#23 A night with Turandot and three myths about watching an opera debunked

Night view of The Metropolitan Opera House

    She's an exquisite princess, but at the same time, cold and ruthless. She hated men and promised to execute any suitor who could not answer her three riddles. She was vengeful and ferocious to men who tried to pursue her heart because her equally beautiful ancestor was kidnapped and killed by an invading prince. She was sure that she would never love a man.

    On the night of the execution of her 12th suitor, a young man rang the gong to signify he wanted to challenge and pursue her heart. However, the princess, ministers of the kingdom, and the crowd were sure that he could not answer the three questions and would face the same fate as the previous suitors.

    However, victoriously, the young suitor answered all three questions correctly. The crowd cried for joy, but the beautiful princess was furious and begged the emperor not to let him marry. The suitor offered the princess a challenge of his own to ease her sorrow - if she would know his name the next day, he agreed to be executed. 

    That night, the princess made a decree that no one in her kingdom would sleep until they knew the stranger's name. But nobody knows except one person, the slave girl of the suitor's father, who was once captivated by his smile. The girl received torture from the princess' soldiers, but she did not give in. When the princess asked where her strength was coming from, the girl replied that it was because of love and that she too would know the joys of love one day. Afterward, the slave girl snatched a dagger and killed herself.

    While the princess was confronting the young suitor alone, he passionately kissed her and revealed his name as Calaf. For the first time, the princess knew emotion and wept. The next day at the palace, in front of the emperor and the crowd, the princess Turandot revealed the young suitor's identity: It is Love!

Turandot and Calaf on the day of the wedding at the palace. Source: Screenshot from The Metropolitan Opera website. 

    Emotional, spectacular, and grandiose describe the opera Turandot. The lead roles' voices were solid and powerful. Their vibratos and dynamics conveyed so many emotions, which kept us emotionally engaged throughout the show. Also, the ensemble's parts added glorious moments, and the stage and custom designs were absolutely appealing. Indeed, watching a live opera is a unique experience.

    Here are the three myths we busted after watching our second opera.

Myth #1: I need to wear formal attire

    You don't have to. We've seen people wore from t-shirts and jeans to ball gowns and tuxedos. There is no dress code, although most of the audience watched the show in either semi-formal to formal attire. The biggest takeaway is that wear comfortable clothing fitting to the occasion. Also, remember that the opera house can get warm because it's usually a full house and can accommodate more than 3,800 people, making it the largest opera house in the world.

Myth #2: Ticket prices are very expensive

    They are actually affordable to the public. You determine how much you want to pay. Of course, the best views are the priciest. The noon before an 8 PM show, rush tickets can cost only $25 if you're lucky because it is sold out quickly. Otherwise, a regular ticket can cost between $36 to $495.

Myth #3: I will get bored

    Certainly not! The powerful operatic voices of the leading roles and the reverberating chorus of the ensemble will give you goosebumps. The different spectacular set designs will wow you for each scene, and the various costumes were also impressive. But most importantly, you will understand what is going on during the show because although it was written in Italian, there will be a closed captioning screen provided in English in front of you. There will also be a constant sense of anticipation throughout the show, like what will be the next scene or the next song. For example, the most anticipated song during the show was Nessun Dorma, probably the most famous tenor aria.

Closed captioning during the show.

Interesting facts about the opera and the night's show

    Turandot is the final and titanic opera, yet unfinished work of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). Puccini was regarded as the most successful and greatest opera composer. The last act of Turandot was completed by the Italian composer Franco Alfano in 1926.

   

   The April 30th show we attended was the premiere night for the 2022 season, and the singer who played the title role was Ukranian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska. She replaced the prima donna of today's operatic world, the Russian superstar Anna Netrebko because she failed to denounce her support of Vladimir Putin during the onset of the Ukraine invasion.

   Overall, we think it's worth watching a live opera when given an opportunity because you will be immersed in a different form of art. In addition, an operatic show enlivens your senses and captures your imagination. As a result, most likely we will watch another opera again. Maybe La Boheme, Tosca, or The Magic Flute?

The lobby of The Metropolitan Opera House