TURANDOT - Opera on the Mall 2016

turandot Saturday, October 1, 2016 6:00 p.m. pre-show | 7:00 p.m. broadcast Independence National Historical Park Opera on the Mall is presented by PNC Arts Alive and is made possible through the generous support of the William Penn Foundation.

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Welcome Welcome to Opera on the Mall, one of my favorite nights of the year! For our sixth straight season, we gather with friends to enjoy some classic opera in the shadow of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

What could be more Philly than that?

Tonight, we present a free, open-air broadcast of Puccini’s beloved Turandot, one of the most successful operas in history. It is a true classic, and tonight’s lavish production features stunning sets, costumes, and choreography, as well as performances from some of the greatest voices in opera.

More than 20,000 people have enjoyed a free night of opera in the five years since we’ve been hosting this event at Independence National Historical Park.

Tonight, we are thrilled to welcome you to the family.

I hope you enjoy tonight’s big screen operatic block party, and that you’ll join us again for one of our spring productions at the Academy of Music. I also invite you to see more opera next fall, as we launch an annual season-opening opera festival in our great city.

I want to hear from you tonight as you enjoy the broadcast. Tweet us @OperaPhila and me @ddevan using #onthemall.

David B. Devan General Director & President Opera Philadelphia Photo by Philip Groshong for Cincinnati Opera

y o u r g u id e t o op e r a on t h e m a l l p u ccini ’s t ur an dot P e r f o r m e d i n I ta l i a n w i t h E n g l i s h s u b t i t l e s

Independence Visitor Center

S CHE DULE Gates open Pre-show video with cast & creative team interviews Performance begins Intermission (20 minutes) Performance ends

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES

EN JOYIN G THE BROADCAST

•S hare your Instagram photos #onthemall with @operaphila and @independencenps

•B ring your blankets and beach chairs Low-slung preferred

•U se our Snapchat geofilter to take a stylish selfie

•D ogs must be kept on leashes at all times

•P ose for photos in the FREE photobooth • L iberty Bell Center open until 5 p.m. Last admittance 4:50 p.m.

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Market Street

President’s House Site 5th Street

p.m.: p.m.: p.m.: p.m.: p.m.:

6th Street

5:30 6:00 7:00 8:15 9:20

Liberty Bell Center

• Picnic dinners encouraged

• F ood trucks on 5th Street, between Market and Chestnut • I ndependence Visitor Center open until 6:00 p.m.

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Chestnut Street

Independence Hall

ENTRANCE LOCATIONS

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RESTROOMS

INFORMATION AND FIRST AID

PHOTOBOOTH

VIDEO SCREENS

FOOD TRUCKS

I nd e p e nd e nc e N a t ion a l H is t o r ic a l P a r k A visit to Independence National Historical

internationally as a UNESCO World

Park is an opportunity to celebrate and

Heritage Site because of the world-changing

explore our nation’s past. Stand in the

events that occurred inside this building.

shadow of Independence Hall or read the

of our Constitution over the years.

This is the best time to be in the park, as this year marks the 100th birthday of

There is so much more history to explore,

the National Park Service! Celebrate

from the Georgian architecture, to the

the NPS Centennial by coming out to

Portrait Gallery of the Second Bank, to

#FindYourPark. Every visit should

fugitive slave trials. The park’s museum

start at the Independence Visitor Center.

collection contains 2.2 million historic

Learn more about Independence National

artifacts associated with events, people and

Historical Park and the

places relevant to the park’s mission. The

founding of our nation

This national park preserves and interprets

Benjamin Franklin Museum showcases the

on the free mobile app,

many of the most important resources

creativity, ambition, and genius of one of

NPSIndependence,

associated with the founding of our country.

our greatest founding fathers. Exhibits at the

and by following

Independence Hall has been recognized

National Constitution Center trace the impact

#FindYourPark.

famous inscription on the Liberty Bell. Stop for a moment in the President’s House Site and consider the promises and paradoxes of the liberty our founders envisioned. The ideas of liberty and self-government tested here still echo through our lives today.

