Turandot: femme fatale of Puccini? Conference “warm up” by João Paulo André
The ice princess who sacrifices men...
On the Puccinian stage – and, to a large extent, also in the composer's life – the female figure occupies a centrality rarely equaled in the history of opera. Few operas build their drama with such intensity around women, their passions and vulnerabilities, and the way in which, in them, love is confused with loss and sacrifice.
If it weren't for Turandot, Giacomo Puccini's last opera, with the implacable princess who condemns to death the suitors unable to decipher the riddles, one would say that the pantheon of Puccinian heroines is almost entirely populated by women willing to die for love – Mimì, Tosca, Cio-Cio-San: figures of absolute dedication, led to tragic destinies. Turandot erupts, however, as dissonance in this universe: she is not a victim, but a judge; does not sacrifice, makes sacrifice; where others are consumed, it hardens. Is it, then, Puccini's femme fatale – or rather the most extreme expression of an imaginary that inscribes the feminine on the border between fascination and destruction?
João Paulo André has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Basel and is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minho. In recent years, he has stood out in scientific dissemination, exploring the intersections between science, art and culture. He is the author of three books published by Gradiva: Poções e Paixões – Química e Ópera (2018) (Potions and Passions - chemistry and opera), Irmãs de Prometeu – A Química no Feminino (2022) (Protheus sisters - chemistry in the feminine) and, in co-authorship with Carlos Fiolhais, A Harmonia das Esferas – Música, Ciência e os Mistérios do Universo (2025) (The harmony of the spheres - music, science and the mystery of the Universe). The first was adapted to braille and audio format by the National Library of Portugal and inspired an opera show presented in several cities; the second was published in English by Springer. He is a regular contributor to the newspaper Nascer do SOL.
