Gozzi princess turandot. Gozzi Carlo - Princess Turandot

Carlo Gozzi

"Turandot"

The Astrakhan king Timur, his family and power suffered a terrible misfortune: the ferocious Sultan of Khorezm defeated the army of the Astrakhan people and, breaking into the defenseless city, ordered the capture and execution of Timur, his wife Elmaza and son Kalaf. Those, under the guise of commoners, managed to escape to neighboring lands, but even there they were haunted by the vindictiveness of the winner. The royal family wandered for a long time across the Asian expanses, enduring unbearable hardships; Prince Calaf, in order to feed his elderly parents, took on any menial job.

Kalaf tells this sad story to his former teacher Barakh, whom he accidentally meets at the gates of Beijing. Barakh lives in Beijing under the name of the Persian Hassan. He is married to a kind widow named Skirina; his stepdaughter Zelima is one of Princess Turandot's slaves.

Prince Calaf arrived in Beijing with the intention of entering the service of Emperor Altoum. But first he wants to see the celebration, preparations for which seem to be underway in the city.

However, this is not a celebration being prepared, but the execution of another unsuccessful contender for the hand of Princess Turandot - the prince of Samarkand. The fact is that the vain, hard-hearted princess forced her father to issue the following decree: any prince can woo Turandot, but with the condition that at the meeting of the Divan of Wise Men she will ask him three riddles; the one who solves them will become her husband, the one who does not solve them will be beheaded. Since then, the heads of many glorious princes have decorated the walls of Beijing.

The grief-stricken teacher of the newly executed prince emerges from the city gates. He throws to the ground and tramples the ill-fated portrait of Turandot, just one glance at which was enough for his pupil to fall madly in love with the heartless proud woman and thereby doom himself to death.

No matter how hard Barakh restrains Calaf, he, confident in his own sanity, selects the portrait. Alas! Where did his sanity and dispassion go? Burning with love, Kalaf rushes into the city towards happiness or death.

Emperor Altoum and his ministers Tartaglia and Pantalone mourn with all their hearts the cruelty of the princess, tearfully mourning the unfortunates who fell victim to her inhuman vanity and unearthly beauty. At the news of the appearance of a new seeker for Turandot's hand, they make rich sacrifices to the great Berjingudzin, so that he would help the loving prince stay alive.

Presented before the emperor, Calaf does not identify himself; he promises to reveal his name only if he solves the princess's riddles. The good-natured Altoum and the ministers beg Calaf to be prudent and retreat, but to all persuasion the prince stubbornly replies: “I thirst for death - or Turandot.”

Nothing to do. The meeting of the Divan opens solemnly, at which Calaf will have to compete with the princess for wisdom. She appears accompanied by two slaves - Zelima and Adelma, once a Tatar princess. Both Turandot and Zelima Kalaf immediately seem more worthy than the previous contenders, for he surpasses all of them in the nobility of his appearance, demeanor and speech. Adelma recognizes Calaf - but not as a prince, but as a servant in the palace of her father, the king of Khorasan; already then he won her heart, and now she decides at all costs to prevent his marriage to Turandot and to capture the prince’s love herself. Therefore, Adelma tries to harden the princess’s heart, reminding her of pride and glory, while Zelima, on the contrary, begs her to be more merciful.

To the delight of the emperor, ministers and Zelima, Calaf solves all three of Turandot's riddles. However, the princess flatly refuses to go to the altar and demands that she be allowed to tell Calaf three new riddles the next day. Altoum opposes such a violation of the decree, which was unquestioningly carried out when it was necessary to execute unlucky seekers, but the noble lover Calaf goes to meet Turandot: he himself invites her to guess what kind of father and son they are, who had everything and lost everything; If the princess guesses their names the next day, he is ready to die, but if not, there will be a wedding.

Turandot is convinced that if she fails to guess the names of father and son, she will be disgraced forever. Adelma fuels this conviction in her with insinuating speeches. With her sharp mind, the princess realized that by son the mysterious prince meant himself. But how do you find out his name? She asks her slaves for advice, and Zelima suggests an obviously hopeless way - to turn to fortune-tellers and Kabbalists. Adelma reminds Turandot of the prince’s words that there is one person in Beijing who knows him, and offers not to spare gold and diamonds in order to find this man overnight, turning the whole city upside down.

Zelima, in whose soul feeling has long struggled with duty, finally reluctantly tells the lady that, according to her mother Skirina, her stepfather, Hassan, knows the prince. The delighted Turandot immediately sends eunuchs led by Truffaldino to find and capture Hassan.

Together with Hassan-Barach, the eunuchs seize his overly talkative wife and some old man; They take all three to the seraglio. They are unaware that the unfortunate ragged old man is none other than the Astrakhan Tsar Timur, Calaf’s father. Having buried his wife in a foreign land, he came to Beijing to find his son or find death. Fortunately, Barakh manages to whisper to the gentleman not to give his name under any circumstances. Calaf, meanwhile, is escorted to special apartments guarded by the imperial pages and their superior Brighella.

Seraglio Turandot. Here the princess interrogates Barakh and Timur tied to the columns, threatening them with torture and cruel death if they do not reveal the name of the mysterious prince and his father. But to both of them, Kalaf is more precious than his own life. The only thing Timur involuntarily lets slip is that he is the king and the father of the prince.

