Opera of the Week: a Turandot for tomorrow’s world
OperaDaniel Kramer’s new staging of Turandot in Geneva transposes the old fairy tale to a futuristic world where Turandot’s magic holds sway. In a dystopian game show, reminiscent of Hunger Games, the Princess presides over a surveillance state in which men are culled and the reproduction of the human race is conducted in breeding labs. For the first time in their career, the international art collective teamLab work extensively on the scenography of an opera, using state-of-the-art visual technologies never before seen on an opera stage. teamLab’s light creations are an immersive artistic experience known for their power to absorb and enthral audiences. Antonino Fogliani, a master of the Italian repertoire, conducts an excellent cast including Ingela Brimberg who returns to the Grand Théâtre de Genève as the icy Princess Turandot, after taking the title role in Elektra – a performance also enjoyed by OperaVision viewers. Sung in Italian with subtitles in English, Italian and French
The Plot: Puccini’s last opera is all about riddles. The Emperor of China rules over the Forbidden City of Peking. His unmarried daughter, the Princess Turandot, has refused her hand to all her princely suitors by putting them to a test. She sets them three riddles; if they do not answer them correctly, they will lose their heads. As unlucky suitors fail and fall, up steps Calaf, a prince of the Tatar people.
Available from Friday 22 July 2022 at 1900 CET/ 1800 London/ 1300 NY
https://youtu.be/flwydqUeexU
One more producer and one more opera house desperate to put much needed bottoms on seats.Guaranteed to coax in the curious, and those who need the avant garde to show how “woke” they are. But for how long? Sometimes”clever”productions are too clever.