, despite its operatic status, is astounding when one considers the cultural pedestal upon which opera is often placed.  As a genre, opera is intimidating to much of the American public.  This fact has a great deal to do with the foreign languages, such as Italian and German, in which many famous operas are written; Puccini’s Turandot among them, which is written in Italian.  To many of today’s music listeners, opera is fundamentally nothing more than classical music – alone, often considered an intimidating European art form – paired with incomprehensible singing and fantastical theatrical sets.  How can the average person discourse on such a topic?  It is, after all, considered “art;” not understood by the masses, but by those who have had the necessary training and who can recognize the genius of the music.  Such individuals are permitted to attend performances in great concert halls with polished banisters; only individuals such as these are expected to be enthralled by the enormous sounds and trembling vibratos that escape the lips of highly trained opera singers.  What one often forgets is the history of the pre-canonized opera.

At the time of such famous composers as Mozart and Wagner, opera was the music of the masses.  Although opera was originally confined to the royal courts of Europe, it soon became the “pop” music of the Baroque era (the late sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century) and beyond.  Opera singers became celebrities and many operatic performances were salted with a flavor of spectacle to entertain common European audience members.  Although Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot was not performed until 1926, it was still considered popular music by musicologists of the time.  In fact, Puccini’s style was often dismissed by musicologists as shallow because of its emphasis on melody for popular appeal.  My Grandmother herself, when playing her recording of “Nessun Dorma,” once told me that although Puccini’s operatic compositions were not considered “mature” – or elitist – operas, she could not help going weak at the knees when listening to Paul Potts.  And indeed, behind the intimidating Italian jargon lie the breathtaking words of a common young man in love:

No one shall sleep!…
No one shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
In your cold room,
Watch the stars,
That tremble with love and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
My name no one shall know.
No!…No!…
On your mouth I will speak it when the light shines.
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!…
No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will conquer! I will conquer! I will conquer!

Lauren Corallo

Kat taking one of many photos at the 颐和园 Summer Palace

I can’t actually remember what I was doing on specific days but fortunately I am an adept stapler (if that makes sense… basically I am keeping ticket stubs and the like in a notebook).  By the way, this gets really long:

