TURANDOT - Sounds of Learning Student Guide

OPERA PHILADELPHIA & T H E S C H oo L D I s T R I C T o F P H I L A D E L P H I A PREsENT

final Dress Rehearsal S e p t e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 6 | 2 : 0 0 P. M .

Academy of Music

w e h o p e t h at y o u Accept the Challenge... ...to open this book and begin to explore with your teachers, classmates and parents the universal themes that you will find in opera. This challenge is like an exploration, in which you examine different issues that people have faced throughout the ages. It is like taking an adventure through time and space.

This book is a guide that will connect you to an art form, opera, that may take you outside of your realm of experiences. The stories and problems in operas have been part of the human condition and span throughout time. In an opera, the story will be presented in a way that will be different from the way you are used to experiencing a story. Through the music and the libretto, we hope you will be able to connect with the plot, the storyline or themes that may have been written in the 16th, 17th or 18th century but are still relevant today. During your time of study and preparation with these materials there is the expectation that you will be able to connect something from your exploration of opera to your own personal stories.

Accepting this challenge also provides an opportunity for you to apply what you know to present day situations and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the story presentation.

As you work your way through this book, we hope you will be prepared to experience the opera with a new set of lenses that will afford you the opportunity to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate what you have learned or experienced during the challenge. Hopefully, you will take advantage of the opportunity to reflect on your experiences on our Sounds of Learning™ blog and through your reflections you will be sharing with others your insights about your journey. Your reflections will also help us modify and adjust our program materials for future audiences and students.

We hope you will accept this challenge, and join other students who are taking the journey to make connections between the past and the present in order to impact the future!

I accept the challenge

G OALS AN D OB J ECTI V ES of Sounds of Learning ™ Connect with the plot or themes

Connect something from your exploration of opera to your own personal stories

Draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the story presentation

Experience the opera with an open mind

Analyze, synthesize and evaluate what you have learned or experienced during the challenge

Use the Sounds of Learning™ blog to reflect on your experience and provide insights about your journey

Best Practices in Arts Education is sponsored by Pennsylvania Alliance for Arts Education, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Department of Education

TA B L E O F Contents GETTINg READY FoR THE OPERA The Then and Now of Opera 2 Philadelphia’s Academy of Music 4 Opera Etiquette 5 The Language of Opera 6 Theater Anatomy 7 Operatic Voice Types 8 So You Want to Sing Like an Opera Singer?

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RELATIN G O PERA T O HI S T O RY The Man Behind the Music: Giacomo Puccini 10 Puccini’s Turandot : Struggle to the Stage 11 What in the World? Events During Puccini’s Life 12 Make Your Own Timeline 13 China’s Forbidden City 14 Who was the Emperor?

15 Watching Turandot with Modern Eyes 16 Jasmine Flower 18 Pop Culture Phenomenon: Nessun dorma 19

LI B RETT O

& PR O D U CTI O N INF O R M ATI O N

Acting the Story Using Tableaus 20 Turandot: Cast and Creative Team 21 The Story of Turandot 22 What Makes a Heroine Heroic?

31 Meet our Turandot: Christine Goerke 32 Meet the Artists: Ping, Pang, and Pong 34

P O S T- O PERA ACTI V ITIE S Turandot Crossword Puzzle

36 Child’s Play in 1926 38 Very Puzzling: Art Lesson 39 Character Analysis Pyramid 40 Plot the Action 41 What Happens Next? 42 Making a Synopsis 43 Writing a Review of the Opera 44 Connect the Opera Terms 45 2016-2017 Season Subscriptions 46 Invest in Grand Opera!

47 Glossary 48 1

THE THE N A N D N OW of Opera Have you ever wondered where opera got its start? Back in the late 1500s, during the height of the Italian Renaissance (1400–1600), a group of men called the Florentine Camerata got together to create a moving theatrical experience. They wanted to recreate what the ancient Greeks did during their legendary dramas, but the result was something entirely new–opera!

Most of the early operas were based on Greek myths. The most famous opera of this early period that is still performed today is Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo (1607). Certain basic ingredients included in early opera were: songs, instrumental accompaniments, costumes, dance, and scenery. We still use all of these ingredients today!

Baritone Simone Alberghini and soprano Christine Brandes as the Count and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro.

Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography

The early operas were first performed in the grand courts of Italian nobility, but as opera became popular with the general public, theaters were built just to produce operas. These theaters had elaborate stage machinery to create special effects like f lying actors or crumbling buildings.

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During the Baroque period (1600–1750), Italian opera spread all over Europe. The Italian style of opera was so popular that even non-Italians wrote in this style. For example, Georg Frederic Handel was a German-born composer who lived and

worked in England. His operas, like Julius Caesar (1724), were written in Italian and used an Italian style of music.

Morris Robinson as the Grand Inquisitor and Eric Owens as King Phillip in Verdi’s Don Carlo. Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography

The eighteenth century was full of change for both Europe and opera. This time period was known as the Age of Enlightenment.

People were talking about new forms of government and organization in society, especially regarding the ever-growing middle class. Music ref lected this new thinking as composers dropped the Baroque era’s complicated musical style for simpler, more emotional music. One of the first operas to use this new style was Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (1762).

In 1776 the American Revolution changed the world. A few years later the French had their own revolution (1789) and the first modern democracies were born. Audiences in this time period wanted to see characters like themselves on stage, not gods and goddesses. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (1786) features a timely story of aristocratic class struggles that had both servants and nobility in lead roles.

In the 1800s opera continued to grow. The Italian tradition continued in the bel canto movement, which literally translates to “beautiful singing.” The most famous bel canto composers were Gioachino Rossini,

Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini.

