The Teatro di San Carlo in Naples opens their 2023-24 season with a world-class presentation of one of the gems of Italian opera repertoire, Puccini's Turandot, source of the earth-shaking "Nessun dorma"! Completed after Puccini's death by Franco Alfano, Turandot tells the story of the titular princess, who offers her suitors a challenge: answer three riddles correctly and win her hand—or answer incorrectly and be put to death. After many unsuccessful bids, a worthy contender arrives in the form of a mysterious, unnamed prince, ready to set a challenge of his own…
An all-star team comes together at the renowned theatre to bring this monument of Italian opera to life, starting at the podium with maestro Dan Ettinger, who has already conducted this opera to great acclaim in Berlin, Zurich, Munich, and London. Turandot herself is gorgeously performed by Canadian soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, praised by Gramophone as "warmly expressive" and "thrillingly secure" in a 2023 recording of the same role; and Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov returns to play Calaf, a role for which he has won over critics and audiences in numerous productions, including at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2021.
Photos: Dan Ettinger © Michael Pavia // Sondra Radvanovsky © Michael Cooper // Yusif Eyvazov © Vladimir Shikorov // Rosa Feola © Todd Rosenberg // Vasily Barkhatov © Bernd Uhlig