Turandot is already giving the eunuchs a sign to begin reprisals against Barach, when suddenly Adelma appears in the seraglio with the news that Altoum is heading here; the prisoners are hastily taken to the seraglio dungeon. Adelma asks the princess not to torment them any longer and promises, if she is allowed to act as she pleases, to find out the names of the prince and the king overnight. Turandot completely trusts her close slave.

Meanwhile, a messenger from Astrakhan arrives at Altoum. The secret message he brought says that the Sultan of Khorezm has died and that the Astrakhan people are calling Timur to take the throne that rightfully belongs to him. Based on the detailed signs described in the message, Altoum understands who this unknown prince is. Wanting to protect the honor of his daughter, who, he is convinced, will never guess the names they are looking for, and also to save the life of Calaf, the emperor invites her to reveal the secret - but on the condition that, having flashed in the Divan of the Wise, she will then agree to become the prince’s wife. Pride, however, does not allow Turandot to accept her father's proposal; In addition, she hopes that Adelma will fulfill her promise.

Brighella, guarding Calaf's chambers, warns the prince that, since the guards are forced people, and besides, everyone wants to save money for old age, ghosts may appear to him at night.

The first ghost does not take long to appear. This is sent by Adelma Skirina. She informs Calaf about the death of his mother and that his father is now in Beijing. Skirina asks the prince to drop a few words to his old father, but he sees through the ruse and refuses.

As soon as Skirina leaves with nothing, Zelima appears in the prince’s chambers. She tries a different approach: in fact, the slave says, Turandot does not hate the prince, but secretly loves him. Therefore, she asks him to reveal the names, so that the next morning she will not be embarrassed in front of the Divan, and promises to give him her hand there in the Divan. The insightful Kalaf does not believe Zelima either. The third is Adelma herself. She opens up to Calaf in her love and begs to run away together, since, according to her, the insidious Turandot still ordered to kill him at dawn, without waiting for the meeting of the Divan. Kalaf resolutely refuses to run, but, driven into despair by the cruelty of his beloved, in a semi-delirium he pronounces his and his father’s name.

The night passes with such conversations. The next morning Calaf is escorted to the Divan.

The sofa is already assembled, only Turandot and her retinue are missing. Altoum, confident that the princess never managed to find out the names of father and son, is sincerely rejoiced and orders a temple to be built here, in the meeting room.

The altar has already been erected when Turandot finally appears in the Divan. The princess and her retinue look mournful. But, as it turns out, this is just a cruel, vengeful joke. She knows the names and, triumphant, proclaims them. The Emperor and ministers are heartbroken; Kalaf is preparing for death.

But here, to everyone’s joy and amazement, Turandot is transformed - love for Calaf, which she did not dare admit even to herself, takes precedence over cruelty, vanity and man-hatred. She publicly announces that Calaf will not only not be executed, but will also become her husband.

Only Adelma is not happy. In tears, she bitterly reproaches Turandot for the fact that, having previously taken away her freedom, she is now taking away her love. But here Altoum enters: love is not in his power, but in order to console Adelma, he returns her freedom and the Khorasan kingdom of her father.

Finally, cruelty and injustice end. Everyone is happy. Turandot wholeheartedly asks heaven to forgive her persistent aversion to men. The upcoming wedding promises to be very, very joyful.

King Timur's son, Kalaf, accidentally meets his former tutor Barakh near the gates of Beijing and tells what happened to him and his parents after the Sultan of Khorezm defeated his father's troops. For a long time he wandered with his parents and hid under the guise of an ordinary poor city dweller. Kalaf took on any job. Barakh (and now the Persian Hassan) listens attentively to his pupil. He also tells him his news that he married a widow named Skirina, and her daughter serves the cruel princess Turandot.

It turns out that Calaf left his parents and came to Persia to ask Emperor Altoum to take him into his service. The city is preparing for some great holiday, and first he would like to see it. From a conversation with Barakh, Kalaf learns that the execution of the prince of Samarkand is being prepared, who did not solve the three riddles of Princess Turandot, and, by order of her father, King Altoum, must now be executed. He is far from the first prince to be executed. All royalty who expressed a desire to compete for the princess and were defeated (did not solve her riddle) were publicly beheaded. Only the prince who solves them will be able to avoid such a cruel fate and become Turandot’s husband.

The teacher of the executed Prince of Samarkand mourns his loss. He could not stop the prince and all he could do was throw the portrait of Turandot to the ground and trample on it. Kalaft picks up the ill-fated portrait and, with just one glance at it, falls in love with Turandot depicted on the canvas and is ready to fight for her heart. Barakh tries to dissuade Calaf, but to no avail.

Altoum, the princess's father, very much regrets that he agreed to the persuasion of his beloved daughter and issued such a decree. He sincerely feels sorry for all the dead young men and Calaf, who is risking his life. He and his ministers try to dissuade him, but Kalaf is adamant. “Death or Turandot,” the prince repeats. Altoum orders sacrifices to somehow help the young man. At the meeting of the Divan, the princess asks her riddles to the prince, and he solves all three with ease. Only on the third did I falter a little, because Turandot revealed her beautiful face and embarrassed Calaf.

