2006-04-30 Turandot (Puccini), Opernhaus Zurich

Turandot = Paoletta Marrocu
Liu = Elena Mosuc
Calaf = José Cura
Timur = Pavel Daniluk
Ping = Gabriel Bermudez
Pang = Andreas Winkler
Pong = Boguslaw Bidzinski
Althoum = Miroslav Christoff
Mandarin = Valeriy Murga

Alan Gilbert, conductor

Inszenierung - Giancarlo del Monaco
Bühnenbild - Peter Sykora
Kostüme - Peter Sykora
Lichtgestaltung - Hans-Rudolf Kunz
Choreinstudierung - Jürg Hämmerli
Turandot - Puccini
Ein Kultursponsoring der Julius Bär Gruppe


Matinee opera. A new production of TURANDOT with Jose Cura as Calaf. Wonderful music. Played very well by the orchestra and sung wonderfully by the chorus. Well, I am a traditionist so this production was not quite my taste. It did not seem too bad in the beginning. But in the end I must say that this 2nd Alfano ending of Turandot did include some un-necessary notes that almost ruined the great duet Calaf/Turandot. Paoletta Marrocu as Turandot had not the kind of big voice that I believe this role needs. Elena Mosuc was a wonderful Liu and seemed to have a bigger voice than Marrocu. Pavel Daniluk was grand as Timur. JOSÉ CURA was wonderful as Calaf. I am sure that Cura enjoyed this new approach to Calaf. Making him a modern man in ancient China. Calaf solves the riddles with his computer. I never knew how important it was to me that Calaf solved the riddles with his own brain, no cheating before seeing the PC onstage. I found the ending when Turandot changes to a Miss Saigon beautiful but not well funded in the production. That a modern China with chorus and all clothed modern for  the end of the opera. WHY? But I would have loved to have a photo of Cura and Marrocu sitting at the table with Champagne and Pang, Ping, Pong changed to cook, waiter and restaurant manager, especially with Jose waiting to the audience....

I waited and saw Jose Cura & Elena Mosuc at the stage door. And talked to other members of JC Connexion. And then it was time to go the the airport for my flight home. 


This page was last updated: June 20, 2022