• On the evening of the 4th, Kat and I sought out Russian food and we ended up at a place in Dongzhimen called Traktirr Pushkin.  I thought it was a decent meal, but it was substandard for Kat who has standards for such things.  When I got back to Ben and Verena’s, they were watching Twilight with Jake and I caught the last half hour or so and it was absolutely ridiculous.  Later, we watched The Proposal.
• October 5th: I got up relatively early and returned to the Summer Palace with Kat.  It was busier than when I first visited but it is the Golden Week.  We had lunch in Wudaokou and returned to Ben’s before going for Peking Duck with Ben, Verena, Jake, and Lorelei (who is in town from Shanghai) and her friends Cedric and Philippe.  We ate at Dadong which is supposed to be one of the best places for 北京烤鸭 roast duck in the city and while it was very good, I think I’ve had duck of equal or better quality in Toronto with less hype.  The accompanying dishes were all right.  Later, drinks in 三里屯 Sanlitun and the rest of them went clubbing at Destination but I went back to Ben’s and caught up on Desperate Housewives.
• On the 6th, I finally moved to Kat’s where I stayed the rest of my time in Beijing.  I met her at Miss Me Coffee & Cake where she spends most of her time after work, studying for her CFA.  That night, we went to see Zhang Yimou’s production of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot at the Bird’s Nest with her roommates.  I enjoyed what I could of the opera itself and was very impressed with the tenor who sang the part of the Prince (and I have some thoughts on the production itself in the Bird’s Nest that I plan to write later), but omigood the family sitting across the aisle from us was sooooo annoying.  I basically had to tell them to shut up, except without words, because my Chinese ain’t so great yet.  I accepted mild chatter and eating-noises because we were in a stadium and people were clearly explaining to each other what was going on, but this family (a grown son and his parents) were literally just chatting: awful.
• The next day, Kat and I got our hair cut at a place just outside her apartment complex.  I think it went well.  This wasn’t one of those loud music-blaring salons that are so common, but I relatively low key one.  I insisted on skipping the first one we saw because of the crazy hair the staff member standing in the window had, and then we skipped the second one.  We ended up at the third because it had recognisable brands in the window.  Afterward, we had lunch with Michele (one of Kat’s roommates) and I think we just killed time meeting up with Ben, Verena, and her IR friends at Lush for trivia night.  The night ended again with dessert and the novelty of dining on swings.
• At this point, I’m having trouble distinguishing Thursday and Friday, but one of those days, we just hung out at Kat’s cafe and the Sculpting in Time in Lido and basically chilled out.  When we got home, we weren’t sure what we would do about dinner, but Kat’s other roommate Cameron had their fellow English teacher Brian (who I met on the plane), his Chinese girlfriend, and her friend over and they made dinner and it was yum.
• On the other day, we set out to the art district 操场地 Caochangdi.  It was really cool, and maybe that’s another post, but I hope to go back again, especially when it isn’t the holidays and when most of the galleries aren’t closed.  We did see a few cool exhibitions though.  After that, we made our way to 押宝路 Alien Street to look for better Russian food but somehow we ended up at the other location of Mirch Masala.  After that, we head to the Drum & Bell District to a 疆进酒吧 Jiangjinjiu Bar to check out something advertised as, “Panjir Uighur folk band make the sounds of Xinjiang heard in the alleys of Gulou.”
• Saturday was my last day in Beijing.  Kat and I went to 五道口 Wudaokou to have lunch with Ben at BLCU; said goodbye to him and Jake and later Verena.  Succeeded at buying some long underwear at Uniqlo (and wish I bought some more, because they’re comfy) but failed at finding any good ankle boots (apparently my feet are too big for China).  I bought some sandwiches and returned to Kat’s to chill out and get ready to leave.  Brian and Corey (also from the plane) were there for a little bit, and then Kat walked me to my taxi which got me to the station with perfect timing.  The driver was very friendly when we started talking during the crazy traffic jam close to the station.
• Sunday morning I got back and all was chill.
• Monday we went back to school and I think it went well.  I remembered thinking the day before that I return to spending about 7 RMB per meal on weekdays eating in the school cafeterias (as opposed to 30-50 RMB eating out in Beijing) but of course Marco texts me to say that a bunch of people are going out for Arab food again at the restaurant where we celebrated my birthday and we ended up spending almost 70 kuai per person.
• Yesterday was similarly chill except that we had our first (optional) evening class.  At first I thought, o no, but I actually liked the opportunity for a study hall sort of time to focus and work.  Li Laoshi will be there Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings from 7pm and I plan to make every Tuesday and Thursday as long as I can stand the cold.  Also, I met a friend of a friend of Jenny’s who will be going to study Spanish in Beijing so that the government can post her to a Spanish-speaking country to teach Chinese.  She seemed interesting and I hope to keep in touch.

The growth of Chinese “soft power” in the modern era is one of the great stories of our day.  Why?  Because it inspires fear!

This short clip from the popular American television show “South Park” describes young Eric Cartman’s nightmare of a Chinese-dominated world, a dream which stems from his having watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

South Park

So what if the Chinese are just hearkening back to drumming traditions of the diverse — far from totalitarian — Warring States period?

Meanwhile, ostensible successor to Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping, is in Europe for the next two weeks.  He begins in Brussels, where he helps to kick off an immense cultural festival called Europalia, set to run until the Chinese New Year hits on February 14, 2010.

Unfortunately, the exhibition looks fairly stodgy — there are Chinese avant-garde artists teeming in Francophone Europe, but instead we get Qianlong’s scrolls.  Great?  To be sure.  But to be a truly magnificent cultural power, China really needs to hold up its innovators and its diversity.  Perhaps far, far too much to ask of the CCP, whose idea of innovation is to stage Turandot in the Bird’s Nest while beating up the architect.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (2nd, L) and Belgian King Albert II (2nd, R) watch exhibits during Europalia China art festival in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Oct. 8, 2009. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Europalia’s official site explains that this is the first time the festival has focused on China.  Japan won the honor in 1989; today that program is just a grainy scan on a website as China ascends soaring over even Oe Kenzaburo, honored that year.  Today, naturally, there is a performance Xinjiang song and dance ensemble, in which one gets to implicitly celebrate China’s control over that vast region under the warm cloak of the Silk Road.   (Europalia’s mission is available here, in French.)

Meanwhile, the royal family of Brussels can rub elbows with the CCP travelling elite and sing the praises of China.

And Barack Obama wins the Nobel Prize!  Is this man the harbinger of an American cultural counter-offensive in East Asia?  Not if the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francais (and now the Cervantes Institute!) continue their dominance astride the cultural quarter in Chaoyang!