Turandot liked the prince, he was the first to evoke a feeling of pity in her heart, but the fact that he was able to easily solve her riddles angered her. Turandot flatly refused to marry him, threatening suicide. She asks her father to allow her to ask three new riddles for the prince, but the father rejects his daughter's request. Then Calaf offers her his riddle: to name the names of father and son, royalty who have lost everything and are forced to do menial work. Everyone understands that to do this they need to guess the name of the prince himself and his father. If the princess guesses correctly, Calaf will leave with nothing, if not, she will become his legal wife.

Adelma, a Tatar princess in the past and Turandot's slave now, recognized Calaf. Once upon a time he served her and even then she noticed his proud posture and burning gaze. Having learned about his origin, Adelma wanted to run away with Calaf and become free. But Calaf’s love for Turandot prevented her. Adelma tries to turn Turandot against marriage, but helps her find out the name of Calaf and his father. At the meeting of the Divan, Turandot guesses Calaf's riddle, but, touched by his desire to die because of his love for her and kindness towards the traitor Adelma, she agrees to marry him. Adelma is given freedom and the right to return to her homeland.

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the title of a fairy tale by Carlo Gozzi "Princess Turandot"- Vakhtangov Theater.
The symbol of the Moscow Art Theater is “Seagull”, and for the Vakhtangov students it is “Turandot”.
The production is truly legendary. The first performance took place in the winter of 1922. Director - Evgeny Vakhtangov. Artist - Ignat Nivinsky. Cecilia Mansurova is the princess, Yuri Zavadsky is Prince Calaf, Anna Orochko is Adelma; other roles were played by Boris Zakhava, Boris Shchukin, Ruben Simonov and other grandees of the Russian theater school.
In 1963, Ruben Simonov restored the play, with Yulia Borisova (Turandot), Vasily Lanov (Prince Kalaf), Lyudmila Maksakova (Adelma), Mikhail Ulyanov, Yuri Yakovlev and other actors. There was a third reincarnation of the play in perestroika 1991.

Why do I want to talk about Princess Turandot?
I have an absolutely incredible book in my hands ( publishing house ART Volkhonka, with the assistance of the State Central Theater Museum named after Bakhrushin and the support of the AVC Charity Foundation). The book is part of a series "History for the Theater" and its main value is that in addition to the presence of the most famous fiaba (Italian “fairy tale”), it tells about the history of its origin (Gozzi did not compose this play himself, but borrowed the plot of a Persian poem), about how the fairy tale reached Russia and by whom it was turned into a landmark performance on the famous Vakhtangov stage.

It’s easy to imagine how many people, seeing the name, will say: “Why do we need Princess Turandot now?”? Yes, there was such a long-lived production, yes, the calling card of the Vakhtangov Theater, yes, the stars of the Russian theater shone in it, but now, why do we need so much information about the play, which in 2006 they decided to “suspend”?
The answer will be this.
Collecting all the links of this disparate chronological chain, readers will feel a life-giving participation in the creative process of creation, and this energy excites, sends hot electric currents, awakens, awakens, makes them aware of their own strengths and abilities. The reader is not only a reader, and not only a spectator, but a participant, hiding behind the scenes and eyes burning with curiosity, observing the magic of the birth of a unique performance.

Look what a long journey Turandot has come, being born in Persia, being translated in Italy, noticed and brought to Russia, to the stage.
Pavel Antokolsky, poet, noticed Evgenia Vakhtangova on Gozzi's fiaba, translated the riddles of the Princess. Mikhail Osorgin- brilliantly translated the main text. Composer Nikolay Sizov wrote the music. Alexander Kozlovsky composed the famous Waltz Turandot. Playwright Nikolay Erdman- written by. Fashion designer and theatrical costume designer Nadezhda Lamanova- dressed all the heroes.

I'm in and

Sketches of scenery and costumes are used as illustrations in the book. Ignat Nivinsky. He came to the theater in 1921 at the invitation of Yevgeny Vakhtangov himself, who invited this recognized master of etching for his ability “to convey vivid theatricality with conventional and laconic images.”
A conventional, fantastic “China” was built on the stage from inclined planes and hieroglyphs on bright draperies. Vakhtangov set a goal for Nivinsky “to make the scenery play, to take part in the action of the play, and not serve only as a background to it.” The artist coped with this task enchantingly.
Nivinsky’s “China” is conventional and bright - it simultaneously conveyed Chinese flavor and created the atmosphere of a Venetian carnival on stage (do not forget that Gozzi was an Italian and lived in Venice).
The costume sketches are the fruit of the joint creativity of Vakhtangov and Nivinsky. They were embodied in material by fashion designer Nadezhda Lamanova. They were conceived as modern (tailcoats for men and elegant dresses for women), and exotic elements (cloak, sword, turban, veil) turned the actors into characters of the traditional Italian mask theater - commedia dell'arte (a type of folk public art). Gozzi introduced these beloved Italian heroes into the text of the fairy tale about the Chinese princess, very organically “diluting” it with jokes from Pantalone, Truffaldino, Tartaglia, and Brighella.

Books like “Princess Turandot” can be called a real treasure. In our time, with such love, care, attention and genuine interest, to publish a book written in excellent Russian language, in detail, fascinatingly, easily and completely tirelessly, without encyclopedic dryness and professorial tediousness, to tell the reader all the ins and outs of the famous Vakhtangov production.
Many thanks to the publisher for this. ART Volkhonka.