The story of

Turandot One of the world’s most beloved

young composer Franco Alfano

operas, Giacomo Puccini’s

later completed the opera using

Turandot has mesmerized

Puccini’s sketches. In a nod to the

audiences since its 1926 premiere.

great composer, on the night of

In an imagined ancient China, the

its world premiere only Puccini’s

beautiful Princess Turandot reigns

original work was performed,

with an iron fist and an ice-cold

conducted by close friend

heart. She has vowed only to

Arturo Toscanini.

wed if a man of royal blood can answer her three riddles – those

In the decades since, Turandot’s

who try and fail are beheaded.

adventurous score, featuring

When a mysterious man passes

soaring traditional Chinese

her test, Turandot faces her own

melodies and the rousing anthem

challenge: opening her heart to love.

“Nessun dorma,” has stood the test of time. This kaleidoscopic co-production with stunning sets

Puccini struggled to write the

and costumes brings it all to

final scenes of this powerful

life, with director Renaud Doucet

romance and, in the end, the

and conductor Corrado Rovaris

opera went unfinished when the

leading a sumptuous celebration of

composer died in 1924, though

Puccini’s masterful work.

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Broadcast Equipment provided by PRG

M e e t t h e c a s t of turandot

C h r is t in e Go e r k e Turandot Soprano

MAR C O B ERT I * CALAF Tenor

J O Y C E EL - K H O URY * Liù Soprano

M O RR I S R O B I N S O N TIMUR Bass

D A N I EL B EL C H ER PING Baritone

J UL I U S A H N * PANG Tenor

J O S E P H GA I N E S PONG Tenor

J O H N AT H A N M C C ULL O UG H THE MANDARIN Baritone

T O F F ER M I H ALKA EMPEROR ALTOUM Tenor

W it h members of t h e C ommonwealt h Y out h c h oirs , O pera P h iladelp h ia ’ s official yout h c h oir

C REAT I V E TEAM MUSIC / Giacomo Puccini TEXT / Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni CONDUCTOR / Corrado Rovaris DIRECTOR / Renaud Doucet SET & COSTUME DESIGN / André Barbe*

LIGHTING DESIGN / Anne Catherine Simard-Deraspe* ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN / Guy Simard* WIG & MAKE-UP DESIGN / David Zimmerman CHORUS MASTER / Elizabeth Braden Broadcast Director / Bruce Bryant

*Opera Philadelphia debut

Co-production with Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Utah Opera, and Seattle Opera.

Major support for Turandot has been provided by the Wyncote Foundation at the recommendation of Frederick R. Haas, Mrs. Sandra K. Baldino, and the William Penn Foundation.

Photo by Philip Groshong for Cincinnati Opera

n e ss u n do r m a

Thin k

you’ve

Turandot?

never

heard

T h ink a g ain .

Giacomo Puccini’s music is some of the

After correctly answering Turandot’s

when famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti’s

over the years it has often crossed over

love by posing a challenge of his own.

1990 World Cup soccer championship

dawn, he will be executed; if not, she

Aretha Franklin and Michael Bolton

no one will sleep until his name is

performed the tune. If you’ve seen films

riddles, Calaf allows her to deny his

most adored music ever written, and

from the classical world into popular

If Turandot can discover his name by

in movies like Mission: Impossible –

must marry him. Turandot announces

culture. You may have heard his music

Rogue Nation, Atonement, Rocky Balboa,

in Italy. Since then, everyone from

to heavy metal band Manowar has

known, but Calaf is confident, declaring

and even Babe: Pig in the City!

“Vincerò” (“I will win!”).

“Nessun dorma” (None shall sleep),

Calaf ’s thrilling aria from Turandot’s

Bend It Like Beckham or The Sum Of All Fears, you’ve heard “Nessun dorma!”

Thanks to its theme of victory, this aria

Act III, is one of Puccini’s most popular.

became a surprise hit on the pop charts

puzzle

it

recording was used to promote the

out!

In order to avoid marriage, Turandot poses three riddles to her potential suitors – with some serious consequences. But riddles have foiled fictional characters (and entertained audiences) for centuries.

Can you solve these puzzles from pop culture?

