PUCCINI’S OPERA TURANDOT RETURNS TO THE BELGRADE SCENE AFTER ALMOST HALF A CENTURY

Turandot, the last opera of the famous Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, will soon again, after almost half a century from the last performance, become an integral part of the regular repertoire of the Large Stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade and the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum, directed by Mario Pavle del Monaco and under the conducting baton of Stefano Romani /Djordje Pavlovic.

The performance will have two equal premieres, as the National Theatre is preparing this operatic masterpiece in co-production with the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum, which it has already accomplished several very successful joint performances with. The premiere at the National Theatre is on 23 December (19:30) and at Madlenianum a week later. on 30 December (19:30)

Turandot is the last opera of Puccini, left unfinished due to his serious illness exhaustion and death in 1924, but eventually a composer Franco Alfano finished it two years later. Wishing to move away from verismo, Puccini reached for the German adaptation of the legend about the cruel Chinese princess Turandot, having been previously adapted by the Italian writer Carlo Gozzi, while the original story is based on the old Persian epic from the 12th century.

In the midst of preparations, Mario Pavle del Monaco says: "The very fact that Turandot has not been performed in Belgrade for almost half a century, puts a great responsibility on all those who are the part of this production, but I must admit that this very fact represents a special honour for me and it is a symbol of a trust that we will certainly not let down. Moreover, I strongly believe that it will motivate us even more to put such an important title back in the repertoire. The audience can expect a comprehensive, timeless stylistic approach, full of fantastic costumes, and a set design interwoven with fluid and multipurpose stage elements".

Set design and costumes are the creation of William Orlandi, and the authors' team includes Wolfgang von Zoubek (Light Design), Milos Kecman (Choreographer), Francesco Bonati (Assistant Costume Designer), Edit Makedonska/Vesna Janssens (Concert Master), Djordje Stankovic (Choirmaster), Ivana Dragutinovic Maricic (Professional Associate)...

The soloists, Choir and the Orchestra of the National Theatre in Belgrade also participate in the production.

The last staging of this opera at the National Theatre was prepared by Jovan Putnik, and it was premiered on 17 October 1975.