Turandot Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
Celebrating the centenary of the last unfinished opera by the master of emotion Giacomo Puccini.
Kicking off the seventh edition of Operafest Lisboa & Oeiras, dedicated to the "enigma," the unique setting of the Cloisters of Cartuxa Convent, in Caxias, in the outskirts of Lisbon, is transformed into Ancient China to host Turandot, the last unfinished opera by the master of emotion, Giacomo Puccini, celebrating its hundredth anniversary.
One of the greatest operas of all time, revolving around the resolution of the enigma as a factor of survival.
Whoever can guess the indecipherable riddles that the beautiful and ruthless Princess Turandot poses to her suitors will be able to marry her and inherit the throne of China; otherwise, they will be beheaded.
The population eagerly awaits the execution of the next victim, the Prince of Persia. Calaf, the prince banished from the Tartar Empire and now a refugee, ends up finding his old, dethroned, and blind father, aided by the slave Liù. But everything changes when Calaf encounters Turandot and succumbs to her beauty. Defying his own destiny, he decides to risk deciphering the riddles.
Will he be able to melt Turandot's ice?
Never had Puccini been so daring harmonically, maintaining his genius as a melodist, in music full of oriental colors and evoking the sounds of Chinese music, with the use of the pentatonic scale, in a vibrant cadence like an adventure film soundtrack. One of the most demanding dramatic soprano roles will be played by the impressive Russian soprano Olesya Golovneva. It will also feature the intensity and delivery of Mexican tenor Rodrigo Garull.
Original production by the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden that made an international splash since its debut in 2024, with the stage direction of German director Daniela Kerck, who returns to Operafest after the success of her productions in 2025, presented in co-production with the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra.
Artistic Team
- Music Direction Osvaldo Ferreira
- Stage Direction and Settings Daniela Kerck
- Costumes Andrea Schmidt-Futterer, Frank Schönwald
- Video Astrid Steiner
- Choreography Rosana Ribeiro
- Lighting Design Sérgio Moreira
Cast
- TurandotOlesya Golovneva
- CalafRodrigo Garull (5, 8)
Ermin Ašceric (6, 9) - LiùBeatriz Volante
- TimurNuno Dias
- PingTiago Amado Gomes
- PangBruno Almeida
- PongAlberto Sousa
- Emperor AltoumLuís Caetano
- MandarinDiogo Oliveira
Chorus & Orchestra
- Operafest Lisboa & Oeiras Chorus
- Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra
- DirectionFilipa Palhares
