''Turandot'' is a 1917 opera with spoken dialogue and in two acts by

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

. Busoni prepared his own libretto, in German, based on the play by Count

Carlo Gozzi __NOTOC__ Carlo, Count Gozzi (; 13 December 1720 – 4 April 1806) was an Italian ( Venetian) playwright and champion of Commedia dell'arte. Early life Gozzi was born and died in Venice; he came from a family of minor Venetian aristocracy, the T ...

. The music for Busoni's opera is based on the

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

, and the associated ''

Turandot Suite The ''Turandot Suite'', Op. 41 ( BV 248) is an orchestral work by Ferruccio Busoni written in 1904-5, based on Count Carlo Gozzi's play ''Turandot''. The music – in one form or another – occupied Busoni at various times between the years 19 ...

'' ( BV 248), which Busoni had written in 1905 for a production of Gozzi's play. The opera is often performed as part of a double bill with Busoni's earlier one-act opera '' Arlecchino''.

Composition of the music for ''Turandot''

Source and previous versions

's play '' Turandot'' first appeared in 1762. It was originally written to be performed in the small theatre of San Samuele in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, and was deliberately written in the ''

Commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

'' style as a reaction to the more modern, realistic plays of Goldoni and others.

Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendsh ...

made an adapted translation of ''Turandot'' which was published in 1802.

Weber Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'. Notable pe ...

wrote his ''Incidental music for Turandot'', Op. 37, for a production of this play. It was composed in 1809 and included the earlier ''Overtura cinese'' ("Chinese Overture"), which he had composed on a Chinese theme in 1805. Busoni thought that between them Schiller and Weber had ruined a masterpiece of Italian literature.

Incidental music and orchestral suite

Gozzi's ''Turandot'' – in one form or another – occupied Busoni at various times in the years 1904–1917. He was very fond of fantastical and magical tales: his immediately preceding work was the Piano Concerto, Op. 39 BV247, which included music from an unfinished adaptation of

Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthems ...

's ''Aladdin''. In 1904 Busoni began sketching incidental music for Gozzi's Chinese fable. He also arranged a concert suite, which was first performed in 1905 and published in 1906. A production of Gozzi's play with Busoni's music was mounted by Max Reinhardt in Berlin in 1911, and for the second and last time in London in 1913. For more information on the composition of the incidental music and the suite, and the productions of the play with Busoni's music, see the article on the ''

''.

Composition of the opera

After the outbreak of World War I, Busoni, as an Italian, found it increasingly difficult to stay in Berlin and eventually moved to neutral Zürich where he did not have to take sides. Between late 1915 and August 1916 he was occupied with writing his one-act opera '' Arlecchino'', but the Stadttheater (municipal theatre) in Zürich was unwilling to mount a production without a companion piece. He swiftly wrote a libretto in German based on Gozzi's original and adapted his ''Turandot Suite'' into a short two-act opera with some spoken dialogue. Dent (1933), p. 233 Busoni wrote to Egon Petri on 9 November 1916:

The important question as to which piece should be coupled with the hour-long ''Arlecchino'' so as to fill an evening, my resultant difficulties and the desire to establish such a programme in a durably valid form have led me to the hasty decision to form an opera in two acts out of the material and substance of ''Turandot''. For a few weeks now I have been hard at work on this delightful task, writing the libretto and music for a Turandot opera. I am re-writing the text completely and independently, and bringing it closer in tone to a pantomime or stage play. It is a more arduous task than I had initially assumed, but it is coming easily to me. The ''masque''-figures common to both pieces serve to link them (although they otherwise contrast completely with each other).

Busoni completed the opera ''Turandot'' in double-quick time (300 pages in 100 days) in late 1916, and it was first performed with ''Arlecchino'' as a double bill – Busoni conducting – in Zürich in 1917. Dent mentions how pleased Busoni was with his own workmanship. There are various oddities in Busoni's libretto which recall the play's ''Commedia dell'arte'' roots: characters with Italian names like Truffaldino and Pantalone; Allah is praised in China; and there are references to

, St. Mark's, and gondolas. The spoken dialogue harks back to

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's operas, especially '' The Magic Flute''. In comparison to Puccini's opera on the same subject, Busoni retains the intimate, unreal atmosphere of Gozzi's play. Busoni's princess Turandot is not quite so implacable; her heart is readier to melt.

