"Turandot - First Act; Finale", by Giacomo Puccini (Audio + Sheet Music)

pf: London Philharmonic Orchestra and John Alldis Choir cond/ Zubin Mehta Il Principe Ignoto (Calaf) - Luciano Pavarotti Liù - Montserrat Caballé Timur - Nicolai Ghiaurov Ping - Tom Krause Pang - Pier Francesco Poli Pong - Piero de Palma Composer: Giacomo Puccini Librettist: Franco Alfano Sung In Italian World premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, April 1926. Met and U.S. premiere: November 16, 1926. Puccini’s final opera is an epic fairy tale set in a China of legend, loosely based on a play by 18th-century Italian dramatist Carlo Gozzi. Featuring a most unusual score with an astounding and innovative use of chorus and orchestra, it is still recognizably Puccini, bursting with instantly appealing melody. The unenviable task of completing the opera’s final scene upon Puccini’s sudden death was left to the composer Franco Alfano. Conductor Arturo Toscanini oversaw Alfano’s contribution and led the world premiere. For a synopsis of the opera, see: http://www.metopera.org/Discover/Synopses/Turandot/