Their operas, like Rossini’s comedies The Barber of Seville (1816) and Cinderella (1817), are still some of the most popular operas performed today.

By the middle of the century, the Romantic Movement led many composers to champion their own national identities. German operas like Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (1821), Russian operas like Mikhail Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar (1836) and French operas like Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (1836) were performed across Europe. In Germany Richard Wagner took Romanticism to the extreme in The Ring of the Nibelung (1876), which takes over 15 hours to perform!

Today, opera is still growing and expanding.

Opera Philadelphia helps to shape the future of opera by producing important new operas like Cold Mountain in 2016, composed by Philadelphian Jennifer Higdon and based on the book of the same name by Charles Frazier. Daniel Schnyder and Bridgette A. Wimberly’s 2015 work, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, about the tortured jazz saxophonist, was so well received that it travelled to New York City in April 2016 to become the first ever opera to be produced at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. In addition, Opera Philadelphia announced its first ever two-week festival, O17, September 14-25, 2017, offering 25 performances over 12 days, featuring new and traditional operas at venues across the city.

Although opera is one of the oldest musical art forms, it still remains and expands today.

From old favorites to the new experimental works, opera continues to be a moving art form of the people.

R EA D I N G C O M P R EHE N S I O N

Lawrence Brownlee in Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD. Photo: Sophia Negron

Opera in the twentieth century became even more experimental. Composers like Giacomo Puccini (La bohème, 1896), Claude Debussy (Pelléas et Mélisande, 1902), Richard Strauss (Salome, 1905), and Benjamin Britten (Peter Grimes, 1945) evolved their national styles. Others, horrified by the destruction caused by World War I (1914-1918) as well as other aspects of modern life, created new styles of music that were radical and drastically dissonant.

American opera had a huge hit with George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (1935) which included jazz and blues musical styles.

• E arly operas were based off Greek myths. Which myth was Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo based off of ? When you know the name of the myth, research the story, and see what other operas were based off the same myth.

• Opera was created during the Italian Renaissance.

What else came from the Renaissance? List at least two important changes during that time period.

• Does the title of a certain opera mentioned in the article interest you? Research the story, characters, or music of one (or more) of the operas mentioned in the article.

• What is dissonance? And why did composers use this technique in the twentieth century?

• The Ring of the Nibelung by Wagner takes almost 15 hours to perform. Calculate that amount of time in minutes and in seconds.

• Opera changed after democratic governments became popular. What is a democracy? Why would it influence opera to create pieces like The Marriage of Figaro?

• When was the Age of Enlightenment? Name two popular writers and two popular operas from this time period.

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P h il a d e l p h i a’ s Ac a d e m y o f M u sic a d a p t e d f r o m S t r i n g T h e o r y S c h o o l ’ s Tu r a n d o t i B o o k

The Academy of Music opened on February 25, 1857 with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore. Opera Philadelphia calls the theater home, but the Academy has also presented ballets, orchestra concerts, glamorous balls, been used as an ice-skating rink, and hosted the first-ever indoor football game. The building, nicknamed The Grand Old Lady of Locust Street, is a historical monument and the oldest grand opera house in America still used for its original purpose.

The opera house’s exterior was originally very plain because the architects wanted the interior, inspired by the beautiful La Scala opera house in Italy, to be the focus of attention. The Academy of Music’s auditorium is designed in the shape of a horseshoe to give audiences the best possible view from every angle while helping the sound from the stage fill the theater.

The basement of the Academy of Music has a rich history as well. Its beautiful décor made it the perfect spot for an elegant dining hall. There, men and women could dress in their best clothes and dine in luxury. During World War II the hall was transformed into the “Stage Door Canteen”, serving refreshments and featuring appearances by entertainers performing at the Academy of Music, such as Abbott and Costello, Duke Ellington, and Frank Sinatra. From June 1942 until October 1945, the dining hall hosted a total of 2,500,000 men and women from the Armed Forces.

The Academy of Music is a Philadelphia icon and historical monument. It stands proud still today and entertains people through theater shows, operas, and ballets.

The wondrous interior and exterior design has blossomed into the perfect place for a performance of any kind.

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Photo by George Widman

Ac a d e my of M usic Fa c t s:

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The auditorium seats 2,897; 14 columns support the Academy’s tiers; the auditorium is encased within a three-foot-thick solid brick wall.

The Academy Chandelier is 25 feet high, 50 feet in circumference, almost 17 feet in diameter, and 3,500 pounds in weight. It has 23,000 crystals on it, which, if laid out, could reach from Broad Street to Rittenhouse Square and back.

The red and gold pattern on the Academy’s stage curtain simulates a pineapple, a Victorian-era symbol for “welcome.”

The first-ever indoor football game was held on the Academy’s Parquet level on March 7, 1889 between the University of Pennsylvania and Riverton Club of Princeton. At halftime, tug-of-war matches were held as entertainment.

1,600 people attended the first-ever public motion picture screening on February 5, 1870.

Air conditioning was installed in 1959.

There was no elevator for the general public in the Academy until 1990!

For more information on the Academy of Music, visit academyofmusic.org.

OPE R a Etiquette

By Dan Darigan A tte n di n g the O pera

For a fun video of what’s expected at the opera, please visit tinyurl.com/OperaEtiquette.

There’s nothing as exciting as seeing a performance in Philadelphia’s beautiful Academy of Music. If this is your first time at the opera, there are a few things for which you should prepare: You are attending the opera’s final dress rehearsal, the last chance for performers to run through the show before opening night.

