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Puccini: Turandot At The Forbidden City / Mehta, Et Al


Release Date: 11/10/1998 
Label:  Rca Victor Red Seal Catalog #: 60617   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Giovanna Casolla,  Sergei Larin,  Aldo Bottion,  Carlo Colombara,   ... 
Conductor:  Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra,  Florence Maggio Musicale Chorus
Number of Discs: 2 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 50 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews

This program is also available on VHS (RCA Victor Red Seal 60916) and on DVD (RCA Victor Red Seal 60917).
The video version of this unique September 1998 production reveals much of the merit of staging Puccini's last opera--a tale of an icy Chinese princess ultimately overcome by love--in an historically suitable setting, a courtyard surrounded by ancient halls, palaces, and gardens in Beijing. There's actually little tangible effect of the setting on the sound of the recording, which stands on the considerable merits of its soloists and conductor Zubin Mehta's apparent glory in the opera's majesty.
Sergej Larin brings a virile, burnished edge to the voice of the so-called Unknown Prince who sues for the Princess's hand at the risk Read more of his life, and his "Nessun dorma" is bright enough to light up the sleepless night of Act III. Giovanna Casolla wonderfully suggests the vulnerable side of Turandot as well as her domineering bitterness, and both she and Larin are credibly uplifted by the sensuous love themes near the opera's end. Barbara Frittoli is vibrant and sweet as the slave girl Liù. José Fardilha, Francesco Piccoli, and Carlo Allemano give a spirited reading of Turandot's reluctant henchmen, a nod to the story's commedia dell'arte origins and yet an important part of this opera's thoroughly contemporary psychological appeal.
Gramophone (1/99, p.90) - "...A passable performance, in short, and for those who saw the Beijing production an agreeable souvenir, but no real competition for Callas/Fernandi/Schwarzkopf/Serafin (on EMI) or Sutherland/Pavarotti/Caballé/Mehta (on Decca)." Read less

Works on This Recording

1. Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Giovanna Casolla (Soprano), Sergei Larin (Tenor), Aldo Bottion (Tenor),
Carlo Colombara (Bass), José Fardilha (Baritone), Carlo Allemano (Tenor),
Francesco Piccoli (Tenor), Barbara Frittoli (Soprano), Vittorio Vitelli (Baritone)
Conductor:  Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra,  Florence Maggio Musicale Chorus
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1926; Italy 
 Date of Recording: 09/1998 
Venue:  Live  People's Cultural Palace, Beijing, China 
Length: 109 Minutes 49 Secs. 
Language: Italian 
Notes: This work was completed by Franco Alfano. 

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