All Iconic Moments from Puccini's 'Turandot' (Act 1)

"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 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 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. If you like anything from Act 1, know that pretty much the entirety of the opera is just as epic and badass. I had a very hard timing deciding what to put in this video, since it all was incredible: every moment of it. And not just the typical "it sounds beautiful" or "wow, that's intense", this performance's interpretation perfectly aligns with the flow and emotional energy of the piece, allowing every idea to flow seamlessly to the next.

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. Like, Act 2 is my favourite act so if I'm raving about this act so much already, think about what that act is like.

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. This is not going to be monetized. A modern audience would love this.

[0:00] 1
[0:30] 2
[1:13] 3
[1:40] 4
[2:07] 5
[3:07] 6
[4:05] 7
[4:49] 8
[5:48] 9
[6:30] 10
[7:02] 11
[8:56] 12
[9:33] 13
[10:03] 14
[10:53] 15
[11:39] 16
[12:12] 17
[12:47] 18
[13:23] 19

[TRIVIA]
- At 4:56, because of the Oriental influence of this opera, the popular children's song "Mò Li Hūa (茉莉花)" ("Jasmine Flower") is featured.
- Excerpt 16 kind of sounds like X-Men, a bit.
- Excerpt 19 kind of sounds like Harry Potter, a bit.
- At 13:41, the synchronization and harmonization of the horns is so chilling, since the timbre and slight out-of-tuneness makes the music sound so rustic and ancient, which fits with the setting of ancient China.
- My favourite section of Act 1 is 7:10.
- Cut from around 35 minutes for Act 1.

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1978 Warner Classics
Conductor: Alain Lombard
Orchestra: Orchestre Philharmonique De Strasbourg
Vocals: Mirella Freni
Vocals: Montserrat Caballé
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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

[rafjeevarafjeeva]

Fantastic moments from a fantastic opera. Good choice of excerpts

[benharmonics]

Liu: Mirella Freni
Turandot: Montserrat Caballé
Calaf: José Carreras
Timur: Paul Plishka
Ping: Vicente Sardinero
Pang: Remy Corazza
Pong: Ricardo Cassinelli
Chorus: Rhine Opera chorus
Orchestra: Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
Conductor: Alain Lombard

With an opera as continuous as Turandot, it’s hard to break up the music into stand-alone chunks, but you did a really good job! At rehearsal mark 17 (2:58), the sudden change of sound is stunning. Excerpt 6 has rich and gorgeous harmony. And of course, good old-fashioned high notes—the high B-flat just after 6:41 is thrilling. And I agree with you, the passage at 7:10 with dialogue between Ping, Pang, and Pong and Calaf is amazing!

More generally speaking, listening to this reminded me that Act 1 of Turandot—especially the beginning—is kind of scary! When you get to Act 2, I hope you include the trio with Ping, Pang, and Pong, since I think that’s one of the more tender and beautiful moments in the opera.

Also, is it just a coincidence, or are you making these videos to mark the 100th anniversary of the composition of Turandot (and Puccini’s death)?

[Dylonely_]

The best part remains the whole opera.

[Quivaro]

sorry but Nilsson is the only Turandot on record. Caballe or Freni? girl bye

[gabrielkennedy]

Will you ever play Scriabin's 5th sonata? Everyone seems to go on about the technical challenges but I doubt it would prove much of a challenge for you, so you could actually come out with a decent interpretation. Pretty much all recordings are sadly lacking, and seem to completely ignore Scriabin's tempo markings especially in the middle section. I think Glenn Gould's slightly bizarre (compared to other recordings) interpretation is closest to uncovering Scriabin's true intentions, but it's kinda ruined by wrong notes and lack of drive through the development. I'd be interested to see what kind of choices you'd make with it.