Puccini: Turandot

Description

The story of TURANDOT, while originally derived from the Persian collection of stories called "The Book of One Thousand and One Days," was set in China by Puccini. It tells the tale of a cold-hearted princess (Turandot) who sets tests for her suitors, who are all put to death if they fail. An Unknown Prince (revealed at the end to be named Calaf) finally arrives and passes her tests, though Turandot still tries to escape any marriage until she is persuaded by Calaf through a test of his own and a tragic death.

Regrettably, Puccini passed away (1924) from a heart attack before he could complete the opera, having finished entirely the first and second acts, and most of the third, including the extremely well-known aria by Calaf, "Nessun Dorma." Following his death, Franco Alfano was asked by Puccini's publisher and family to complete the opera, as one of his recent works resembled TURANDOT in its setting and heavy orchestration.

Franco Alfano's first attempt (Alfano I) was rejected by Puccini's publisher and conductor Arturo Toscanini, as he took some liberties with the libretto and added a few musical passages of his own. He was then forced to write a second, more censored version (Alfano II) that followed Puccini's sketches more closely. This second version is the one that has become popular and which is made available by E.F. Kalmus, though Toscanini, in honor of the maestro Puccini, refused to complete the opera on the night of the premiere, laying down his baton where Puccini's work ended.

Both the original individual percussion parts and the addition of new percussion scores have been included to suit the musicians' preferences. in addition to the complete opera, some individual scenes have also been extracted and made available by E.F. Kalmus as standalone items.

Instrumentation: 3(3dPicc).2+EH.2+BCl.2+CBsn: 4.3.3+BTbn.0: Timp.Perc(5): Clst.Hp(2).Org: Str(4-4-3-3-3): Banda(2ASax.6Tpt.4Tbn.Drum.Gong).