Luxurious gift design.
The book is addressed (will be of interest) to theater lovers of all ages, and to all cultured people.
Released in limited edition.

Sages: Magnificent: Sun, Sun, Sun!
Carlo Gozzi "Princess Turandot"

in the publishing house ART Volkhonka
on the Labyrinth
in Ozone

PHOTO BOOKS

Opera is always large-scale, spectacular, beautiful. These are powerful voices, bright costumes and, of course, strong text or an exciting plot. This article talks about the play "Princess Turandot", which was written already in the eighteenth century. It also describes where and when the opera "Turandot" appeared: a summary, history of creation, characters and much more.

Count Carlo Gozzi

The future author of "Turandot" was born in 1720, in Venice. He began writing with short poems and essays, where he critically analyzed everything that was staged on the stages of Italy at that time. It was these critical essays that brought Gozzi his first fame not only among specialists, but also among the general public.

According to legend, Gozzi wrote his first play in an argument with one of the most famous playwrights of his time, Carlo Goldoni. The essence of the dispute was that the play had to be written on the simplest plot and achieve the maximum possible recognition with it. Soon after this dispute, Gozze published “The Love for Three Oranges,” with which the playwright not only very loudly declares himself, but also initiates a new genre - the fiaba, or tragicomic fairy tale for the theater. By the way, S. Prokofiev used this very play by Gozze for his opera of the same name.

In addition to Prokofiev, Gozze's fiabs were highly rated by Hoffmann, Goethe, Ostrovsky and many others.

The play "Princess Turandot" was written in 1762 and is rightfully one of the master's best creations. There are no magical transformations in this work, as was the case in Gozze’s early works; the “Princess” motif is more real. The author took the motives of Lesage’s “The Chinese Princess” as a basis. From the very first productions, "Princess Turandot" caused a flurry of emotions and enthusiastic reviews from critics of that era.

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini is called the second greatest and most important in the world of opera, after Giuseppe Verdi. The future legend was born on December 22, 1858 in the city of Lucca. Once at the Milan Conservatory, he wrote the opera "Willis", which attracted the attention of Puccini's future clients and patrons.

The opera "Manon Lescaut", which was written in 1893, was simply a resounding success. The subsequent opera La bohème brought the author the fame of not just a good opera composer, but also the best. Puccini worked until the very last day of his life, and the crown of his work, unfortunately, was the unfinished opera "Turandot".

Opera "Turandot": history of creation

The idea of ​​creating this opera first came to Puccini in 1919. After watching a dramatic performance at the Max Reinhardt Theater, the composer decided to create something of his own. The choice fell on Gozza's fairy tale "Princess Turandot".

Work on the opera continued from the summer of 1920 until November 1924, when Puccini died without completing the work. His colleague Franco Alfano completed the work after the death of his senior comrade.

The opera "Turandot" is different from everything the composer wrote before. If Puccini's early works were distinguished by their intimacy, here, as critics noted later, the composer introduced a massive sound of choirs. It is also possible that this innovation could have appeared under the influence of another famous composer - M. Mussorgsky.

Opera "Turandot": characters

The following characters take part in the opera:

• Princess Turandot herself;
• her father is Altoum, the Chinese emperor;
• Timur is a deposed king, blind and poor;
• Kalaf is the son of Timur, the groom and husband of Turandot, who withstood the tests and answered the riddles;
• Liu is Timur's slave who kills herself;
• Ping, Pang, Pong - servants at the palace;
• Mandarin;
• people, soldiers.

Authors of the libretto for the opera

While the opera "Turandot" itself was being written, the libretto for it was composed by people invited and already known in musical circles - Adami and Simoni. A little more about each:

• Giuseppe Adami was born in Verona. Initially, I studied to become a lawyer and didn’t even think about studying music. But fate decreed otherwise, and by 1905 he became one of the main librettists in the musical environment of pre-war Europe. As Giuseppe himself admitted, fame came to him along with the works that he wrote together with Puccini.
• Renato Simoni was also from Verona. He wrote a lot for the stage, was engaged in criticism, worked as a columnist for a number of newspapers and wrote about the opera stage. The first work as a “co-author” dates back to 1915 - this is the opera “Madame San-Gen”. The opera "Turandot", in the creation of which Simoni took part along with Puccini and Adami, was his best work, both according to Simoni himself and according to critics of that time.

The events of the first act take place in Beijing. A crowd surrounds the imperial palace. People excitedly listen to the decree, which announces that the emperor's daughter will marry the one who can solve three riddles. The loser will face execution. Already many heads are decorated with stakes that rise around the palace, but there is no end to the daredevils. Some are attracted by the beauty of the imperial daughter, others by the untold riches that will go as a dowry.

In the crowd, a weak blind man, accompanied by one maid, is knocked down. Her cries for help attract the attention of a young prince of an Arab country, and he comes to the rescue. In the blind man, the young man recognizes his father, who was overthrown by opponents of the government many years ago and expelled from the country.

In front of the crowd, the young man and his father, another challenger failed again. He will be executed. Princess Turandot stands on the balcony and watches all the events from above. This Arab prince glances at her and immediately falls in love. He wants to participate in the tests, and no excuses from his father influence his opinion. He is in love, so he will seek the hand of the princess. The gong sounds and the new applicant is escorted to the palace.

