Turandot

Turandot is Giacomo Puccini's final opera and symbolically the last representative of the golden age of Italian romantic opera. After the aria "Nessun dorma", in which generations of world-class tenors have excelled for nearly a hundred years, no further operatic megahit has been created. Written between 1921 and 1924, the opera is based on Carlo Gozzi's commedia dell'arte play of the same name and is set in medieval Peking: the enigmatic Princess Turandot challenges her suitors with a deadly test — solve three riddles or face execution. The arrival of the fearless Prince Calaf unleashes a story of love, sacrifice, and redemption. Turandot returns to the historic building of the National Theatre in Prague after more than forty years. The new production is in the hands of Jaroslav Kyzlink, music director of the National Theatre Opera, and director Katharina Wagner, artistic director of the Bayreuth Festival and great-granddaughter of Richard Wagner. The title role is sung by Maida Hundeling, Prince Calaf by Michal Lehotský, and Timur by Jiří Sulženko. The cast includes soloists from the National Theatre Opera, the National Theatre Choir, the Kühn Mixed Choir, the Kühn Children's Choir, the National Theatre Opera Ballet, and the National Theatre Orchestra. The performance is sung in Italian with Czech and English subtitles, without intermission, duration 165 minutes.