Puccini - Turandot

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Zubin Mehta

Decca 414 274-2DH2 Buy now

(117' · ADD · T/t) 

Joan Sutherland sop Princess Turandot; Luciano Pavarotti ten Calaf; Montserrat Caballé sop Liù; Tom Krause bar Ping; Pier Francesco Poli ten Pang; Piero De Palma ten Pong; Nicolai Ghiaurov bass Timur; Peter Pears ten Emperor Altoum; Sabin Markov bar Mandarin 

Recorded 1972.

Turandot is a psychologically complex work fusing appalling sadism with self-sacrificing devotion. The icy Princess of China has agreed to marry any man of royal blood who can solve three riddles she has posed. If he fails his head will roll. Calaf, the son of the exiled Tartar king Timur, answers all the questions easily and, when Turandot hesitates to accept him, magnanimously offers her a riddle in return – ‘What is his name?’. Liù, Calaf’s faithful slave-girl, is tortured but, rather than reveal his identity, kills herself. Turandot finally capitulates, announcing that his name is Love. Joan Sutherland’s assumption of the title-role is statuesque, combining regal poise with a more human warmth, while Montserrat Caballé is a touchingly sympathetic Liù, skilfully steering the character away from any hint of the mawkish. Pavarotti’s Calaf is a heroic figure in splendid voice and the chorus is handled with great power, baying for blood at one minute, enraptured with Liù’s nobility at the next. Mehta conducts with great passion and a natural feel for Puccini’s wonderfully tempestuous drama.