Zhang Yimou Directs The Puccini Masterpiece For Second Time

Zhang Yimou is directing "Turandot" for the second time; This time in a much newer venue

Chinese director Zhang Yimou has, over the years, become the “go-to” man for large-scale productions in China. From his “Impression” shows in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and elsewhere in China to the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics, Zhang has developed a name for himself as more than a filmmaker. This week, Zhang flexes his theatrical muscles once again, directing the Puccini opera Turandot for the second time (the first was in 1998) at one of the country’s largest venues — Beijing’s National Stadium, colloquially known as the “Bird’s Nest.”

Sina English, via Xinhua, writes about the debut performance:

The opera began at about 7:30 p.m. The composing team set up a 1,000 square meter screen with 40 million pixels and 32 projectors at the stadium.

“The Bird’s Nest version of ‘Turandot’ brings to the audience a completely new audio-visual feast with modern and fashionable elements,” said Zhang.

Nearly 1,000 performers participated in the opera, including the Italian conductor Janos Acs and well-known Chinese singers. The total investment of the opera reaches 120 million yuan (17.57 million U.S. dollars).

“Turandot” will still be on stage at the National Stadium on Wednesday and will be on show in Shanghai next May.

It is not the first time Zhang has directed the opera, which was composed by Italian Giacomo Puccini. He first staged the opera at the Forbidden City in 1998.

So tonight I’d really hoped to see “Turandot” for 100kc at the State Opera House.  I met with my friend from class and we were all dressed up and excited.  But, fate had other plans and no tickets were available for under 400kc, so we decided not to go.  Instead, she and I went in our opera clothes to a street vendor for fried food and a beer.  She had a fried camambert sandwich (recommended) and I had a surprisingly giant potato pancake (too greasy).  I’ve also discovered that I like Gambrinus beer – apparently it’s known as a girl’s beer because it’s on the lighter side – much more mild than Pilsner Urquell.

Then we called it a night and I made my traditional stop at the Billa supermarket on the way home from the Metro.  Hopefully I’ll be here in Prague long enough to see “Turandot” performed again – it will be on in another two weeks.

Tomorrow I might be going to Karlstein Castle in the countryside outside of Prague for an autumn wine festival – maybe.  We shall see.

And just for the record – I’m 3/4 done with the CELTA – can you believe it?!  Only 1 assignment and 2 lessons left. Wow! And then I’ll be qualified to enter the wonderful world of getting paid to teach EFL. Yay!  Goodnight!

It’s Andrea Bocelli’s birthday which provides an excuse to listen to him sing Nessun Dorma from the Opera Turandot.

Dreyerova Gertrud na kraju istoimenoga filma kaže da će joj na nadgrobnom spomeniku pisati Amor Omnia (ljubav je sve) – Trier je Amor Omnia držao kao radni naziv za Breaking the waves – jer doista jest. Njegovim usmjeravanjem, Bess kroz cijeli film (iako je u svojoj ljudskoj slabosti njena okolina, bez mogućnosti i uvida koje nam Trier pruža, smatra ludom) ne “voli” svog muža već kao što Turandot kaže ona jest ljubav. Kao model Isusa koji nam svojim djelima ukazuje na naše vlastite greške i zablude, kamo god se okrene, Bess sprovodi “svojeg” Boga – ljubav i život te istovremeno testira, mijenja i gura okolinu i gledatelja da učine isto.

Stakleni pogled u očima obaju heroina.

Me rio de Paul Potts , con todo el respeto del mundo jeje . Por mucha publicidad que le quieran dar , Pavarotti es Pavarotti.

Me las estaba dando de listo con Gema hablando de la opera Turandot , y tengo que reconocer que solo conozco el Nessun Dorma. Probablemente sea una de las piezas mas bellas de la historia musical. Había encontrado un vídeo del 1982 y la opinión general de los comentarios era : No tengo ni idea de lo que esta diciendo , pero se me ponen los pelos como escarpias. Con este vídeo del Real Madrid ganamos el enterarnos del significado de la canción y ver a Zidane en acción ( que siempre es un placer ).

Por lo demás , comienza la cuenta atrás para el concierto, ahora mismo menos de 48 horas. Bruce … aguanta que ya llegamos jejej

Para olvidar

Festival Lirico at Arena di Verona was inaugurated way back in 1913 with Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the artist: people reached Verona from all over the world.

It was the Arena to see the rise of opera star Maria Callas, that made her debut singing in the Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli. But the spectacle of the Opera at the Arena does not lose value, and indeed becomes more exciting each year.