The goal is to treat this rehearsal exactly like a performance and perform the opera straight through without a pause.

You may notice several computer monitors and a large table spread out over the seats in the center of the first f loor of the auditorium.

Seated in this area is the production team: Director, Assistant Director, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer, Set Designer, and others. They’ll take notes and communicate via headsets with the many people backstage who help make all of the operatic magic happen: Stage Managers, Master Carpenter, Lighting Technicians, Stagehands, and others. They’ll be able to give notes so that changes can be instantly made.

Should things go awry, they may stop and repeat a section to make sure that it is perfect.

OPER A E T IQU E T T E 101

Unlike actors on television or in the movies, performers on stage are very aware of the audience. Everything you do in the audience affects what happens on stage and behind the scenes. Because this is a working rehearsal, we ask that you please refrain from talking so that the production team can concentrate on fine-tuning the production. You can show the artists how much you appreciate their work and the opportunity to come to this free rehearsal by being as quiet as possible.

Students from Harris Elementary School get ready for the opera

H e r e’s a l i s t o f D O s a n d D O N ’ Ts s o that ever yone in the theater can enjoy t h e o p e ra: Pl e a s e D o…

• Applaud after the arias; you can shout “Bravo!” for men and “Brava!” for the women.

• Enter and exit the theater in an orderly fashion.

• Use the bathrooms before the rehearsal begins or at intermission.

• Be careful in the auditorium! The theater is over 150 years old and can be tricky to get around.

• Turn off your cell phones and all electronic devices.

• E njoy the show. You’ve worked too hard preparing for the rehearsal not to!

D o n’t F o r g e t …

• No food, gum or beverages are allowed inside the theater.

• P hotographs or video footage may not be taken during the performance.

• No talking or whispering during the performance.

• No shoving, jumping, running, or spitting in the theater.

• Please obey the theater ushers and staff.

• Keep all objects to yourself. If you throw something, you might hurt someone and cause a disruption in the rehearsal.

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T h e L a ng u a g e o f Opera act aria audie n ce ballet bloc k i n g character chorus co n ductor duet libretto orchestra overture program recitative rehearsal sce n e

types of singers

sopra n o

me z z o - sopra n o co n tralto te n or barito n e bass

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main sections of a play or opera a solo song sung in an opera

eople who watch a performance and sit in the “house” or p auditorium dance set to music action on stage

person who is part of the opera’s story

usic composed for a group of singers; the name of a group of m singers in an opera

person who rehearses and leads the orchestra a song performed by two singers

the text or words in an opera, an opera’s script

a group of musicians who play together on various musical instruments

a piece of instrumental music played at the beginning of an opera

booklet that contains information about the opera, composer, performers, the opera company, and includes advertisements

words that are sung in the rhythm of natural speech

time when singers/actors practice with or without the orchestra; time when musicians practice together with the conductor segments of action within the acts of an opera

highest pitched female voice

medium pitched female voice

lowest pitched female voice

highest pitched male voice

medium pitched male voice

lowest pitched male voice

THEATE R Anatomy Opera singers must act on stage as well as sing! This means that they have to understand the stage set-up. When the director is rehearsing with the singers, they must communicate where the singers should be on stage. Otherwise there could be a big traffic jam! So, a special vocabulary is used. Upstage is the very back of the stage (away from the audience) and Downstage is at the front (near the audience). Stage Left and Stage Right may seem to be on the wrong sides as well. Can you figure out why?

You might also wonder about “up” stage and “down” stage. Opera sets are frequently built on a platform or “deck” that’s lower in the front near the apron and higher in the back near the back stage area. Thus, the lower end is “downstage” and the higher end is “upstage”. Also, when you visit the Academy of Music, look for the bas-relief portrait of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the top of the proscenium, the part of a theater stage in front of the curtain.

B AC KS TAG E WINGS

PROSCENIUM

WINGS

UP S TAG E R I G HT

UP S TAG E C E N TE R

UP S TAG E LEFT

C E N TE R

D OW N S TAG E D OW N S TAG E C E N TE R R I G HT

D OW N S TAG E LEFT

C U R TA I N L I N E AP R O N

O R C HES T R A P I T

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Diagram from OPER A America’s MUSIC! WORDS! OPER A! Level II Teacher’s Manual ©1991, OPER A America Inc.

o p e r at ic Vo i c e Ty p e s Opera began in the late 16th century in Florence, Italy as an experiment by the Florentine Camerata. Composers quickly started writing in this new form because of the high demand, and it allowed them to better express themselves through different emotions and dramatic situations.

From the beginning and throughout the Baroque period, opera was about experimentation; everything was new.

Composers insisted that the most skilled singers had the most important roles. During the second half of the 18th century, the voice parts became linked to the various roles of the opera. Voice classification describes how high or low a person can sing. The distinction between the different voice types dictated which characters, or roles, the person would sing. The seven main categories of singing voice types from highest to lowest are as follows: S o p r a n o the highest female voice, with a traditional range of A below middle C to the C two octaves above that. The soprano usually plays the heroine of the story and is often the center of the romantic storyline.

M e z z o - S o p r a n o slightly lower than the soprano, with a range usually G below middle C to the Bb two octaves above. They are often supporting roles of motherly types or villains.

They also will often sing the trouser roles— portraying the boys or young men—since the countertenor fell out of popularity after the 17th century. In recent years, many of the trouser roles are being reclaimed by the countertenors, as their popularity has gained ground starting in the mid20 th century.