Composer's revisions

Re-using some of the material he had composed for the opera, Busoni again revised the orchestral ''Turandot Suite'' in 1917, replacing the Funeral March of the last movement with Altoum's Warning, BV 248b. Busoni also separately published ''Altoums Gebet'' from Act 2 (newly written for the opera) as Altoum's Prayer, BV 277 op. 49 no. 1 for baritone and small orchestra.

Performance history

The premiere performance of Busoni's ''Turandot'' took place on 11 May 1917 at the Stadttheater Zürich. The producer was Hans Rogorsch, and the designer, Albert Isler. Busoni's one-act opera, '' Arlecchino'', was also performed as part of a double-bill.Chapter XV ''Turandot'' in

Beaumont (1985) Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex **Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * Be ...

, pp. 240–245. ''Turandot'' and ''Arlecchino'' were first performed in Germany on 20 October 1918 in Frankfurt with

Gustav Brecher Gustav Brecher (5 February 1879 – May 1940) was a German conductor, composer, and music critic. As director of the Leipzig Opera, he conducted world premieres of works by Ernst Krenek and Kurt Weill, including ''Jonny spielt auf'' and ''Rise a ...

as the conductor, Roberge, pp. 335–341. and again beginning on 26 January 1919 at the Cologne opera, conducted by Otto Klemperer, who had recently been appointed as "First Conductor." The two operas were performed in Berlin on 19 May 1921 at the

Berliner Staatsoper The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

under the baton of the Wagnerian conductor Leo Blech, with considerable success. The first performance in Italy (without ''Arlecchino'') was on 29 November 1936 in Rome, conducted by

Fernando Previtali Fernando Previtali (16 February 1907 Adria, Italy – 1 August 1985, Rome, Italy) was an Italian conductor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially Verdi operas. He studied at the Giuseppe Verdi Music Conservatory in Tu ...

. Previtali, a Busoni champion, went on to conduct performances in other Italian cities and conducted the premiere of the opera at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1964. The first performance in England was in London on 19 August 1966, in an English translation by

Lionel Salter Lionel Salter (8 September 1914 – 1 March 2000) was an English pianist, conductor, writer and administrator who had a long association with the British Broadcasting Corporation.Sadie, Stanley, rev. Jon Stroop. 'Salter, Lionel (Paul)' in ''Gr ...

. The performance was broadcast on the BBC Third Programme. The American premiere was a concert performance on 10 October 1967 in New York's Philharmonic Hall, followed by a semi-staged version on 28 January 1980 at the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, California, conducted by the 28-year-old Kent Nagano; a fully staged performance was given on 15 November 1986 by the Connecticut Grand Opera in Stamford with

Gregory Stapp Gregory Stapp is an American bass who has performed actively in concerts and operas internationally for more than 35 years. He has had a particularly fruitful partnership with the San Francisco Opera, portraying more than 30 roles with the compan ...

as Emperor Altoum,

Juan Luque Carmona ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

as Calaf, and Patricia Craig in the title role.

Roles

Instrumentation

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

s (3rd doubling

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

), 3 oboes (3rd doubling

English horn The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...

), 3

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

s (3rd doubling

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

), 3

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

s (3rd doubling

contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The reed is consi ...

); 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba; timpani, percussion (

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

, triangle, tambourine, covered drum,

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

, tam-tam); 2

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

s; soloists,

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

;

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, p. 76.

Synopsis

Busoni greatly simplified Gozzi's 5-act play into an opera of two acts of two scenes each.

, pp. 77, 241. However,the basic plot is the same. Turandot, daughter of the Emperor, challenges all suitors for her hand with three riddles. She will marry the one who answers correctly, but those who fail are executed. Kalaf, an exiled prince in disguise, takes up the challenge.

Act 1

''Scene 1:'' Kalaf comes upon the picture discarded by an earlier executed suitor, and determines to win Turandot. ''Scene 2:'' Emperor Altoum complains of Turandot's intransigence. Kalaf says he would rather die than fail to win Turandot. Turandot enters with her maid Adelma who recognises the Prince, but remains silent. Kalaf correctly answers the three riddles, and challenges Turandot to discover his name and parentage; if she does so, he will depart.