Do not miss the chance of a perfect night in Verona: a private car will take you into the heart of the city, and than.. a romantic walk through the historic streets, aperitif in a café on Liston with a view on Piazza Bra, the Opera at the Arena, after show dinner in one of the most famous restaurants in Italy, the return to Bellerive with your private driver.

A luxury that costs less than when you can imagine, a breathtaking experience to be tried. Bellerive staff will assist you for information and reservations of transfers, opera and restaurant.

Next shows this summer:

Carmen Georges Bizet – 2, 13, 20, 23, 25, 28 August

Aida Giuseppe Verdi – 5, 8, 16, 18, 21, 27, 30 August

Turandot Giacomo Puccini – 4, 7 August

Il Barbiere di Siviglia Gioachino Rossini – 1, 6, 14 August

Tosca Giacomo Puccini – 15, 19, 22, 26, 29 August

Foto: Bofill

Aquesta vegada si que arribo tardíssim, abans d’ahir es va estrenar la reposició de la Turandot en producció dirigida per la Núria Espert, i vaig assistir.

Aquestes Turandots estan fora d’abonament i són el ja tradicional bolo de juliol del Liceu més cara al públic turista (això no vol dir que amb cantants més dolents, com es va comprovar amb l’excel·lent Don Giovanni de l’any passat), on es reposa una producció pròpia del Liceu d’algun títol dels més populars, cara a amortitzar-les i suposo que a fer caixa.

La funció inagural d’ahir em va agradar en línies generals, sobretot em va sorprendre gratament la Liu de l’Arteta, que mai ha sigut santa de la meva devoció.

La producció de l’Espert va guanyant amb els anys (és la tercera vegada que la veig) i si quan es va fer semblava kitsch i de restaurant xinés, la comparació amb les produccions que s’han fet al Liceu aquests anys la fan vistosa i atractiva (no hi ha xorrades, excepte el final, i sí canvis d’escena, moviment de cor, canvis de vestuari, i això, vist el que es veu normalment, és un gran valor afegit).

Vist aquests comentaris anem a l’obra, i com sempre aprofitem el que recull la pàgina web del Liceu:

 “Drama líric en tres actes.

Llibret de G. Adami i R. Simoni sobre una faula de Carlo Gozzi (1762) basada en Les mil i una nits. Música de Giacomo Puccini. Escena final acabada per Franco Alfano. Estrenat el 25 d’abril de 1926 al Teatro alla Scala de Milà. Estrenat al Gran Teatre del Liceu el 30 de desembre de 1928.

En Turandot, Puccini volgué crear una òpera grandiosa en la qual l’impacte sobre l’espectador fos, de fet, més sensorial que no racional i es basés més en l’atractiu formal –la sumptuositat i l’audàcia de la fantasia— que no pas en la utilitat referencial de la informació; més en els símbols que no en la versemblança de l’estampa oriental. Amb la seva darrera òpera, Puccini canvià d’estètica, si més no d’estètica literària. De fet, tot el món artístic havia canviat des de feia més de vint anys i havia adoptat diverses fórmules que poden identificar-se amb els noms de modernisme, impressionisme o simbolisme. El fenomen responia al canvi que s’havia produït en l’art occidental, que havia deixat de situar el mèrit artístic en el retrat exacte de les coses per trobar-lo en la fantasia i la imaginació de l’artista; que havia abandonat la voluntat de fer de l’art un revulsiu ètic sobre les consciències per valorar-lo per la seva capacitat de suggerir un estat d’ànim o una impressió que commogués la sensibilitat; que havia substituït el retrat realista per l’ús de la realitat com a símbol d’estats d’ànim indefinibles. El resultat és una obra mítica, misteriosa i sensual, impregnada d’una litúrgia fastuosa, a la qual contribueix la imatge occidental d’un Orient vist com un indret inexplorat, feréstec, cruel, hostil i fascinant.”

ARGUMENT

L’acció transcorre a la ciutat imperial de Pequín, la princesa Turandot protegeix la seva virginitat amb un jurament: solament es casarà amb l’home de sang reial que resolgui tres enigmes que ella mateixa dictarà. Qui ho intenti i no els resolgui morirà.

El príncep Calaf, fill del vell rei tàrtar destronat Timur, que també es troba a Pequín acompanyat per la bella i fidel Liù, se sent fascinat per Turandot i presenta la seva candidatura a desgrat de les advertències del seu pare. Calaf, el nom del qual ningú no coneix a Pequín, aconsegueix desxifrar els enigmes, però la princesa xinesa es nega a acceptar-lo i prega l’emperador que la deslliuri del jurament, Calaf li diu que només la vol plena de desig i no a la força. El jove li dóna una darrera oportunitat. Ara, però, és ell qui proposa l’enigma: que l’endemà sàpiga el seu nom.