Voiceless it cries, Wingless flutters, Toothless bites, Mouthless mutters.

What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?

The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien

Oedipus Rex – Sophocles

“First think of the person who lives in disguise, Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies, Next tell me what’s always the last thing to mend, The middle of middle and end of the end?

And finally give me the sound often heard, During the search for a hard-to-find word.

Now string them together, and answer me this, Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling

A. A spider.

A. Man: as an infant, he crawls on all fours; as an adult, he walks on two legs and; in old age, he uses a ‘walking’ stick.

A. The wind

Photo by Philip Groshong for Cincinnati Opera

Watching Turandot with Modern Eyes

By Bi Jean Ngo Turandot is often called a fantasy fable, a fictitious legend that serves as a cautionary tale about love and leadership. However, elements of the popular story demand a deeper examination from today’s viewer.

Giacomo Puccini composed Turandot in 1924, at a time when no one had the internet and few Westerners traveled to China. In 2016, it is imperative that one views Turandot with the understanding that Puccini’s imagined China is entirely fictitious, a setting meant to distance his story from the geographical and political landscape of Italy. Puccini wrote at a time when Europeans exoticized China and based their ideas of Asian culture on cultural appropriations and stereotype.

The story itself is an appropriation of several cultures, having passed through the lens of various retellings: Turandot comes from a French version of a Persian story which was transformed into the commedia dell ’arte play that inspired an opera suddenly set in an imagined China. In experiencing this opera, one must then relinquish the idea of cultural authenticity while hoping for a production that offers respectful cultural representation.

The characters of Ping, Pong, and Pang, for instance, can at first glance seem buffoonish and possibly offensive. To someone of Asian heritage, the names themselves seem based on a stereotype of the language or an appropriation of the Chinese-invented game of Ping Pong. Google an image of past

productions, and most interpretations of Ping, Pong, and Pang show opera singers wearing eyeliner that gives them aggressively slanted eyes while wearing ridiculous costumes that don’t resemble historically accurate Chinese royal ministers, but look more like clown costumes.

However, in Puccini’s day, these characters would have seemed familiar due to their commedia dell ’arte roots. Commedia dell ’arte is a classic style of Italian theatre that uses extreme gesture, masks, ensemble movement and archetypal clowns to present narratives and ideas to the masses. Commedia character types included a hero and his lover, the mischievous servant, and the vecchio, or wise old man, among others. While Turandot is an epic romantic drama, the influences of commedia dell ’arte remain. The characters of Ping, Pong, and Pang are clearly the vecchi who try desperately to thwart Calaf ’s pursuit of the Princess Turandot.

Another story element that begs examination today is the stereotypical treatment of both female characters, Turandot and Liù.

The Princess Turandot refuses to marry and executes her suitors as epic revenge for an ancestor’s rape. The servant girl Liù withstands physical torture to protect the identity of Calaf because she has loved him her whole life. However, Liù does not garner Calaf ’s affection and she kills herself. In the final act, the Princess Turandot succumbs to Calaf ’s aggressive pursuit and marries him. The Princess Turandot perpetuates the stereotype of the heartless Asian “dragon lady,”

while Liù is the quintessential submissive, delicate Asian flower.

This depiction of women is, of course, not unique to opera. But in 2016, these female characters and their narrative arcs might elicit a different response than that of an audience member from ninety years ago. We’re living in a time when the U.S. Asian population is growing exponentially, when a woman has been nominated for president, and when women around the world are fighting for and gaining equal rights to education and income. It’s a different world than when Puccini wrote his opera.

Appreciating opera doesn’t mean forgiving the form its flaws. Globalization and gender equality have changed the way we interpret stories and art. But perhaps what keeps opera relevant today is that audience members can enjoy the music and get swept away by the romance, then go home and discuss the complexities of a show like Turandot in today’s society. Perhaps the power of this piece resides not only in its epic grandeur and music, but also in its potential to begin a conversation about cultural and gender awareness in the art of opera.

Bi Jean Ngo is creative director of Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, a collective of theatre artists who seek to enhance and strengthen the presence of Asian Americans in the Philadelphia theatre community.

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