Turandot Was To Be April 25, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Puccini’s Turandot was to be the April 25, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as number 21 in the season’s 23 radio matinees.

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, third Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts three operas, the New Year’s Eve Gala and Met Orchestra concerts at Carnegie Hall: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sept. 13, 2019

Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot was to be the April 25, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and numbering as the 21st of the season’s 23 radio matinees.

Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) set his musical score for Turandot to an Italian libretto by Italian librettist and music critic Giuseppe Adami (Feb. 4, 1878-Oct. 12, 1946) and Italian dramatist and film and theater critic Renato Simoni (Sept. 5, 1875-July 5, 1952). The libretto’s literary source was Turandot by Venetian playwright Carlo, Count Gozzi (Dec. 13, 1720-April 4, 1806). Gozzi’s play was first performed Jan. 22, 1762, at Teatro San Samuele’s second building, located on rio del Duca in Venice’s San Marco district (sestiere di San Marco).

Gozzi based his five-act commedia dell’arte play upon Les Mille et un Jours (A Thousand and One Days) by French orientalist François Pétis de La Croix (1653-Dec. 4, 1713). Pétis de La Croix published his five-volume collection of Persian fairy tales between 1710 and 1712. The sources for Pétis de La Croix’s collection were Hazar Yek Ruz (One Thousand One Days), which he acquired from a Dervish named Mocles in the 1670s, and Haft Paykar (Seven Beauties) by 12th-century Persian Sunni Muslim poet Nizami Ganjavi (ca. 1141-March 12, 1209).

Puccini suffered a fatal heart attack before completing Turandot. His publisher, Casa Ricordi, assigned completion of the opera to Italian composer Franco Alfano (March 8, 1875-Oct. 27, 1954).

Puccini’s unfinished Turandot premiered April 25, 1926, at stylish Milan’s Teatro alla Scala in north central Italy’s Lombardy region. Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867-Jan. 16, 1957) conducted the premiere. The following night’s performance offered Puccini and Alfano’s Turandot.

The Metropolitan Opera hosted Turandot’s United States premiere on Nov. 16, 1926. Turandot received 12 performances during the 1926-1927 Met Opera season.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season offers 13 performances of Turandot. Eight performances took place in autumn. The season’s first performance happened Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The month’s additional seven performances were presented Sunday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 19, at 12:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m.

Five spring performances are offered in April. The month’s performances, scheduled according to Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), take place Thursday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m.; Tuesday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday matinee broadcast, April 25, at 1 p.m.

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced via Facebook Thursday, March 12, 2020, the cancellation of the rest of the 2019-2020 season due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) entry of March 12, 2020, noted the cancellation of 58 performances. Operas affected by the cancellation were identified as La Bohème, La Cenerentola, Così Fan Tutte, Der Fliegende Holländer, Kát'a Kabanová, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Maria Stuarda, Simon Boccanegra, Tosca, La Traviata, Turandot and Werther.

Update: The opera company's coronavirus-occasioned closure affected the five of the 13 performances of Turandot scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. The opera's five spring performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, were cancelled.

The three-act opera has an estimated run time of 3 hours 2 minutes. Act I runs for 32 minutes. An intermission of 40 minutes follows. Act II is estimated at 43 minutes. An intermission of 28 minutes follows. Act III spans 39 minutes.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts six (Thursday, Oct. 3; Sunday, Oct. 6; Wednesday, Oct. 9; Saturday, Oct. 12; Saturday, Oct. 19; Saturday, Oct. 26) of October’s eight performances. The Metropolitan Opera’s third Music Director made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 31, 2009, in the opera house’s 946th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875). During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Maestro Nézet-Séguin also conducts Turandot. During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, the Maestro also conducts Wozzeck by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935); the New Year’s Eve Gala; and Werther by French Romantic composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912).

Marco Armiliato conducts the Wednesday, Oct. 23, and Thursday, Oct. 31, performances. The Italian conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 9, 1998, in the opera house’s 1,048th performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Marco Armiliato also conducts Macbeth by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) and Puccini’s La Bohème.