The second act tells about the court people: the adviser Ping, the soothsayer Panga and the cook Pong. All three dream of retiring from business, leaving the palace and living somewhere in the lap of nature. But they are forced to participate in the bloody games of their mistress.

The emperor's palace is shown. On the throne is Princess Turandot. Calaf (that is the name of the Arab prince) is brought into the hall, and he is ready to listen to the riddle.

Turandot's hatred and cruelty is explained by the fact that once upon a time a princess from her family was dishonored by a foreign conqueror. Now she has long considered it hers to avenge the shame and most of all loves to watch men being executed.

Kalaf answers two riddles. He thinks long and deeply about the third. Turandot is already anticipating another execution, but the Arab prince finds the answer to the last riddle.

Everyone froze in fear - what will happen? Turandot begs her father to cancel the agreement - she does not want to marry a stranger. But the will of the father-emperor is adamant: Calaf won, he must receive the reward. And then the Arab prince himself refuses to win, explaining that he does not want to captivate the princess. In return, he makes his own riddle and gives him time until sunrise.

At the beginning of the third act, under pain of death, all residents of the city try to find the answer to the riddle of an Arab prince unfamiliar to everyone. And this riddle is to guess his name, because no one knows him except the blind father and the slave girl. Calaf himself wanders through the gardens that surround the palace, and dreams of marriage with Turandot, when she finally pacifies her ardor.

Meanwhile, people find the blind father's maid and begin to find out the name of the young man. The maid was in love with Calaf and does not want to give him away. Snatching a dagger from one of the princess's associates, she stabs herself. Struck by this act, Turandot cannot understand why the girl did this.

Morning is approaching, Calaf and Turandot are left alone. Unexpectedly, the prince takes the princess into his arms, and Turandot, wanting to break free, returns his kiss. The girl's heart is melted. Kalaf reveals his name to the princess in her ear.

It all ends with a wedding and the rejoicing of the people in honor of the fact that their cruel princess has finally found love.

Turandot

The emperor's daughter, which means she is the second person in the country. She is very smart and beautiful in face, but she is callous and does not know what love is. She always watches with pleasure how her suitors are executed.

The image of the girl is very vivid, especially since one must take into account the fact that the main characters were usually men. The time of equality (including spiritual) was far ahead, so the author’s decision to highlight the girl was considered a very brave act.

Long before Gozzi, the name Turandot appeared in legends and tales. It was on the basis of historical, and sometimes downright legendary data, that the playwright wrote his work. The works of Gozzi and Puccini differ significantly. If the play turned out to be more historically accurate, trying to show us the era in detail, then in the opera the main attention is directed exclusively to the girl.

Kalaf

The image of a young man who is brave, noble, and smart is far from new. If we consider a work such as the opera "Turandot", a brief summary of which was given above, you will notice how the young man is opposed to everyone else. And the princess, and the people, and the palace entourage. This is especially noticeable when the whole city is trying to find out his name - people even drive a maid to suicide.

Kalaf is an Arab prince who returned the throne to his family. His father, as is known from the text, was expelled from the country when the hero was still a young man growing up, and he could not do anything. When Calaf grew up, he took the throne for himself, but his father disappeared. Quite by accident, years later, fate brings father and son together.

Opera at home and in Europe

The opera premiered on April 25, 1926, on the stage of La Scala in Milan. At the premiere, conductor Arturo Toscanini, unexpectedly interrupting the opera, announced to the audience that “the pen had fallen from the master’s hands” - it was at this moment that the opera that Puccini was writing ended.

All further productions of the opera ended with a duet and a finale, which were written by his comrade Franco Alfano based on Puccini’s drafts. Although this version of the continuation is not the only one - Luciano Berio presented his version in 2002, as well as Hao Weiya in 2008.

Since 1927, the opera has been staged in almost all major cities of the world. For example, the production was shown in Cairo, Budapest, and in 2006 in Buenos Aires. This all indicates that Puccini's opera "Turandot" is one of the most iconic in the history of opera.

Opera in Russia

The opera "Turandot", a brief summary of which was given in the article, is very often staged in Russia. The premiere performance of the opera took place in 1928 at the Baku Opera House. The director was A. Riedel.

Since 1931, the play has been staged at the Bolshoi Theater. It ran for thirty-nine performances and was removed from the repertoire three years later, in 1934.

The opera was staged again in 2002, again at the Bolshoi Theater. On January 28, 2017, the premiere of the work in a new reading took place at the Moscow Helikon Opera.

Criticism and reviews

Musicologist Israel Nestyev notes that in the opera “Turandot” Puccini broke his traditions and instead of chamber scenes and performances he introduced loud and powerful opera numbers, which not only require powerful voices, but also amaze with their scope.

At the premiere of the first production there was Vladimir Mayakovsky, who, although very disdainful of musical numbers in general and opera in particular, appreciated Turandot.

Conclusion

The opera "Turandot", a brief summary of which was presented in this article, is one of the iconic works not only for Italy, but for the whole world.

