All Iconic Moments from Puccini's 'Turandot' (Act 3)

"Turandot" is already one of the most famous and widely performed operas of all time, but perhaps people don't know just how amazing it is, partially because of unconvincing interpretations and pacing, foremost, which makes all the difference. In fact, the majority of all live set performances are far too slow and sluggishly in my opinion, which can be attributed to the need for singers to move around on the set and potentially psychological time dilation and exaggeration from the exhilaration of such a elaborate and opulent set. However, there are many studio recordings that have the same issue, so sometimes it's just sub-optimal choices by the musicians. Personally, after 15 years of piano performance of pieces ranging from Bach to Sorabji, it happens: musicians get lost in the moment of it all. What you hear in your head is not always what an audience hears.

I absolutely love this opera because of this interpretation. In fact, more than any other symphony I've ever heard in my entire life, even though this last act is the weakest of the three acts. If you like anything from Act 3, know that pretty much the entirety of the opera is just as epic and badass. This final act in particular was a bit easier to put together the excerpts, however, because the story-based sequence with Liù's death and mourning feels like it does go on for way too long. Most of the excerpts I extracted were from the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes. Know that the last 15 minutes or so of the full opera isn't actually written by Puccini, but finished a few years after his death in 1924 by Franco Alfano. But the fact that the last 40% of this video is dedicated to that last bit, it speaks volumes as to Alfano's skill as well. The ending is absolutely legendary.

Another point I want to make is that there are so few performances that do the non-finale justice.

What baffles me is that the focus of this opera is always the infamous aria "Nessun dorma" from Act 3, but pretty much every other moment is equally as stunning. Puccini not only managed to create stunningly beautiful and intense moments, but also made countless timeless and iconic passages every few minutes which are immediately recognizable. Act 2 is my favourite act.

You know this opera's of legendary status when they put similar excerpts as I've shown as the "background" music for "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation"'s opera scene where it was integrated perfectly with the action, culminating in one of the best scenes in the entire franchise.

I do actually encourage people to watch a live or streamed performance for the sake of understanding the character interactions better, but do note the performance will likely be sluggish compared to this performance. Also, understanding the English translation of the libretto will be helpful as well because it'll help you empathize with or detest the characters more.

Enjoy and please share! I'm only putting this together to spread awareness. (Also, it's the 100th-year anniversary of Puccini's composition before his death.) This is obviously not going to be monetized. A modern audience would love this.

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[0:18] 2
[0:51] 3
[1:19] 4
[2:54] 5
[3:09] 6
[3:25] 7
[3:52] 8
[4:13] 9
[4:45] 10
[5:52] 11
[6:24] 12
[7:24] 13
[8:03] 14
[8:33] 15
[9:42] 16
[10:34] 17
[11:02] 18
[11:28] 19
[11:52] 20
[12:17] 21
[12:35] 22
[14:32] 23

[TRIVIA]
- In my opinion, I find the last two excerpts one of the most cathartic moments in classical music history.
- Cut from around 41 minutes for Act 3.

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Act III Opening (excerpts 1 - 15):
1987 Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Conductor: James Levine
Vocals: Eva Marton
Vocals: Plácido Domingo
Act III Finale (excerpts 16 - 23):
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Zubin Mehta
Vocals: Joan Sutherland
Vocals: Luciano Pavarotti
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I am a full-time software engineer working in Big Tech and AI, graduated from the University of Waterloo, Computer Science major.

#piano #music #opera #puccini #missionimpossible

[Dodecatone]

What do you mean by this in the description? "Another point I want to make is that there are so few performances that do the non-finale" ... this actually makes me more confused as to which finale you think is better