Acte I

Es prepara l’execució del príncep de Pèrsia, que no ha passat la prova dels tres enigmes dictats per Turandot. Entre la multitud hi ha Calaf i el seu pare, Timur, vell rei tàrtar destronat, que és guiat per la seva jove esclava Liù. Tots tres són a Pequín en l’anonimat més estricte. Quan la lluna ja és alta, la mateixa Turandot ordena, amb un gest sec, l’execució del jove persa. En veure la princesa cara a cara, Calaf se n’enamora i decideix sotmetre’s a la prova dels enigmes.

Acte II

Els tres ministres imperials, Ping, Pang i Pong, lamenten la decadència del país i anhelen que Turandot descobreixi l’amor. Una marxa anuncia l’inici de la cerimònia dels enigmes, abans de la qual Calaf, el príncep desconegut, respon tres vegades a l’Emperador que vol sotmetre’s a l’arriscada prova. El jove candidat resol satisfactòriament els tres enigmes dictats per Turandot, però la princesa no vol acceptar la seva derrota i demana pietat al seu pare, que li ordena submissió a la llei. Però Calaf solament la vol amb la condició, essencial, del seu desig. El jove li dóna una darrera oportunitat de defensar la seva virginitat: si ella endevina l’enigma del seu nom abans de l’alba, ell morirà com una víctima més de la seva crueltat.

Acte III

Turandot ha ordenat que ningú no dormi a Pequín mentre no es descobreixi el nom de l’estranger. Timur és a punt de ser torturat per haver estat vist amb Calaf, però Liù el salva oferint-se ella mateixa al martiri, enfortida –com diu a Turandot- per l’amor que li professa. Quan el botxí compareix, la tendra esclava se sent incapaç de patir més i se suïcida. Per fi, resten sols Calaf i Turandot, la fredor de la qual es fon davant el primer petó que rep. Calaf li confessa el seu nom i es posa en les seves mans. Davant tothom, Turandot declara que coneix el nom de l’estranger: “Amor”. Turandot cau en braços de Calaf i el poble els aclama.

TURANDOT – Nilsson-Corelli-Freni-Mehta-1966 (CDs)

Turandot……………..Birgit Nilsson

Calaf………………….Franco Corelli

Liù…………………….Mirella Freni

Ping…………………..Theodor Uppman

Pang………………….Robert Nagy

Pong………………….Charles Anthony

Timur…………………Bonaldo Giaiotti

Chorus & orchestra Metropolitan Opera- Director: Zubin Mehta-Live1966

 Aquesta és una de les típiques funcions dels anys seixanta amb el tandem d’or Nilsson-Corelli com a protagonistes. He escollit aquesta en concret per la molt notable Liu d’una joveníssima Freni i per la magnífica direcció del mestre Mehta.

TURANDOT – Marton-Carreras-Ricciarelli-Maazel-1983

Turandot……………..Eva Marton

Calaf………………….José Carreras

Liù…………………….Katia Ricciarelli

Timur…………………John-Paul Bogart

Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper- Director: Lorin Maazel-Live1983

Aquesta versió en viu té molts punts forts, on els més destacats són la meravellosa princesa d’una rutilant Eva Marton, el calor i passió del Calaf d’un Carreras entregadíssim, l’espectacular prestació dels cossos estables de l’Òpera de Viena i la calidesa de la toma en directe (sense prejudici de la qualitat de l’audio).

DISC 01:  Part 1, 2 i 3  / DISC 02: Part 1, 2 i 3

FUNCIONS AL GRAN TRATRE DEL LICEU

Giacomo Puccini: Turandot 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30 i 31 de juliol

Duració: Acte I-35 min / Entreacte-30 min / Acte II-45 min/ Entreacte-20 min / Acte III-40 min (Total: 3 hores)

Direcció d’Escena Núria Espert Escenografia Ezio Frigerio Vestuari Franca Squarciapino Il·luminació Vinicio Cheli

Coproducció: Gran Teatre del Liceu/ ABAO

Direcció musical: Giuliano Carella

Turandot: Guleghina/Lukacs/Shafajinskaia

Calaf: Berti/Tanner/Armiliato

Liù: Arteta/Amsellem/Dessi

Timur: Palatchi/Giuseppini

Ping: Bermúdez

Pang: Santamaría

Pong: Esteve Madrid