7pm, at the Wiener Staatsoper :

TURANDOT, G. Puccini

Franz Welser-Möst – Conductor

Claus Guth – Production

Asmik Grigorian – Turandot

Jonas Kaufmann – Kalaf

Jörg Schneider – Altoum

Dan Paul Dumitrescu – Timur

Kristina Mkhitaryan – Liù

Attila Mokus – Mandarin

Martin Hässler – Ping

Norbert Ernst – Pang

Hiroshi Amako – Pong

Since its creation in 1926, Turandot has fascinated opera lovers. Who is this ruthless princess, who will marry the one who will solve her three enigmas ? Terrible Chinese empress, who does not hesistate to murder her unfortunate suitors, with an unequalled thoroughness ! And who is Calaf, who falls for Turandot’s charm unwillingly but will conquer the heart of the cruel regent ?

Drawing inspiration from the original play of Carlo Gozzi, Puccini accomplishes prodigies of orchestration and aerian melodies like the famous E lucevan le stelle. For this new production, the Vienna Opera presents a stage exceptional in all points. After his well appreciated Tosca, Claus Guth proposes a new striking staging of Puccini’s opera. If he is curiously disregarded in France, conductor Franz Welser-Möst (director of the mythic Cleveland Orchestra since 2002) is one of the greatest baton of today. It is useless to present the tenor Jonas Kaufmann as his Calaf will be ideal because the great event of the evening might be the Turandot of Asmik Grigorian. This exceptional Lituanian soprano sets fire to stages all over the worldwith her bronze voice and her sumptuous medium. We now understand better why every suitors are falling to their knees in front of Turandot…