Summary: "Princess Turandot." Carlo Gozzi, fairy tale "Turandot". Performance "Princess Turandot" (Vakhtangov Theater) Carlo Gozzi borrowed the plot of the fairy tale "Princess Turandot" from an Azerbaijani poet of the 12th century, who wrote in Persian. In 1712, the famous Orientalist Petit de la Croix published a collection of Persian fairy tales, where it was first published. Later it could be found in the collection of fairy tales “1001 Days” and “The Fairy Cabinet”. It was from these books that Gozzi took the plot for many of his works. Further in the article the reader can find its summary. “Princess Turandot” turned out to be a very attractive plot, giving life to an opera and theatrical production of the same name. The proud beauty of the Chinese Emperor Altoum decides to marry off his daughter, Turandot. Her beauty is legendary, but she is even more famous for her distrust of the stronger sex. Confident that men are deceitful and incapable of truly loving, she secretly vowed never to tie the knot. In order not to upset her father with a direct refusal, she agrees to notify the whole world that she is looking for a groom. But the applicant for her hand and heart must pass a test - at a meeting of the Divan of Wise Men, the princess will ask three riddles. Anyone who cannot guess them will have their head cut off. And only the one who gives three correct answers will be able to walk her down the aisle. Despite the obvious cruelty of the test, crowds of princes, overwhelmed by burning love for Turandot, flocked to the emperor's palace. Everyone who saw her portrait found himself forever pierced by Cupid's arrow. The Exiled Prince At this time, another tragedy occurs in the neighboring kingdom: the Astrakhan king Timur with his wife and son Calaf are forced to flee from their own palace, pursued by the ferocious Sultan Khorezm. Having seized Timur's kingdom, he orders the death of him and his family. The persecuted manage to hide in the domains of Altoum, but they have to lead a life that is by no means royal. Prince Calaf takes on any menial job to support himself and his parents. At the gates of Beijing, he accidentally meets his former teacher and tells him this sad story. As they pass by the emperor's palace, Calaf asks a man passing by what kind of festival is being prepared outside its walls. But he replied that this was not a joyful event at all. This is preparation for the execution of another prince who did not answer Turandot’s questions. One look at the portrait of Princess Kalafu was enough to inflame her with burning love, and he also decides to try his hand at this bloody competition. Summary: Princess Turandot and her riddles No matter how much everyone around him tried to persuade the prince, he was adamant: either the princess would belong to him, or death by her hand. And now he is already standing in front of her in the meeting room of the sages. The daughter of the Chinese emperor came with her two slaves - Zelima and Adelma. The latter, despite the fact that the prince does not identify himself, immediately recognizes him as a servant in her father’s palace. Since then, she has been in love with the young man and is now trying to turn Turandot against Calaf in order to get him for herself. But to Zelima he seems more worthy than other contenders, and the princess herself seems to look at him more favorably. However, having guessed all the riddles, Prince Calaf simply infuriated Turandot. The inevitable marriage did not smile at her at all. Seeing the torment of his beloved, the prince proposed a new test: to guess his name. Royal wedding procession Princess Turandot is in despair. How can she find out the name of the mysterious man and emerge victorious from the trap she set for herself? The treacherous Adelma promises to help her. She comes to the prince at night and tricks him into revealing his name. The next morning, Turandot solemnly reveals the prince's incognito identity. Kalaf and everyone else are heartbroken. He is preparing to accept death when the princess miraculously transforms and falls on his chest. It turns out that she immediately fell in love with him, afraid to admit it to herself. But the nobility of the young man conquered her. Emperor Altoum, to celebrate, promised Adelma to return her kingdom to her so that she would not feel so deprived. Opera by G. Puccini: summary “Princess Turandot” lived a fairly active life for many centuries after its first appearance in a collection of Persian fairy tales. The German playwright Schiller wrote a play of the same name. According to the romantic tradition, he deepened the image of the capricious princess, turning Carlo Gozzi's comedy into a drama. The game's beginnings have become dulled, but the images have become much more prominent and complex. In the 19th century, Italian composer Giacomo Puccini used Schiller's Turandot story for one of his most beautiful operas. The libretto was compiled by D. Adami and R. Simoni. They slightly modified the interpretation of this fairy tale, turning it into a real hymn of love. Adelma received the name Liu, and in the opera her end is much more tragic. Turandot, demanding that she name the prince, threatens Liu with death, but the girl is adamant. When asked what gives her the strength to resist, Liu replies: “Love” and stabs herself with a dagger. The amazed Turandot understands that a similar feeling is creeping into her heart. The opera ends with a chorus in which love, life and the sun are glorified. The swan song of the Italian maestro “Princess Turandot” is an opera that stands apart in the work of the recognized master of this genre. In it, Puccini moved away from the intimacy inherent in all his previous works. This is his last creation, and the composer was in a hurry, fearing that he would not have time to finish it. And so it happened - the most talented student of maestro F. Alfano completed “Turandot”. The opera is still staged in his edition. Puccini slightly modified the plot of Gozzi's tale. For example, the image of Adelma received a completely different interpretation. She became the devoted and loving Liu, ready to give her life for true love. Puccini accumulated all his composing genius to write music that is stunning in its beauty. “Let no one sleep” is its most striking example and the most popular aria in the repertoire of many singers. "Turandot" is being staged today on the world's leading stages, and we can say with confidence that this is Puccini's best work. Interesting facts about the opera The premiere of the opera was conducted by A. Toscanini. In the middle of the third act, the maestro suddenly lowered his baton and the music stopped. Turning to the audience, the conductor said that it was at this point that the composer’s pen stopped running across the music paper, and with it his heart stopped. For a long time, the play was prohibited from being staged in the PRC - it was believed that China was not presented in the best light. In 1998, Z. Meta finally conducted Turandot in the Forbidden City. The production cost China $15 million. Alfano's edition is considered not entirely successful, although it is the most executable. There are two more versions: L. Berio (2001) and Hao Weiya (2008). The Fateful Princess Surprisingly, this fairy tale turned out to be the swan song not only of the Italian composer. The play “Princess Turandot” was the last staged during the life of the great theater director E. Vakhtangov. This happened in 1922 in the Third Studio of the Moscow Art Theater. It is rightfully considered the best in the theater's repertoire. At different times, such stars as Tsetsiliya Mansurova, Marianna Vertinskaya, Lyudmila Maksakova, Boris Zakhava, Alexey Zhiltsov and many others played there. The first performers were Cecilia Mansurova (Turandot) and Yuri Zavadsky (Kalaf). The play “Princess Turandot” became the hallmark of the Vakhtangov Theater and determined its entire further development. We can say that this production gave birth to a new theater school based on Vakhtangov’s concept of “holiday theatre.” The 20th-century fairy tale “Princess Turandot” (Vakhtangov Theater) opened a window not only into new theatrical relations. In this production, the director applied the principles of an ironic fairy tale, without which the emergence of a new genre of literary fairy tale and its true adept E. Schwartz would have been impossible. In Vakhtangov’s production, the actors played not the characters themselves, but actors from the Venetian troupe. The result was a kind of matryoshka doll. The rivalry between Turandot and Adelma was at the same time a struggle between two prima donnas for the heart of the hero-lover, Calaf. Unfortunately, this interpretation was gradually lost and later generations of viewers saw a completely different performance called “Princess Turandot.” The Vakhtangov Theater was the most visited place in theatrical Moscow; witnesses wrote that spectators climbed onto the backs of their chairs in delight. Ironic, mocking interlude texts, deliberate play using simple props - all this created a carnival celebration on stage. Hints and allusions The actors' masks could be interpreted deeply symbolically. It is not for nothing that theater has always had such a highly social orientation. Let's remember Gogol's "The Inspector General". In Soviet times, when it was possible to directly express only unbridled love for the party, such allegorical forms of art could only help relieve one’s soul. Emperor Altoum is crazy about his daughter - a harmless, affectionate old man. But his country has far from gentle morals and rather cruel laws. The dumb sages of the Divan are officials from whom it is worth taking an example. They cope with their main task - nodding in agreement all the time - perfectly. Everything is beautiful in this fairy-tale country, everyone smiles and gently shakes each other’s hands. But living there is uncomfortable and even scary. It is not surprising that this performance was a phenomenal success in its time. Where can you find Turandot today? In 1991, the most prestigious theater award, the Crystal Turandot, was established. The idea of ​​creating it came to the mind of producer Boris Belenky. In the program document, the location of the award ceremony is Moscow, since it is the theatrical pinnacle of Russia. The highlight of this award is that the jury is made up of people who have nothing to do with the theater - writers, artists, musicians. That is why it is called independent. Many famous and beloved actors are owners of the “Crystal Turandot”: I. Churikova, O. Efremov, O. Tabakov, M. Ulyanov and others. The most famous fairy tale by C. Gozzi turned out to be very prolific for future generations. We hope this article helped you to know its summary. “Princess Turandot” by Puccini, as well as the play of the same name, will now be much clearer to you if you decide to visit the opera or theater.