Carlo Rizzi had been scheduled to conduct all five spring performances. The Italian conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 29, 1993, in the opera house’s 989th performance of Puccini’s La Bohème. During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Carlo Rizzi also conducts Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.

Christine Goerke performed in the title role of the riddling princess in October. The American dramatic soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut April 3, 1995, in the ensemble role of Woman with Baby in the opera house’s eighth performance of The Ghosts of Versailles by American classical composer John Corigliano (born Feb. 16, 1938).

Nina Stemme had been scheduled to sing the title role in April. The Swedish dramatic soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 24, 2000, as Senta in the opera house’s 140th performance of Der Fliegende Holländer by German composer and librettist Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Eleonora Buratto appears as loyal Liù in seven (Thursday, Oct. 3; Sunday, Oct. 6; Wednesday, Oct. 9; Saturday, Oct. 12; Saturday, Oct. 19; Wednesday, Oct. 23; Thursday, Oct. 31) of October’s eight performances. The Italian soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut March 4, 2016, as Norina in the opera house’s 136th performance of Don Pasquale by 19th-century Italian bel canto opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Gabriella Reyes sings Liù for the Saturday, Oct. 26, performance. The Nicaraguan-American soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Sept. 26, 2018, as the Priestess in the opera house’s 1,163rd performance of Verdi’s Aida.

Hibla Gerzmava had been scheduled to appear as Liù in April. The Abkhazian-Russian operatic soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Sept. 28, 2010, as Antonia and Stella in the opera house’s 250th performance of Les Contes d’Hoffmann by German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (June 20, 1819-Oct. 5, 1880).

Yusif Eyvazov reprises his Met Opera debut role as clever Calàf in October’s first four performances (Thursday, Oct. 3; Sunday, Oct. 6; Wednesday, Oct. 9; Saturday, Oct. 12). The Azerbaijan dramatic tenor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 7, 2015, as Calaf in the opera house’s 305th performance of Turandot. During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Yusif Eyvazov also performs as Hermann in The Queen of Spades by late-Romantic Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840-Nov. 6, 1893) and as Puccini’s Calàf and Cavaradossi in the New Year’s Eve Gala.

Riccardo Massi sings Calàf in three October performances (Saturday, Oct. 19; Wednesday, Oct. 23; Saturday, Oct. 26). The Italian operatic tenor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Feb. 23, 2012, as Radamès in the opera house’s 1,120th performance of Verdi’s Aida.

Alejandro Roy performs as Calàf for the Thursday, Oct. 31, performance. The Spanish tenor's appearance as Calàf marked his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Marco Berti had been scheduled to sing Calàf in April. The Italian tenor made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Pinkerton in the opera house’s 775th performance of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

James Morris sings Timur in all performances. The American bass-baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Jan. 7, 1971, as the King in the opera house’s 782nd performance of Verdi’s Aida.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s presentation of Turandot marks the 15th revival of staging by Franco Zeffirelli (Feb. 12, 1923-June 15, 2019). The Italian film, opera and television director and producer debuted his new production of Turandot on March 12, 1987.

Franco Zeffirelli designed the sets for Turandot. His production team comprises Anna Anni and Dada Saligeri as costume designers and Gil Wechsler as lighting designer. Chiang Ching is the production’s choreographer.

The takeaway for Turandot as the April 25, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that Turandot’s riddling opera would have aired as the 21st of 23 weekly radio broadcasts.

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Yusif Eyvazov reprises his Met Opera debut role as Puccini’s Calàf: Yusif Eyvazov Tenor @yusifeyvazovofficial, via Facebook Sept. 30, 2019

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, third Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts three operas, the New Year’s Eve Gala and Met Orchestra concerts at Carnegie Hall: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sept. 13, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10162448932340533/

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Yusif Eyvazov reprises his Met Opera debut role as Puccini’s Calàf: Yusif Eyvazov Tenor @yusifeyvazovofficial, via Facebook Sept. 30, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/yusifeyvazovofficial/photos/a.1605927713024693/2502068193410636/

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