Act 2

''Scene 1:'' Slave girls dance to a wordless choral version of " Greensleeves". Turandot confesses her mixed feelings for the Prince. Adelma says she knows the Prince's name, and will tell Turandot if she can have her freedom; Turandot agrees. ''Scene 2:'' Turandot announces Kalaf's name to general consternation, and he makes ready to depart. But Turandot stops him, saying he has awakened her heart. The work closes with a final ensemble 'Was ist das alle Menschen bindet?' ("What is it that rules all men?") to which is the reply 'Die Liebe' ("Love").

Recordings

Busoni: ''Arlecchino'' & ''Turandot'' – Chorus & Orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon *Conductor: Kent Nagano *Principal singers: Mechthild Gessendorf (Turandot); Stefan Dahlberg (Kalaf); Franz-Josef Selig (Altoum); Gabriele Sima (Adelma); Falk Struckman (Barak); Anne-Marie Rodde (Queen Mother);

Markus Schäfer Markus Schäfer (born 13 June 1961) is a German lyric tenor, a soloist in opera, oratorio, and '' Lied''. He has performed with major opera houses and with the ensemble La Petite Bande. He has been a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Ha ...

(Truffaldino);

Michael Kraus Michael Kraus may refer to: * Michael Kraus (soccer) (born 1984), American soccer player * Michael Kraus (field hockey) (born 1958), American Olympic hockey player * Michael Kraus (handballer) (born 1983), German handball player * Michael Kraus (m ...

(Pantalone);

Wolfgang Holzmair Wolfgang Holzmair (born 1952 in Vöcklabruck) is an Austrian baritone. Holzmair studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He won 2nd prize in the baritone class of the 's-Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition in 1981, an ...

(Tartaglia) *Label: Virgin Classics VCD7 59313-2 (2 CDs) Busoni: ''Turandot'' – Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra *Conductor: Gerd Albrecht *Principal singers:

René Pape René Pape (born 4 September 1964) is a German operatic bass. Pape has received two Grammys, was named "Vocalist of the Year" by Musical America in 2002, "Artist of the Year" by the German opera critics in 2006, and won an ECHO award (the German ...

(Altoum); Linda Plech (Turandot);

Gabriele Schreckenbach Gabriele Schreckenbach (born in Berlin) is a German contralto singer in opera and concert and an academic voice teacher. She recorded Bach cantatas with the Gächinger Kantorei and Helmuth Rilling. She recorded choral works of Mozart, his ''Wais ...

(Adelma); Josef Protschka (Kalaf); Friedrich Molsberger (Barak); Celina Lindsley (Queen Mother); Robert Wörle (Truffaldino); Johannes Werner Prein (Pantalone); Gotthold Schwarz (Tartaglia) *Label: Capriccio 60 039-1 (1 CD)

Other versions of the Turandot story

Puccini had heard about the 1911 Max Reinhardt production of Gozzi's play with Busoni's incidental music, and this may have played a role in his decision to write his own version. Andrea Maffei (who also wrote the libretto for Verdi's ''

I Masnadieri ''I masnadieri'' (''The Bandits'' or ''The Robbers'') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, based on the play ''Die Räuber'' by Friedrich von Schiller. As Verdi became more successful in Italy, he beg ...

'') had translated his friend Schiller's version of Gozzi's play back into Italian. The librettists for Puccini's Turandot,

Adami Adami may refer to: *Adami (surname) *Adami, a town in the Bible (or Adami-nekeb) *Adami (car), Italian automobile manufacture See also *Winn Adami This is a list of secondary characters from the science fiction television series ''Star Trek: ...

and Simoni, used Maffei's translation, but also turned to Gozzi's original. In addition they made reference to the libretto by Gazzoletti for a little-known opera ''Turanda'' by

Antonio Bazzini Antonio Bazzini (11 March 181810 February 1897) was an Italian violinist, composer and teacher. As a composer, his most enduring work is his chamber music, which earned him a central place in the Italian instrumental renaissance of the 19th cent ...

