Act One
The drama unfolds in a legendary Peking, China. Princess Turandot will only marry a man who can solve her three riddles; all who fail must die. Many heroes have perished trying to win her hand. The kingdom has gathered to witness the execution of the latest to fail, the Prince of Persia.
Timur, the deposed King of the Tartars, old and blind, hides among the crowd with Liù, an enslaved woman. Timur falls when the crowd surges forward to see the Prince. Timur’s son Calaf, recognizing his father, helps the old man to his feet.
The crowd cries out for blood, calling on the moon to rise, for that is the moment of execution. But when the Prince appears, he is pale, handsome, and barely more than a boy. The crowd takes pity on him and begs Turandot to have mercy on him. Turandot appears before the crowd, signaling that he must be killed.
Calaf is captivated by her beauty. Timur and Liù try to impress upon him that pursuing his infatuation will only end badly as the Prince of Persia is executed, but Calaf will hear none of it. Calaf rushes to strike the gong, thereby declaring his intention to pursue Turandot, but Ping, Pang and Pong, the Emperor’s ministers, intervene. They warn him that striking the gong leads to certain death, and Timur and Liù echo their entreaties while the ghosts of Turandot’s executed suitors egg Calaf on. Liù cannot bear Calaf’s obstinate, destructive resolve (“Signore, ascolta!”). Calaf tries to comfort her (“Non piangere, Liù”), but Liù only foresees certain death. He rushes forward and strikes the gong three times.
- INTERMISSION -
Act Two
Scene One
Ping, Pang and Pong sit in a pavilion on the grounds of the palace, recalling the countless executions they’ve seen since the birth of Princess Turandot. Thirteen men have already died this year, and the ministers are ready to make Calaf the 14th name on that list. They dream of the day when the executions will end, but preparations are already underway for Calaf.
Scene Two
Wise men appear in the square carrying scrolls with the answers to the three riddles (“Gravi, enormi ed impotenti”). The Emperor, enthroned in venerable majesty, begs Calaf to leave, but the Tartar prince will not yield. Turandot recounts the story of Princess Lo-u-Ling, her ancestor, dragged away by invaders (“In questa reggia”). Hatred for the man who killed Lo-u-Ling lives on in Turandot’s heart, and no man shall ever possess her. Turandot then speaks the riddles. Calaf answers each one correctly, but Turandot refuses to become his wife. He tells her that if she can discover his name before dawn, he will let her have him executed.
- INTERMISSION -
ACT THREE
The heralds announce that by order of Princess Turandot, no man shall sleep that night. Death will be the penalty if the stranger’s name is not discovered by dawn. Calaf vows to only reveal his name to Turandot once daylight has broken (“Nessun dorma!”). Ping, Pang and Pong try to wrench the secret from Calaf, but he refuses all of their attempts to elicit his name.
Soldiers bring in Timur and Liù, and Turandot enters to interrogate them. Liù declares that she alone knows the stranger’s name. The soldiers try to torture it out of her, but she grabs one of their daggers and stabs herself, declaring that by her sacrifice, the princess will come to love the stranger. Timur follows Liù’s body as the people lift it and carry it away.
Calaf indignantly kisses Turandot, trying to thaw the princess of ice (“Principessa di morte!”). Dawn breaks, and with it, Turandot’s resolve. When the crowd asks if she knows the stranger’s name, she replies, looking into Calaf’s eyes, “His name is love!” Spared death, the populace celebrates their happiness.
In fond memory of Tara Colburn, supertitles are underwritten by Dunard Fund USA.
