Puccini's final opera, Turandot, premiered in 1926 at Milan's Teatro alla Scala. Grand in scale and rich in colour, the work melds sumptuous orchestration and powerful choruses with moments of intense lyricism. The Chinese folk melody Jasmine Flower (Mo Li Hua) echoes throughout the score, lending it a distinctive Eastern flavour, while the soaring aria Nessun dorma ('None shall sleep') is instantly recognisable worldwide.
To mark its centenary, international superstar Jackie Chan makes his operatic directorial debut with a bold new production that brings Chinese martial arts into the work's dramatic language. Each principal character is accompanied by a combative, dexterous alter ego, giving physical expression to otherwise unspoken thoughts and emotions. Water becomes a recurring visual and symbolic motif, transformed by shifting light to create scenes at once monumental and ethereal.
A century after her appearance on stage for the very first time, princess Turandot travels once again to Macao to tell her story with an exciting twist, bringing new energy to a classic gem.
Director: Jackie Chan
Conductor: Carlo Montanaro
Associate Director: Luisa Baldinetti
Set Design: Italo Grassi and Franco Armieri
Costume Design: Cui Xiaodong
Make-up and Hair: Sun Xiaohong
Interactive Multimedia Design: Wang Rui
Multimedia Visual Design: Wang Rongchao, Wang Jianxiong and Yue Zhufeng
Lighting Design: Wan Zhengdao
Martial Arts Choreographer: Zhao Zan (Jackie Chan Film Academy)
Choreographer: Du Lian (Jackie Chan Film Academy)
Chorus Master: Donato Sivo
Artistic Advisers: Giuseppe Famularo and Carmine Calabrese
Live Music: Nuova Orchestra Scarlatti
Chorus: Coro dell'Opera di Parma
Characters and Cast
Turandot: Ewa Płonka, Soprano
Calaf: Marco Berti, Tenor
Liù: Natalia Roman, Soprano
Timur: Viacheslav Strelkov, Bass
Ping: Luca Bruno, Baritone
Pong: Fabio Serani, Tenor
Pang: Tiziano Barontini, Tenor
A Mandarin: Emidio Guidotti, Bass
Emperor Altoum: Riccardo Certi, Tenor
Approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, including two intervals
Performed in Italian, with surtitles in Chinese and English
Turandot – Opera in Three Acts by Giacomo Puccini