XI’AN: As the ethereal strains of the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower intertwined with the soaring tenor of Nessun Dorma, the opera Turandot reached a breathtaking climax, leaving some 1,500 audience members in rapturous applause.
On Sunday, a reimagined version of Puccini’s renowned opera was staged at the Shaanxi Opera House in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, marking the finale of the 25-day 11th Silk Road International Arts Festival. Regarded as one of the world’s greatest operas, Turandot tells the story of a beautiful Chinese princess who decrees that any prince wishing to marry her must solve three riddles, with failure punishable by death.
In this production, Italian tenor Marco Berti took on the role of Calaf, a Tartar prince who ultimately melts the princess’s icy heart with love.
“Turandot was born from Westerners’ curiosity about China. Puccini never visited China in his lifetime, yet the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower became his point of reference for understanding the country and was used as a central motif for the heroine Turandot,” Berti said.
According to him, Turandot is a point of connection between the West and East. “The opera blends delicate Chinese melodies with references to Chinese ritual in ancient times, creating an atmosphere that allows Western audiences to feel the essence of Chinese history and culture. For Chinese audiences, it introduces Western operatic conventions and symphonic traditions,” he said. –Agencies