C o n t r a lt o the lowest female voice, with a range of the F below middle C to the second G above middle C. It is a rare voice type, so the roles are often sung by mezzo-sopranos. It is the darkest in timbre and is reserved for specialty roles, such as grandmothers, noble witches, and goddesses.

C o u n t e r t e n o r the highest male voice, with a range that is similar to the contralto: A below middle C to the F an octave and a half above middle C. Frequently theses men achieve their high range through bridging their chest voice with their head voice (falsetto).

If this voicetype was less popular between 1800-1940, composers today have utilized countertenors more often.

the countertenor’s falsetto singing aside, the tenor is considered the highest “natural” male voice, with a range of C below middle C to the C above middle C. Beginning in the Classical era, the tenor has been assigned the role of the hero or the love interest of the story.

Tenor

the most common male voice type, with a range midway between tenor and bass, from A an octave below middle C to the G above middle C. The baritone is often the comical leader, but can also be the villain who stands in the way of the soprano and tenor’s love.

Baritone

B a s s the lowest and darkest of the male voices, with a range of E almost two octaves below middle C to the F above middle C. Basses can portray characters who convey wisdom or nobility, but also comedic characters.

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s o y o u wa n t t o sing Like an Opera Singer?

Singing on the opera stage is very hard work!

Singers are like athletes, constantly training to perfect their voices. They ask their voices and bodies to do what most of us without training can’t do: sing incredibly intricate and difficult music and project their voices to be heard over a 60-piece orchestra.

Singing begins with the human voice, a very versatile instrument. It can produce sounds that present a wide range of frequencies that we call pitches. Women sing the higher pitches and men sing the lower ones.

Our voices are able to suddenly change in volume and are powered both by the air we exhale from our lungs and by our diaphragm, a muscle right behind our stomach muscles that separates the cavity of our chest from our abdomen. When we inhale deeply, the diaphragm lowers and the ribs and stomach expand and fill with air. Then the diaphragm forces the air out when it contracts, causing our vocal folds to vibrate. Vocal folds are folds of fibrous bands that are stretched along the two sides of our larynx, or our sound instrument, just below our ‘Adam’s apple.’ When we hum, talk, or sing, air passes through the larynx causing the vocal folds to vibrate, creating a sound that is then shaped by the other parts of our bodies including the mouth, tongue, teeth, and lastly, our lips.

To sing different pitches and volumes, singers must master the control of the tension, or flow of air, through the vocal folds in our larynx. They practice vocal exercises daily so that they can quickly adjust to the demands of the music without thinking about it. Next, specific sounds are controlled by the size and shape of the singer’s mouth and the open space in their sinuses and skull which help project their voices like a megaphone. The singer also learns to raise their soft palate, which is located on the roof

of the mouth towards the back, in order to create more space and change the placement of the sound so that it projects better.

To see the vocal folds in action, visit tinyurl.com/cords-in-action.

To see how the diaphragm works, visit tinyurl.com/diaphragmatic-demo.

S ou n d a n d A ctive L ear n i n g E x perime n t Let’s make a model of our human instrument, the voice. Our model will not be able to shape the sounds into words, but it will express the various humming pitches necessary for words to be created.

In this model, our vocal folds will be represented by a rubber band and our mouth will be represented by various size paper or plastic cups.

1. Make a hole in the bottom of the cups.

2. Cut rubber bands so that they become long stretches of rubber.

3. P ull on the rubber band so that it vibrates. How does pitch change? Record your findings.

4. T ie the rubber band to a small object like a paper clip that is larger than the hole in the cup. This object will act as a plug to the hole. Be sure to make a square knot on the object so that the pressure in the next step does not cause the knot to slip out and the object to be ejected from the cup.

5. S lide the rubber band through the small hole in the cup and pull it through until the object catches on the inside bottom of the cup.

6. P ull on the rubber band again so that it vibrates a second time. Record your findings.

7. In comparing the two sounds, what did you observe after the cup was added to the activity?

8. P lace different sized cups into your experiment and record your findings.

9. Cover the cup opening with your hand. Pull on the rubber band. Record your findings.

10. S ee if you can get your cup to make sounds like a baby.

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t h e m a n b e h ind t h e m u sic : Giacomo Puccini W hat was P ucci n i ’ s childhood li k e ?

Giacomo Puccini’s father died when Puccini was six years old. His family was poor and he had seven siblings. He joined the seminary, where he became a chorister and an organist, to get an education and be free from poverty.

H ow did P ucci n i become a composer ?

In 1876 Puccini and his brother walked 18 miles to see a performance of Verdi’s Aïda in the town of Pisa. He was so impacted by the performance, he knew that opera was his destiny. He wanted to study in the conservatory in Milan, but couldn’t afford the tuition. Puccini’s mother wrote a letter to the Queen of Italy to get a scholarship for her son.

Puccini composed his three most popular operas: La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), and Madama Butterfly (1904), which brought him more international fame.

W hat was P ucci n i ’ s perso n al life li k e ?

Puccini liked to relax by the lake, Torre del Lago. Here he indulged in his passions: hunting, smoking cigars, technology (he frequently corresponded with Thomas Edison), and fast cars. Puccini almost died after he was in a near-fatal car accident in 1903. Ironically, Elvira’s husband died the day after the accident, which enabled Puccini to marry Elvira after the legally imposed 10 months of widowhood.

However, he had a long series of love affairs outside of his relationship with Elvira. She was terribly jealous of these affairs and her jealousy resulted in the suicide of Puccini’s maid, Doria, after Elvira vowed to ruin Doria’s reputation after she incorrectly assumed Doria was having an affair with Puccini.

W he n did P ucci n i write T u randot ?

