Turandot is Giacomo Puccini’s Italian opera in which love conquers ancient China. The final scene was composed by Franco Alfano after Puccini’s death in 1924.
Playwright Giuseppe Adami (1878–1946) and journalist Renato Simoni (1875–1952) were librettists.
Love Saves the Day
Turandot tells the story of how a young Italian traveler Calàf must seduce the ice princess of China or be killed like all her other suitors.
Princess Turandot has turned against men and does not want to be married. To win her hand, a suitor must answer three riddles.
- What is born each night and dies each dawn? Hope.
- What flickers red and warm like a flame, yet is not a flame? Blood.
- What is like ice but burns, and if it accepts you as a slave, makes you a king? Turandot.
Calàf answers correctly, but the princess is unconvinced. To engage her, Calàf offers a challenge of his own. If she can guess his name by dawn, he will give up his life.
The princess keeps the city awake all night and tortures to death a slave girl who knows his name, but won’t speak. Alone for a moment with Turandot, Calàf kisses her. A simple touch breaks down the ice queen, so Calàf tells her his name.
Before the emperor, Turandot announces that she knows his name. It is love.
The opera premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1926. It premiered at the Met the same year.
Turandot 2017 – 2018
The Metropolitan Opera performs Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center fifteen times between October 12, 2017 and April 5, 2018.
In October and November, Oksana Dyka is Turandot and Aleksandrs Antonenko is Calàf, and Carlo Rizzi conducts.
In March and April, Martina Serafin is Turandot, Argentine tenor Marcelo Álvarez is Calàf, and Marco Armiliato conducts.
This is Franco Zeffirelli’s production.
October 2017
Thursday, October 12 at 8 pm OPENING NIGHT
Tuesday, October 17 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 21 at 8 pm
Wednesday, October 25 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 28 at 8 pm
Tuesday, October 31 at 7:30 pm
November 2017
Saturday, November 4 at 1 pm
Wednesday, November 8 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 11 at 8 pm
Thursday, November 16 at 8 pm
March 2018
Argentine tenor Marcelo Àlvarez sings Calàf.
Wednesday, March 21 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 24 at 1 pm
Wednesday, March 28 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 31 at 8:30pm
April 2018
Thursday, April 5 at 8pm CLOSING NIGHT
Turandot Tickets
Tickets start at $25
- Patrons and Subscribers on June 15, 2017
- Guild members (Supporting and above) on June 18, 2017
- General public, Sunday, June 25, 2017
Metropolitan Opera House box office
Monday – Saturday, 10 am -6 pm Sunday, 12 noon – 6 pmBy Phone
(212) 362-6000 Monday – Saturday, 10 am – 8 pm Sunday, Noon – 6 pmOnline
www.metopera.orgRush Tickets
$25 Rush tickets can be purchased at www.metopera.org the day of the show. You can buy two tickets to one performance every seven days. Rush tickets go on sale Monday – Friday at 12 noon Matinees (four hours before curtain) Saturday evenings at 2 pm