At Halloween night, I had a pleasure of sitting in the audience seat for Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera in Manhattan. One of my colleagues is a trombone player in the orchestra pit, and I played Nessun Dorma at Don Winston and Friends #7 few weeks ago together. That was the main motivation to see Turandot so urgently. Here, I would like to share some reviews.
Turandot – Puccini’s Last Opera
Turandot was written by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini in the early 19th century ( fairly new, right?), and made unfinished just before his death. Franco Alfano completed the end of the opera, and Turandot had its premier at the famous La Scala in 1926.
My Personal Review of Turandot on 10/31
It was totally intriguing. As a pianist, I have to confess that Opera was not one of my priority genres before. I had seen a few operas before including one at the MET, but it was not quite clicking on me. But seeing Turandot completely turned my notion up side down. The powerful orchestra, the dynamic chorus parts, and gracious singing lines, virtuosic acts by the casts pulled me inside of the opera for the entire show. The use of pentatonic scales and percussion instruments gave me the impression of Chinese dynasty. On top of everything, I loved the theatrical set very much. It was high dimensional with lots of white colors. Instead of presenting the traditional architecture of China, I had the sense of European twists in it. I appreciated everyone who participated in the production. They totally made my Halloween night.
Nessun Dorma- “None Shall Sleep”
Nessun Dorma, appears in the third act, is the signature aria of the opera. This tenor aria is one of the most famous arias sung today in the opera world. The world famous singers such as Luciano Pavalotti, Placido Domingo, and Jonas Kaufmann have attracted people with their talent. As I mentioned in the introduction, Nessun Dorma was the main inspiration to see Turandot in live. The refine orchestration and catchy melody lines let the audiences hum along ( though you should not do during the performance!) to.
The Metropolitan Opera in NYC
If you live in NYC, you probably know where the Met Opera House is. It is in one of the three main buildings in the Lincoln Center on the 65-66th street in the upper west side. The Met Opera House is one of the most technologically advanced opera houses in the world with approximately 3800 seats.
It has motorized stage and water pressured elevator, making difficult stage set possible. You can easily find two huge murals painted by Marc Chagall in the main lobby. Crystal chandeliers both in the lobby and the auditorium light up everyone’s face. The burgundy carpet on the floor, giving every visitor a luxury feeling. If you look around on the wall and ceiling in the auditorium, there are gold leaves and rosewood panels. These are not just for the look but they also make the acoustic bright and unique. By the way, most of theseare open to the public, so you can check it out by just visiting the Met House.
Conclusion
Turandot at the Met Opera on Halloween night changed my viewpoint on opera. It taught me to appreciate the theater production better. I strongly recommend you to visit and see for yourself, too. It is not the most affordable event for many people, but it is definitely worthwhile. There are some reasonable tickets availableIf you do not mind sitting all the way in the back or standing. ( Ask me how!) If you have small children, the Met or any other local programs present kids friendly opera. I think this will be a great opportunity to introduce the great art and classical music. And I would like to hear what opera you like the most!
