I have seen this opera umpteen times and 10-12 live and I still get teary eyed at the end.....Zafano did it well although many critics will take issue! Zeff could blow up a budget but he does present the goods!
Ghena Dimitrova was the first Turandot I saw (on TV). Nicola Martinucci was Calaf and as good as he was, he looked as if Dimitrova could eat him alive.
Very opulent production. Great singing by the principals, but somehow lacking. Perhaps it's the production itself which seems to be upstaging the singers. Or perhaps it's the camera from a distance, which encompasses the stage but doesn't focus on the very important stars of the opera - which would give us a more intimate relationship with them. And in the theater one chooses where to direct one's attention, not the camera's vantage.
This Zeffirelli production was not made for video cameras but for the gigantic MET stage...and that is how you should experience it (if you have a chance). I can guarantee you that you will be stunned by this production....decades later. The MET will play it again next season - hopefully.
Singing bad beyond belief. What went on in the middle of the word ‘straniero’? Zeffirelli’s gay baroque plus wobbling from hell. Elon, take me with you to Mars.
Turandot needs to be lavish, but this is ridiculous. The stage is so densely packed it clutters the action. If this brief sample is typical of the entire production I want no more. Tasteless (not unusual for the Met in more recent years) and the singing could be better, especially the vibrato-dominated chorus. Yuck!
If you have a chance next season to see it live...take it! This is by far the most "over the top" Turandot production you will ever see - but it is absolutely amazing. Videos can not capture the raw power the entire ensemble and everyone working in this production is throwing at you. Unforgettable experience....!