In ancient legends, there are often storylines where the hero has to solve complex riddles at the risk of his life. This motif became the basis of the fairy tale about the Chinese princess Turandot. At first, the girl appeared as an evil, capricious heir to the throne, playing with the lives of her suitors for the sake of pleasure. But with the light hand of Carlo Gozzi, the character became a symbol of the fight for equal rights for women and men. “Italian” Turandot tried to destroy the stereotypes of her time that the ultimate dream of every “normal” woman was to get married and serve a man.

History of creation

The fairy tale “Turandot” became famous thanks to the writer from sunny Italy Carlo Gozzi. The author used in his work the story of a wayward Chinese princess, taken from the work of the Azerbaijani poet Nizami. A writer who lived in the 12th century wrote in Persian. The poem was included in a fairy tale collection printed in a Paris printing house in 1712.

It was from this publication that Gozzi borrowed the plots for his fiabs, skillfully mixing details. The main elements of Persian legends were enriched by folklore, as well as the principles of commedia dell'arte, where the classic mask characters of the Italian theater - Truffaldino, Pantalone, Tartaglia and Brighella - brought entertainment.

The work of the Italian was born in 1762. A little later, the German poet and playwright was so imbued with the brilliantly presented tale that he could not resist the temptation to remake it for the Weimar theater. Thus began the glorious march of the fiaba "Turandot" across the world's theater stages.

Biography and plot

The plot of the tale is based on the reluctance of the daughter of the Chinese ruler Altoum to get married. Proud and wayward Turandot considers representatives of the stronger half of humanity to be traitors, liars and generally creatures incapable of love. But the suitors, of course, do not leave the heir to the throne alone, lining up in line.

In order to lull the vigilance of the father, who, due to the fault of his obstinate daughter, has to fight with different countries, and at the same time weed out those unworthy of her hand and heart, the princess came up with a brilliant plan. All representatives of blue blood are allowed to get married, but under one condition - if the groom solves three riddles, then the girl’s pass to become the girl’s husband is guaranteed, and the one who is not smart enough will face execution.