Composer Giacomo Puccini with his trademark cigarette

Photo: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington D.C.

H ow did P ucci n i begi n composi n g opera ?

In 1882 when Puccini was 24, he submitted his first opera, Le Villi (The Fairies), into a competition. He didn’t win, but opera producers noticed his talent. One critic called Puccini “the composer Italy had waited for.”

W he n did P ucci n i become a successful opera composer ?

After the success of his third opera Manon Lescaut, Puccini became famous and wealthy.

After meeting his married lover, Elvira Gemignani, and having a baby with her, 10

In 1920 Puccini began work on Turandot, but he had difficulty finishing the opera. By 1923 he complained of a chronic sore throat which was diagnosed as throat cancer. He underwent treatment in Brussels, but died on November 24, 1924. Turandot was completed by Franco Alfano who used Puccini’s sketches to finish it. It premiered at La Scala in Milan on April 25, 1926.

Puccini may have been born into a poor family, but he went on to become an operatic superstar. At his death his estate was worth $4,000,000. Today, his operas receive hundreds of performances each year. He may have died over 80 years ago, but he will live on through his soaring melodies and the passion of his operas.

p u ccini ’ s T u r a n d o t: Struggle to the Stage Many consider Puccini's Turandot to be the last great Italian opera. While it is a one of the most beautiful operas ever written, the composer left it incomplete when he died from complications from throat cancer on November 29, 1924 at the age of 66.

Puccini was picky about the subjects he set as operas and chose topics with interesting settings or a great libretto. Before choosing Turandot he had considered writing an opera about Marie Antoinette or turning Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist into an opera.

Puccini's librettists Renato Simone and Giuseppe Adami suggested he look at Carlo Gozzi's ten dramatic fables. Puccini liked Turandot, Gozzi's 1762 five act play based on Hezar Oyek Shah's Turandokht from the collection Persian Tales: One Thousand and One Days. Turandokht means daughter of Turan. Part of the Persian Empire, Turan is located in Central Asia where Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan are today.

Gozzi's play is a comic fairy tale in which Turandot reads, wants equal rights for women, and creates riddles to prove women's equality.

The play also relies on the improvisational talents of commedia dell'arte actors.

Simone and Adami based their libretto on an Italian translation of a German version of Gozzi's play by Friderich Schiller. Schiller's Turandot was a dark tale with none of Gozzi's comedy. He even turned the comic Ping, Pang, and Pong into ironic, bitter men who are fearful of the Princess.

Simone and Adami then added the role of Liù to exploit Puccini's flair for portraying delicate women.

The librettists delivered their work to Puccini in 1920. The composer started work and used traditional Chinese melodies, including the Jasmine Flower song and the Imperial Hymn, to make the opera sound authentically Chinese.

By March 1924 he had finished the entire opera

except for the final scene. He had trouble musically showing Turandot's transformation from an ice princess into a passionate woman in love with Calaf.

It was around this time that Puccini went to the doctor for a chronic sore throat. He had been a chain smoker for much of his life. Doctors found an inoperable cancerous growth on his epiglottis, Conductor Arturo Toscanini but never told Puccini the seriousness of the situation. In November 1924, he began the new radiation treatment in a Brussels clinic.

The treatment seemed to be working, but Puccini had a heart attack and died of heart failure on November 29.

Puccini's publisher Giulio Ricordi, conductor Arturo Toscanini, and Puccini's son Tanio asked composer Franco Alfano, who had written the exotically-themed opera Sakúntala, to complete Turandot based on Puccini's sketches. Conductor Toscanini was not pleased with the result. He said, “I tremble in terror that Puccini's ghost is going to come up from hell and smack me!”

Turandot premiered at La Scala on April 26, 1926, but without Alfano's ending. Toscanini stopped the opera after Liù's death scene, turned to the audience, and in a choked voice said, “Here is where the opera ends because at this point the maestro died.” He left the podium and the audience filed silently out of the theater.

Toscanini conducted a few performances with a shortened version of Alfano's ending. Today, Alfano's complete ending is rarely performed.

We will never know how Puccini would have finished this score. Although he did not live to complete the opera, the drama of the opera's riddle scene, the heartbreak of Liù's sacrifice, and the thrill of Calaf ’s “Nessun dorma” make Turandot one of the most popular operas in the world.

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w h at in t h e w o rld ?

E v e n t s d u r i n g P u c c i n i ’s L i f e Giacomo Puccini lived between 1857 and 1924. Listed below are some historic and cultural events that took place during his lifetime. Events in boldface type are things that happened to Puccini; an asterisk (*) indicates events of local interest. Discuss what it might have been like to be alive during the time period.

How would your life be different or the same?

1 8 5 7 *Philadelphia’s Academy of Music opens with a concert conducted by Tchaikovsky.

1 8 5 8 Giacomo Puccini was born on December 22 in Lucca,Italy, to Michele and Albina Magi.

1 8 6 1 - 1 8 6 5 American Civil War took place.

1 8 6 5 The 13 th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery throughout the U.S. 1 8 7 0 * The first section of the famous boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., opened to the public.

1 8 74 *The first U.S. zoo opened in Philadelphia.

1 8 7 6 Puccini attended the opera Aïda and was very impressed.

1 8 7 7 *The first department store was opened in Philadelphia by John Wanamaker.

18 8 0 W hile at the Conservatory of Lucca, Puccini composed a Mass for soloists and orchestra.

He enrolled at the Conservatory in Milan and was taught by Bazzini and Ponchielli.

