Staging team
Conductor: E. Dovico, R. Hein
Stage director: V. Vežník
Set designer: L. Vychodil
Costume designer: J. Jelínek
Choreography: O. Šanda
Chorus master: T. Karlovič
Assistant director: L. Cukr, P. Jirsa
Cast
Turandot, Chinese princess: E. Baramova, M. Málková
Emperor Altoum, her father: L. Havlák, N. Višnjakov
Timur, banished Tartar king: M. Bürger, L. Mlejnek
Unknown prince (Kalaf), his son: I. Jan, M. Lehotský, B. Zvetanov
Liu, young slave: J. Burgetová, S. Procházková, L. Vernerová
Mandarin: J. Brückler, M. Horák
Persian prince: L. Havlák
Pang, emperor’s minister: T. Kořínek, R. Samek
Ping, emperor’s minister: O. Kříž, J. Moravec
Pong, emperor’s minister: L. Havlák, O. Socha
Turandot is the last opera by G. Puccini, who died shortly before finishing it. He found the theme in Schiller’s dramatisation of Carlo Gozzi’s Persian fairy-tale (originally a tale from the collection of dervish Mokles’ Thousand and One Nights) about a Chinese princess. The opera contains absorbing, highly dramatic scenes between the cruel princess Turandot and prince Kalaf. Puccini’s effort to achieve the truest possible Chinese vocal colour is strengthened by the use of pentatonics as the basic form of Chinese tonal system, easing the rhythm and often changing time, which is characteristic for the Chinese conception of music.
Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes with 2 intermission
Performed in Italian with Czech and English captions.
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