, who had been one of Puccini's teachers at the Milan Conservatory. As a result, the libretto for Puccini's opera differs considerably from Gozzi's play. Ashbrook and Powers note that several skillful changes in the ' falling action' of the plot (Busoni's Act 2) enabled Busoni to avoid the pitfalls which plagued Puccini's attempt to set Act 3 of his version of the story. Ashbrook and Powers (1991), pp. 54–58 Bertolt Brecht also prepared a version of the story (1953–54).

Detailed list of performances

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Ambros, August Wilhelm (1862). ''Geschichte der Musik'', Vol. 1. Breslau: F.E.C. Leuckhart. Google Books
Full Preview
Accessed 24 September 2009. *Ashbrook, William; Powers, Harold (1991). ''Puccini's Turandot: The End of the Great Tradition'', Ch II, pp. 56–58. Princeton: Princeton University Press. . *

Beaumont, Antony Antony Beaumont (born 27 January 1949, in London)Jacket notes for Beaumont (1987). is an English and German musicologist, writer, conductor and violinist.Lewis, Uncle Dave, ''Allmusic'', reproduced aAnswers.com Accessed on 3 February 2009. As a ...

(1985). ''Busoni the Composer''. London:

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...

. . *

, ed. (1987). ''Busoni: Selected Letters''. New York: Columbia University Press. . *Carter, Huntly (1914). ''The Theatre of Max Reinhardt''. New York: Mitchell Kennerley. Archive.or
OCR text
Accessed 24 September 2009. *Couling, Della (2005). ''Ferruccio Busoni: A musical Ishmael''. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. . * Dent, Edward J. (1933). ''Ferruccio Busoni: A Biography''. London: Oxford University Press. (Reprint: London: Ernst Eulenberg, 1974. .) *Kindermann, Jürgen (1980). ''Thematisch-chronologisches Verzeichnis der Werke von Ferruccio B. Busoni''. Studien zur Musikgeschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts, vol. 19. Regensburg: . . *Ley, Rosamond, translator (1938). ''Ferruccio Busoni: Letters to His Wife''. London: Edward Arnold & Co. * Lo, Kii-Ming (1994). Kii-Ming Lo, ''Ping, Pong, Pang. Die Gestalten der Commedia dell'arte in Busonis und Puccinis »Turandot«-Opern'', in Peter Csobádi, Ulrich Müller et al. (eds.), ''Die lustige Person auf der Bühne'', Anif/Salzburg (Müller-Speiser) 1994, . * Lo, Kii-Ming (1996). Kii-Ming Lo, ''Turandot auf der Opernbühne'', Frankfurt/Bern/New York (Peter Lang) 1996, . * Lo, Kii-Ming (2004). Kii-Ming Lo, ''Zur Entstehungsgeschichte von Ferruccio Busonis »Turandot«-Werkgruppe und ihrer musiktheatralischen Ästhetik'', in Albrecht Riethmüller/Hyesu Shin (eds.), ''Busoni in Berlin. Facetten eines kosmopolitischen Komponisten'', Stuttgart (Franz Steiner) 2004, . * Lo, Kii-Ming/ Maehder, Jürgen (2004). Kii-Ming Lo/Jürgen Maehder, ''Turandot de tui bian'' 'The Transformations of »Turandot«'' Taipei (Gao Tan Publishing Co.) 2004, .. *Roberge, Marc-André (1991). ''Ferruccio Busoni: a bio-bibliography''. New York:

Greenwood Press Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as Gr ...

. . * Schiller, Friedrich (1802). ''Turandot, Prinzessin von China. Ein tragicomisches Märchen nach Gozzi''. Tübingen: J. G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. Google Books
Full preview
Accessed 19 September 2009. * Vollmöller, Karl (1911). ''Turandot chinesisches Märchenspiel von Carlo Gozzi; Deutsch von Karl Vollmoeller''. Berlin: S. Fischer. *Vollmöller, Karl (1913). ''Turandot, Princess of China. A Chinoiserie in Three Acts''. Authorized English version by Jethro Bithell. London: T. Fisher Unwin
Project Gutenberg
Accessed 15 September 2009.

External links

* {{Authority control German-language operas Operas by Ferruccio Busoni Operas 1917 operas Operas set in China Operas based on plays Operas based on works by Carlo Gozzi Works based on Turandot (Gozzi)