18 82 T he first string of Christmas tree lights was created by Thomas Edison. *The Philadelphia Phillies, then called the Quakers, played their first baseball game.

18 8 4 P uccini’s first opera, Le Villi, premiered on May 31 in Milan. He began a long relationship with his publisher Giulio Ricordi. His mother died. He began a long love affair with Elvira, the wife of a Luccan pharmacist.

1 8 9 2 George Ferris introduced his Ferris Wheel at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

1 8 9 4 *Milton Hershey founded Hershey Foods in Pennsylvania.

1 9 0 1 *The first annual Mummers Parade was held in Philadelphia.

1 9 1 2 The British ocean liner Titanic sunk after hitting an iceberg.

1 9 1 9 *Construction began on the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s current home.

1 9 2 0 Th e United States Congress passed the 18th Amendment, prohibiting alcoholic beverages, and the 19th amendment which granted suffrage to American women.

1 9 2 1 Puccini began work on Turandot at Viareggio.

19 2 4 A fter treatment for throat cancer, Puccini died of a heart attack on November 29. Two months after his death, Puccini was given the honorary title of senator. His remains were moved to Torre del Lago and reinterred in the village chapel.

1 9 2 6 Turandot premiered incomplete at La Scala, conducted by Arturo Toscanini on April 25. Later performances included the ending as completed by Franco Alfano who used Puccini’s sketches.

Information taken from Timelines of History website at timelines.ws.

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make your own Timeline Below you will find a number of important dates about people and events that happened during Puccini’s time. You can compare the events below with the events in Puccini’s life to get a more complete picture of what it was like to live at that time.

From the information on previous page, select the most important incidents in Puccini's life and combine them with some of the important developments in world history. Discuss your selections with your classmates. Discover why some students chose different facts or dates to record.

A merica n P reside n ts

1857-1861 James Buchanan 1861-1865 Abraham Lincoln+ 1865-1869 Andrew Johnson 1869-1877 Ulysses S. Grant 1877-1881 Rutherford B. Hayes 1881 James A. Garfield+ 1881-1885 Chester A. Arthur 1885-1889 Grover Cleveland 1889-1893 Benjamin Harrison 1893-1897 Grover Cleveland 1897-1901 William McKinley+ 1901-1909 Theodore Roosevelt 1909-1913 William H. Taft 1913-1921 Woodrow Wilson 1921-1923 Warren G. Harding* 1923-1929 Calvin Coolidge *Died in off ice

+Assassinated in off ice I n ve n tio n s

1858 Refrigerator – Ferdinand Carré (Fr.) 1876 Telephone – Alexander Graham Bell (U.S.) 1885 Motorcycle – Gottlieb Daimler (Ger.) 1887 Gramophone – Emile Berliner (Ger./U.S.)

1888 Kodak Camera – George Eastman (U.S.) 1895 Radio – Guglielmo Marconi (It.) 1899 Tape recorder – Valdemar Poulsen (Den.) 1903 A irplane – Wilbur & Orville Wright (U.S.) 1926 R ocket (liquid fuel) – Robert Goddard (U.S.) D iscoveries

1869 Periodic arrangement of elements – Dmitri Mendeleev (Russ.)

1915 G eneral theory of relativity – Albert Eistein (Ger.) 1939 Ozone – Christian Schöenberg (Ger.) O ther M ajor E ve n ts

1861 Unification of Italy under Victor Emmanuel, King of Piedmont 1861-1865 American Civil War 1863 Abolition of slavery by Lincoln 1870 Kingdom of Italy annexes Papal states; Rome becomes capital 1914-1918 World War I 1929 Stock market crash

AC T I V E L E A R N I NG Cut apart three supermarket paper bags. Cut them open down one of the side seams and cut off the bottom so that when laid flat, you have a rectangular piece of paper. Tape the bags together at the shorter ends, creating a long rectangular piece of paper. From the longer side of the bag near the top, measure in 10” and place a dot. Do the same near the bottom. Draw a straight line from the top to the bottom of the bag through both dots. From the information on this page, select the most important events for your timeline. With these facts, include some of the important date in history listed above. You may also illustrate your timeline.

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C h in a’ s Fo r b i d d e n C i t y The grand and imposing Forbidden City is just that–a city! Located in the middle of Beijing, it is 3,152 feet long by 2,470 feet wide–the equivalent of about 178 acres or 10 football fields long and 15 football fields wide.

The city was built by the Ming Dynasty between 1406 and 1420. For almost 500 years the Forbidden City was both the Emperor’s palace and the center of China’s government; it was a bit like having the White House and the Capitol in the same complex. Twenty-four emperors called the palace home–14 from the Ming Dynasty and 10 from the Qing Dynasty.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License from Wikimedia Commons

The city is set up into two sections: the “inner” or Imperial City, and the Outer City.

There are 980 buildings still standing with over 9,000 rooms within the city’s walls.

The palaces have an outer throne hall, each with its own courtyard. A 26-foot high wall surrounds the city as does a 19-foot deep, 170-foot wide moat. The buildings are built from the wood of trees in southwestern China’s jungle, marble, and bricks that look like they are made of gold. Outside the city’s walls lie the Imperial Gardens.

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Zijin Cheng, which means Purple Forbidden Walled City, is the city’s Chinese name. In Chinese astrology, purple symbolizes the North Star which was the home of the Heavenly Emperor. The North Star area of the heavens was the realm of the Heavenly Family. The Forbidden City would be the Emperor’s realm on Earth. Chinese custom considered the Emperor as the Son of Heaven who had been designated Emperor through Divine Right and the blessing of the Heavenly Emperor. It is called the Forbidden City because you needed the special permission of the emperor to enter and leave the palace.