An even longer line of naive and reckless princes lined up at the bride's palace. Of course, a girl can make you fall in love with just one portrait. However, the walls of the palace begin to become overgrown with the heads of grooms blown off their shoulders. And yet one day Turandot’s idea was shattered - Prince Calaf, who was secretly visiting Beijing, easily gives answers to the riddles. The princess perceives the event as humiliation: the girl is disgusted by the very idea that the man turned out to be more savvy than her and will now have to submit. Turandot promises to commit suicide in front of the altar.

But Calaf has already fallen in love with the young lady with all his heart, so he offers revenge - Turandot must name the name and status of her potential husband. By luck, the princess manages to obtain reliable information. Desperate Kalaf was about to say goodbye to life right in front of his beloved. But the girl suddenly changed her anger to mercy, realizing that pride melts with love, and saved the prince from death. Kalaf acquired the long-awaited status of the husband of a Chinese beauty.

Productions and roles

The playwright from Paris, Lesage, was the first to prepare a Persian fairy tale for the stage. The comic opera “The Chinese Princess” was presented to the public in 1729 at the Fair Theater in the capital of France. The work was somewhat flawed, because the “translator” used only the central plot - the evil princess sends her foolish suitors one after another to execution. Gozzi complicated the character of the main character, putting meaning into Turandot's actions. In fact, the girl joined the fight for gender equality.

The play, adapted by Schiller, was performed at the beginning of the 19th century in Berlin. It was this performance that inspired the composer to create the opera “Turandot”, which marked the completion of the creative path of the legendary musician. The masterpiece debuted successfully in the spring of 1926 in Milan.

Even the “king of upper C” took part in opera productions based on the legend of Persian fairy tales. The track record includes the party of Prince Calaf. By the way, this is the most difficult role in Puccini’s creation. Her husband, who is considered the best lyric-dramatic tenor of our time, managed to overcome her. The artist made his debut in the opera Turandot at the Mariinsky Theater in 2016.

The dramatic play has a glorious history on the stages of Russian theaters. The production was received with enthusiasm by the public in 1922. The director chose Gozzi's original tragicomedy with its improvisation and grace, discarding Schiller's literary treatment. The theatrical genius put the main focus not on the plot, but on the witty modern remarks of the characters.

Evgeniy Bagrationovich gave a cheerful, light holiday to people going through difficult revolutionary times. The first roles of Turandot and Calaf were played by actors Cecilia Mansurova and Yuri Zavadsky. At the theater. Vakhtangov's play ran (with interruptions) until 2006, becoming the aesthetic symbol of this temple of Melpomene. And it was always a full house.

The play by Ruben Simonov, where the main characters of “Turandot” were portrayed by and. The 1963 production later hit the silver screen - the creative work was filmed on television.

The third restoration of the play took place in 1991 under the direction of Gary Chernyakhovsky. Turandot was played by and, and Kalaf by Alexander Ryshchenkov and.

Today, theatergoers and fans of the performing arts are waiting for a young director who will breathe new life into the play. , artistic director of the theater, announced the decision to suspend the performance:

“Some time will pass, we will try to bring him back, but I don’t understand how yet.”

• The meaning of the name with Persian roots Turandot is “daughter of Turan.”
• Approaches to the theater. E. Vakhtangov is decorated with the Princess Turandot fountain. The monument to the heroine of the fairy tale, who plays the role of the theater’s mascot, was created by sculptor Alexander Burganov. It was installed in 1997 in honor of the 75th anniversary of the play. The canonical style of the fountain fits harmoniously into the architecture of Arbat. The sculpture was chosen by couples in love, because in the evenings the lighting creates a romantic atmosphere.

• In China, the opera Turandot was banned. The authorities believed that the production showed the dark side of the country. The ban ended in 1998, when director Zhang Yimo's Turandot in the Forbidden City appeared and became an art sensation.
• In 1991, the first theater award “Crystal Turandot” was established in Russia. The award, which is not sponsored by the state, is intended exclusively for the Moscow theater community. The list of 2017 award winners includes the productions “The Master and Margarita” (Theatrical Art Studio of Sergei Zhenovach), “Oedipus the King” (Vakhtangov Theater), “The Day of the Oprichnik” (Lenkom) and “Audience” (Theater of Nations).

Quotes

“I can’t imagine that I could become a slave to a man!”

“The first riddle will be very simple: why doesn’t a camel eat cotton wool? It’s simple, but no one will guess.”

"Men get married - women take courage."

“A woman must always be liquid, like water, in order to take any form, not to burn with passion, to seep into the tiniest capillary, to flow wherever the eyes look at the right moment, to dissolve all troubles, never to combine with fat, not to be crushed, to always be necessary, to finish, dripping drop by drop onto the brain, to be like a waterfall in love, sometimes to be boring, like autumn rain, and necessary, like a summer shower, to be joyful, like a fountain and inevitable, like a tsunami.”

“Whatever the child amuses himself with, as long as he doesn’t burst into the bedroom!”

“Don’t measure tender love by the yardstick of interest, Barakh!”

“In order to get rid of mice, you need to drive them all under the closet, and then quickly, quickly saw off the legs! That's all."