On Tuesday Jan. 27, the Royal Opera and Ballet experienced one of the most dramatic scenes in opera history. After the second act of “Turandot,” tenor Roberto Alagna fell ill and was forced to cancel the rest of the evening. Having no cover, the company was forced to call in Richard Hetherington, the theatre’s head of music. He omitted the {…}
Opera Carolina announced that Stefano Vignati, the company’s Music Director and Principal Conductor, has been selected to conduct performances of “Turandot” as part of the global Puccini Centennial celebrations in China. Puccini’s final opera will be presented starting from Dec. 30, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2026 at Xiamen Banlam Grand Theatre, followed by performances at the Wuhan Qintai Grand Theatre {…}
(Photo: Camilla Greenwell) The Puccini opera where he gets the girl. But is she worth having? Is HE? The more I see Puccini’s final opera, “Turandot,” the more I’m left wondering if, had he not expired before its completion, he might have taken a long hard look at it and elected to make some seriously drastic, if not complete, changes. {…}
Opera Australia is set to present a new production of Puccini’s “Turandot.” The new production will mark 100 years since it first premiered and will directed by Ann Yee, who makes her Australian debut as director. The production will star Rebecca Nash and Anna-Louise Cole in the title role alongside Young Woo Kim, Diego Torre and Rosario La Spina as {…}
This week, the Semperoper Dresden opened a revival of “Turandot,” one of Puccini’s most popular works. However, what made this revival special was the birth of a new interpreter of the title role. Camilla Nylund made her role debut as Turandot, returning to Puccini after singing Tosca to great acclaim. In a statement to OperaWire regarding her role debut as {…}
(Photo credit: Klemens Renner) On Friday, Nov. 14, the Semperoper Dresden experienced a workplace accident. According to the Press Office of the Dresden Fire and Rescue Service in consultation with the Semperoper Dresden, “During the midday rehearsal for ‘Turandot’ on the main stage, a workplace accident occurred in which five members of the production team fell from a platform approximately {…}
The documentary “Ai Weiwei’s Turandot” is set to open in cinemas on Sept. 26 at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles. The thought-provoking feature documentary follows the journey of Ai Weiwei, the renowned Chinese revolutionary artist and activist, as he embarks on his operatic directorial debut at the iconic Rome Opera House. The documentary shows how Ai Weiwei {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Puccini’s “Turandot” for 17 performances. The opera will be presented between Sept. 23 and June 6 in Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production. The opera will first be shown in September and October for seven performances with Carlo Rizzi conducting. The cast includes Angela Meade in the title role, Michael Fabiano as Calaf, and Masabane {…}
(© Agathe Poupeney) The Opéra National de Paris will continue its program of transmitting two pre-recorded opera performances across the world. This year’s two operatic selections include “La Fille du Régiment” and “Turandot.” The former, featuring the Laurent Pelly production, got its first screening at Guatemala City in the gardens of the Alliance Française de Guatemala. That showcase took place {…}
The Greek National Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “Turandot.” The company said, “Due to Brian Jagde’s illness, Riccardo Massi will perform the role of Calaf on June 3, 6, and 8, while Francesco Pio Galasso will take over on June 5.” The news comes after Jagde canceled the June 1 performance due to diverticulitis. Jagde {…}
The Greek National Opera’s “Turandot” featured a major cast change for its first performance on June 1, 2025. The role of Calaf was sung by Riccardo Massi, who took over for Brian Jagde, who withdrew due to health concerns. Jagde opened up about his health condition on social media, stating, “A few months ago I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. It’s a {…}