From 1420 to 1644, the Forbidden City was the seat of the Ming Dynasty until they were overthrown by the Shun Dynasty, which stayed in power for two months. Manchu forces overtook the country and founded the Qing Dynasty which lasted until 1912.

When the People’s Republic of China was formed, the last emperor, Xuantong (Pu yi), was allowed to remain in the Imperial City until he was evicted in 1924.

Today the Forbidden City houses the Palace Museum and is home to the greatest collection of historical Chinese art with hundreds of thousands of porcelain, jade, bronze, paintings, and timepieces dating back to the T’ang Dynasty (681-907).

The city has been seen in movies such as The Last Emperor, Shanghai Noon, and Curse of the Golden Flower. In 1998 Puccini’s Turandot was staged in the Forbidden City and filmed for the documentary The Turandot Project.

w h o wa s t h e Emperor?

The Emperor Altoum in Turandot was the leader of China. An emperor was the Chinese Empire’s supreme ruler and its most important and powerful person.

The title ‘emperor’ was first used during the Qin Dynasty as long ago as 212 BC. In ancient times China was broken up into many feudal states, each of which was governed by its own king. When the King of Qin conquered the Warring States, he needed a title that showed he was more powerful than the defeated kings and called himself Emperor. These conquests also helped China increase in size.

When a new emperor overthrew the old emperor, he would merge the land from his territory with that of China, creating a bigger empire.

If not overthrown, emperors in power would The Qianlong Emperor pass their position on in Ceremonial Armour on to their son. As a result, Horseback (1758) by Githere were many times useppe Castiglione. The Palace Museum, Beijing when a child became emperor when his father died. If this happened, the emperor’s mother, or Empress Dowager, would assume power until the young emperor would come of age.

If the Empress Dowager couldn’t take over her son’s responsibilities, court officials would rule. If the emperor had no male children, the throne would be passed on to the emperor’s brother. If the reigning emperor had several male children with various women, he might designate his heir as the Crown Prince to avoid challenges to the throne after his death.

The emperor was given his power to rule everything under the heavens through a theory called the Mandate of Heaven, a

version of Divine Right. It said that an emperor’s rule had been divinely predestined and blessed by the heavens. Any time a dynasty was overthrown it was because the heavens were displeased with the current monarchy. The heavens would authorize an overthrow so that a new, divinely chosen emperor would come to power.

Because they ruled through heavenly guidance, emperors were treated with complete reverence and were addressed as “Son of Heaven,” even by family members.

In the opera Turandot, Emperor Altoum is addressed as “Son of Heaven” by his daughter, Princess Turandot, our hero, Calaf, and subjects of the Imperial Court.

This heavenly guidance also gave emperors absolute power and complete sovereignty.

No one could question his authority. All of the emperor’s laws were Sacred Edicts from above and were to be obeyed by all citizens, aristocrats and religious ministers. Emperors had no system of checks and balances like we have in our three-branched democracy.

Monarchies with absolute power are not unique to China. This system has been practiced in many areas of the world through the centuries. Just two of the many monarchs who have ruled with absolute power are England’s King Henry VIII and France’s King Louis XIV. You may be familiar with them from your social studies class.

A ctive L ear n i n g • How did one become a Chinese Emperor in ancient China?

• How is the power of the ancient Chinese Emperor different than that of a U.S. President?

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wat c h ing t u r a n d o t With Modern Eyes

By Bi Jean Ngo

Creative Director of Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists

Turandot is often called a fantasy fable, a fictitious legend that serves as a cautionary tale about love and leadership. Composer Giacomo Puccini based his opera on a Persian short story and a commedia dell’arte

play of the same name, Turandot. The opera depicts the cruelty of a princess and the toll her citizens pay. The moral is that true love can transform even the hardest of hearts and overcome brutality.

However, the story elements demand a deeper examination from today’s viewer.

Puccini composed Turandot in 1924, at a time when no one had Internet and few Westerners traveled to China. In 2016, it is imperative that one views Turandot with the understanding that Puccini's imagined China is entirely fictitious, a setting meant to distance his story from the geographical and political landscape of Italy. Puccini wrote at a time when Europeans exoticized China and based their ideas of Asian culture on cultural appropriations and stereotype.

China unofficially banned any performance of Turandot until the 1998 production in the Forbidden City of Beijing. The story itself is an appropriation of several cultures having passed through the lens of various retellings: a French version of a Persian story transformed into a commedia dell’arte play that inspired an opera suddenly set in an imagined China. In experiencing this opera, one then must relinquish the idea of cultural authenticity, but still hope for a production that offers respectful cultural representation.

The characters of Ping, Pang, and Pong can at first glance seem buffoonish and possibly offensive. However, in Puccini’s day, these characters may have seemed familiar.

Commedia dell’arte is a classic style of Italian theatre that uses clowning, extreme gesture, masks, and ensemble movement.

Paul Cézanne’s painting of the Harlequin commedia dell ’arte character. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

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It was a popular theatrical form of Italian theater that also used archetypal clowns to present narratives and ideas to the masses.

Commedia clowns included a hero and his lover; the zanni or mischievous servants; a rogue; Punch, who’s usually disfigured; and a vechhio, or wise old man, amongst others.

These are a handful of examples from the commedia dell’arte archetypal tropes. While Turandot is an epic, romantic drama, the influences of commedia dell’arte remain.

Ping, Pang, and Pong seem to represent the trio of vecchi, the older sages.

response from that of an audience member from ninety years ago. Perhaps that is what keeps this art relevant. Appreciating opera doesn’t mean forgiving the form of its flaws.

