When operetta Die lustige Witwe arrived in the New Year not long before, the ninth wave of Turandot produced by NCPA will come here from February 15^th to 19^th. The cast, including Lise Lindstrom, SUN Xiuwei, Marco Berti, Warren Mok, YAO Hong, ZHOU Xiaolin, TIAN Haojiang and GUAN Zhijing, will altogether bring to life this masterpiece steeped in the Oriental charm.

The NCPA production features its Chinese culture and the Oriental charm

Indeed, Giacomo Puccini wrote at the title page of the score, “This story takes place in Beijing in a fictional era.” Yet the story from a Western perspective remains quite aloof from a real China along with its culture. To give Turandot a new life in China, NCPA produced its own Turandot featuring Chinese artists as a fledgling back in March 2008 after its inauguration.

Stage director CHEN Xinyi will still convey the motifs of “love” and “heroism”

Chinese composer HAO Weiya has been invited to add an 18-min finale to the unfinished masterpiece. The fresh finale awakens the soft nature lurking behind the arrogance of the Princess, thus highlighting her innermost humaneness. Stage director CHEN Xinyi will still convey its motifs of “love” and “heroism”, yet imbue the opera with the idea of human-nature unison. On that occasion, NCPA’s Director of Set Design GAO Guangjian would create a genuine realm entailing traditional Chinese culture, including the court culture.

From 2008 onwards, such version has undergone eight waves of more than 30 hottest performances. And in 2011, the opera even landed in Korea in which was thunderous acclaimed. Moreover, the NCPA-produced opera film of Turandot hit the silver screen in a well-received manner among the critics and the spectators.

The cast is sparkled with American soprano Lise Lindstrom and Italian tenor Marco Berti

NCPA’s Music Director and Chief Conductor and NCPA Orchestra’s Music Director LÜ Jia, who ever conducted the premiere in 2008, will then be involved too. This time the opera boasts an all-star lineup. In particular, Lise Lindstrom and SUN Xiuwei will both interpret Princess Turandot. Lindstrom got lauded by The Independent as being “a fast-rising star of the dramatic soprano repertory and absolutely one to watch.” Opera News has praised that “Lindstrom gave a truly world-class performance. It is not often that one hears dramatic power combined with such a fresh, youthful-sounding soprano.” She has performed this title role at the Metropolitan Opera House, Teatro alla Scala and Vienna State Opera. On the other hand, SUN Xiuwei will still keep her exploring of Turadot as she has done time and time again with NCPA after the debut nine years ago.

Soprano SUN Xiuwei will still keep her exploring of the Princess with NCPA

Opera buffs could witness tenors Marco Berti and Warren Mok's interpretation of Prince Calaf. The good-hearted Liù will be performed by Chinese sopranos YAO Hong and ZHOU Xiaolin This production's Timur will be played by basses TIAN Haojiang and GUAN Zhijing.