‘Turandot’ ending strikes sour note
“Turandot” was presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion last week with a great deal of fanfare about its new ending. Puccini died before completing the opera and it has been performed for many years with the third act finale provided by a composer named Alfano. Now Luciano Berio, the noted modernist composer, has come up with a new, eagerly anticipated climax. Musically, it was satisfactory, conveying Puccini themes within a well-orchestrated setting, but dramatically, it was a disappointment.
Turandot is a woman’s libber of legendary China who, in order to avenge the rape and death of her ancestor, will not marry until a suitor can provide the answers to her three riddles. Failure means beheading. Alas, the various princes who apply for the privilege all have their heads hanging from the ramparts of the palace.
Now Calaf appears, a prince in disguise, and he gets a glimpse of Turandot.
Love at first sight being a common malady in fiction, he immediately succumbs to her beauty and decides to take his chance with the riddles. As the hero, he has all the right answers but Turandot refuses to be a good sport and spurns his advances.
When he tells her he will give up the chase if she finds out his name before dawn, she decrees that no one shall sleep until the name is produced.
Soldiers try to elicit his name from his former slave who loves him. She sacrifices herself for him, drawing a sword and ending it all. Now the main characters and the supernumeraries depart, leaving Turandot and Calaf to sing the final love duet by Berio. They sing at each other from a distance and when Calaf ascends the staircase in the middle of the stage, the haughty Turandot follows him and uncharacteristically falls at his knees.
“Turandot” is an exotic opera, calling for opulent sets, lavish costumes and dramatic singing. The first and second acts have all that, but this culmination of the third act is anti-climactic.
What is needed here, if I may be so bold, is a big fat Chinese wedding with bells and whistles and trumpets.
Fortunately, the singing is superb. Stottler has a powerful voice and dominates as Turandot. Franco Farina brings a strong, vibrant tenor to the role of Calaf.
Gian-Carlo del Monaco directed. The Los Angeles Opera Orchestra played magnificently under its new principal conductor, Kent Nagano.
In spite of the nitpicking in this review, this opera is worth seeing.