06 Feb Turandot in St Augustine FL
Turandot
The perfect love story for Valentine’s Month,
featuring a do-what-I-want-or-die kinda gal!
by Jamie Crider, Marketing Intern
First Coast Opera is hosting Giacomo Puccini’s last opera, Turandot, with an amazing international cast, singing this Italian favorite on Saturday, February 9. Turandot is an opera set in China about a cold-hearted Chinese princess who has a strong hold on her people and Prince Calaf who tries to gain her attention despite the fact that she has put her former suitors to death.
Near the Forbidden City, a man pronounces that any prince may marry Princess Turandot if they answer three riddles correctly; however, he who fails will be put to death.
Before the opera’s opening, her latest suitor was condemned to die at moonrise.
As a crowd gathers, Prince Calaf happens to come across his long-lost father and in fear for his life tells him to never say his name aloud. When the moon appears in the sky, the crowd has a change of heart and cries out loud but for compassion to save the Prince’s life.
When Prince Calaf sees the princess, he falls immediately in love and wants the chance to marry her despite others try to change his mind. The princess poses each riddle to the Prince, all of which he answers correctly. Now the victor, the Prince gives the princess a riddle of his own, through which the princess comes to understand the true meaning of love.
Puccini wrote this opera in the early 1920s, just before his death in 1924. His student, Franco Alfano, completed the last scene of opera from the 36 pages of sketches that Puccini had written.
Come enjoy Turandot on February 9th at 7:30 pm in the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College. Visit www.FirstCoastOpera.com for times and tickets details.