TURANDOT

Composer: GIACOMO PUCCINI Book by GRUSEPPE ADAMI and RENATO SIMONI First performance: La Scala, Milan, April 25, 1926 3 acts. Turandot, in Peking, is a coldly beautiful Prince who offers to marry anyone who can answer three questions she asks. If unsucce ful the young man must zose his head. A young Persian is about to be executed when the unidentified Prince, Calaf, comes into the square and recognises his old father, a Tartar King. Timur, the father, has fallen in the dust and Lit, his servant girl, has stayed with him for years because she once fell in love with Calaf. The beautiful Prince is beseeched to free the young Persian but she is adamant. Then Calaf shouts that he will try to answer the questions, and, to the Prince ’ dismay, does so succe fully. She then wishes to go back on her bargain but her father insists she marry Calaf. Calaf relents, and will require nothing of her if she can learn his identity by dawn. Overjoyed, the Prince gives an order that everyone must spend the night learning his name, or the whole populace will be executed. Liu stabs herself rather than tell. Finatly Calaf himself reveals the truth. Turandot suddenly realises that she has finally truly fallen in love, and goes to his arms. III. Synopses of Operas (Stories of the Operas) — V v