Completing Turandot Pt. 2 - Puccini's Leftover Sketches

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On his deathbed, Puccini left scattered sketches to be used for the completion of his final opera 'Turandot'. But what do you do when the libretto has been rewritten, and those sketches no longer match the words?
In this video I discuss my approach to using as many Puccini fragments as possible: through recontextualizing them. By doing so we create a dialogue, and tackle one of the thornier problems of the opera: the issue of sexual assault.
Washington National Opera's production of 'Turandot', with the new ending by Christopher Tin and Susan Soon He Stanton, opens at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on May 11, 2024. Directed by Francesca Zambello and starring Ewa Plonka/Marjorie Owens (Turandot) and Yonghoon Lee/Jonathan Burton (Calaf), conducted by Speranza Scappucci.
Turandot was Giacomo Puccini's final opera, but he died before he could finish it, leaving scattered sketches. On the 100th-anniversary of his death, this newly commissioned ending seeks to resolve one of the biggest plot dilemmas in the opera canon: how to justify the love between the opera's two adversaries: the steely Princess Turandot, and the heroic Prince Calaf.
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Пікірлер: 18

@ygorgomes5202 5 ай бұрын

Are you on intent to rebuild this and play to us? the entire opera?

@poeziandojuntosda 5 ай бұрын

Apoiado! Voto que sim.

@VallaMusic 5 ай бұрын

Puccini's greatest opera is going to be elevated a thousand fold with this genius move to shift the narrative - it intuitively feels so right on so many dramatic levels

@mariannatheron7363 2 ай бұрын

Thank you Christopher for sharing, truly. A deep dive and rewriting history.🎁🎁🎁🎁

@ChristopherPrasse 4 ай бұрын

I was fortunate enough to attend this past Wednesday's production and was so glad I had the opportunity to experience your new ending. I discovered and fell in love with Turandot in 2020 and that obsession helped me through the worst of the pandemic in a lot of ways. It's wonderful to hear you break down some of your process for the composition. When the new material started, it was so interesting to hear Principessa di morte begin mostly as we're used to hearing it with Alfano's ending, but with some differences that grew more and more until we were in new territory. I definitely heard and enjoyed the uses of the ax motif, the act III opening (underneath Turandot describing night I believe it was-- brilliant!), del primo pianto... I may be mistaken but it even sounded like some chords/ influence from the very end of the Alfano I ending made it into your final chorus, much to my delight (I prefer his first version-- and orchestrations!-- over the Toscanini induced simplified/ revised version with the exception of the name reveal which I believe was closer to Puccini's notes in the Alfano II ending). I also love the meta aspect of repurposing mio fiore as the words of Turandot’s attacker, as Calaf in many ways was, as written, for the past 100 years. As if to say, we're leaving that in the past as well. I'd previously only found recordings for the Alfano I&II, Berio, and Weiya endings and I always found it interesting how everyone's attempt at "fixing" the ending was to change the music, but no one ever addressed the actual issue-- the libretto. So I was so excited when I saw the announcement over a year ago that your new ending included a new libretto. Over the past few years, inspired by my own desire to help the material live up to the insane power and beauty of Puccini's music, I began to make my own edits and adjustments, eventually creating the outline for a new libretto and translation that brings a richness and deeper dimension to all of the characters and their motivations. Seeing your new production has inspired me to continue getting my adaptation on paper (and who knows, perhaps one day beyond that). The finale that you and Susan created was so touching and I believe very respectful to the source material. The way you handled the individual arcs for both lead characters felt realistically grounded in their established characterizations, while still guiding them to much more endearing results than the original libretto ever could. Puccini seemed to have written himself into a corner with his insistence that Liu die, and the magical melting of Turandot’s heart with a forced kiss, moments after Calaf was scolding her for her cruelty was never going to feel earned or satisfying. I'd very much like to think Puccini would have appreciated the beautiful conclusion you gave to not only Calaf and Turandot, but also to dear Liu, who has always been the heart of the opera in my opinion. Turandot’s proclamation of her burial certainly had my tears flowing. Oh, how I could go on... I've rambled for quite a bit here, but I had to take the opportunity to share my gratitude to you and Susan for your beautiful work on a piece very dear to my heart. Bravo!

@christophertin 4 ай бұрын

You explained some of my ideas even better than I did. Bravo! So glad you were able to catch it live.

@honusmom5144 5 ай бұрын

Beautiful and so intense. I love your take on this. I have heard Turondot but was never aware that she had been assaulted as a young girl.

@christophertin 5 ай бұрын

That’s a new plot twist we’ve added!

@honusmom5144 5 ай бұрын

@@christophertin I misunderstood the explanation. I like the new plot twist.

@darcieclaudinha 5 ай бұрын

Olá Christopher, meu nome Darci de Freitas, brasileiro, 61 anos, jornalista e apresentador de rádio. Falamos para Brasil e paises de lingua portuguesa. Conhecemos recentemente seu trabalho, seguimos e tocamos Baba Yeto para nosso pais. 🤝🤝🤝🙏🙏🙏

@christophertin 5 ай бұрын

Obrigado!

@molliethorn 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for this explanation, Chris. I have never seen the opera Turandt and am really looking forward to seeing it with your new ending.

@SueliFaria_Cps 4 ай бұрын

I love your presentations on KZbin. Your work and choir are fantastic! Waiting for this work performed by the great Maria Callas. From Brazil, hug.

@Rolaran 4 ай бұрын

Very interesting to have the fragment come in as a voice from the past. An element I've always found interesting and often overlooked in the original opera is the idea that the city of Pekino is haunted - figuratively and possibly literally - by both the victims of Turandot's challenge, and by the ancestor whose assault and death Turandot claims as the justification for that challenge. Having the one who originally assaulted Turandot also linger as one of the "ghosts" of the city is a great touch that ties together what she's suffered, and what the city has suffered as a result.