Many classic operas were composed by European men over a hundred years ago.

Puccini died before he wrote the ending of this opera. Who knows how he would have truly resolved his story? In recent years, various productions of Turandot have imagined a more gentle transformation of the Princess, showing a clearer love story evolving between Calaf and Turandot.

In the commedia dell’arte tradition, the vecchi are often of the merchant or elitist class. The vecchi characters also present an opposition to the love story. In Turandot, the characters of Ping, Pang, and Pong are then clearly the vechhi who try desperately to thwart Calaf ’s pursuit of the Princess Turandot. They criticize the bloodshed created by the cruel princess’ treatment of her suitors. They lament their time away from their private homes and families caused by their civil responsibilities. They warn Calaf of his destructive love interest. So Ping, Pang, and Pong are Chinese characters portrayed through the construct of a theatrical form with which Puccini was already familiar.

The opera possesses sumptuous sets, ornate costumes, and memorable music. Who doesn't immediately recognize Calaf 's second act aria “Nessun dorma”? The sheer power of Turandot’s voice, the unified harmonies of Ping, Pang, and Pong, and the agile high notes of Liù’s two arias stand up to the test of time.

Another story element that begs examination is the treatment of both female characters, Turandot and Liù. The Princess Turandot refuses to marry and executes her suitors as epic revenge for an ancestor’s rape. The servant girl Liù withstands physical torture to protect the identity of Calaf because she has loved him her whole life. These are two women with incredibly strong willpower.

However, Liù does not garner Calaf ’s affection and she kills herself. In the final act, the Princess Turandot succumbs to Calaf ’s aggressive pursuit and marries him, relieving her kingdom of years of bloodshed.

Globalization and gender roles have changed the way we interpret stories and art. In 2016, Turandot might resonate differently with modern audiences and offer new lessons, ideas, and opportunities for discourse.

Perhaps the power of this piece resides not only in its epic grandeur and music, but in its potential to begin a conversation about cultural and gender awareness in the art of opera.

This storyline is, of course, not unique to opera. But in 2016, such a resolution for these female characters may elicit a different 17

C h in e s e F o lk M e l o d y in T u r a n d o t Jasmine Flower Puccini used several Chinese folk melodies in Turandot. “Jasmine Flower” or “Mo Li Hua” is one of the most loved Chinese folk songs. You’ll hear it many times in the opera: first in the children’s chorus in Act One and frequently when the Princess Turandot appears on stage.

Below is the melody of the folk song.

LE A R N THE MELODY

1. F irst, play the melody on any or all of these instruments: Orff instruments, piano, flute, cello, violin, oboe.

2. A fter practicing the melody a few times, augment your version by asking other students to play triangle, wood block, and a suspended cymbal. Experiment with these percussion instruments until you have an orchestration that you like.

3. Next, write text to the first half of the melody. The text might be about the beauty of the jasmine flower, spring coming, the beauty of China’s scenery, or even Princess Turandot. It is in the lower key below, as it will be easier to sing. Using your new text, sing while the melody is played on the piano.

4. Perform your new song:

a. Play the original tune on an instrument, with a group or alone.

b. S ing the lyrics with the transposed section, either a cappella or with one instrument accompanying.

5. W hen you go to the opera, listen for the “Jasmine Flower” theme. How many times do you hear it?

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P o p C u lt u r e P h e n o m e n o n : Nessun dorma Giacomo Puccini’s name may not be too familiar, but believe it or not, you probably already know some of his music. His is some of the most adored music ever written and has crossed over from the classical world into popular culture.

His opera arias have been heard in hundreds of movies, television shows, and commercials. You may have heard his music in the movies Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation, The Sum of All Fears, Atonement, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, Rocky Balboa, Chasing Liberty, or Babe, Pig in the City.

Soprano Francesca Patané as Turandot and tenor Francesco Hong as Calaf in Opera Philadelphia’s 2009 production of Turandot.

Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography

Perhaps the most popular of Puccini’s arias is the rousing “Nessun dorma” (None shall sleep), Calaf ’s thrilling aria at the beginning of Turandot’s Act III. In Act II, Calaf correctly answers the three riddles posed by Turandot to any man who would be her husband. Turandot is enraged that Calaf answered the enigmas and frantically tries to get out of marrying him. Calaf gives her an option by posing a challenge of his own. Turandot does not know his name. If she can discover it by dawn, he will be executed; if not, Turandot must marry him. She agrees.

Turandot announces that no one in Peking will sleep, on punishment of death, until the name of the “Unknown Prince” is discovered. In Act III, Calaf reflects on the decree and his situation and confidently repeats “Vincerò!” (“I will win!”), knowing that he will win Turandot’s hand.

In the 1990s this rousing victory cry resonated with sports fans, making the aria a surprise

hit. Tenor Luciano Pavarotti’s recording of “Nessun dorma” was a smash hit on the British pop charts, reaching #2, after the recording was used to promote the 1990 World Cup soccer championship in Italy.

The aria hasn’t been the sole property of opera singers, either. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, performed “Nessun dorma” in the original Italian on several television shows and has recorded it. There are also recordings by pop singers Michael Bolton and Sarah Brightman, a heavy metal version by Manowar, and a disco version by Fredrik Kempe.

So what makes this aria so appealing? In context of the opera the aria is like a ray of sunshine. The music before it is dark, ominous, and mysterious.

The aria is written in a major key which has a bright and optimistic sound. The aria’s melody is instantly memorable, beautiful, and exciting.

Puccini thrills the audience by highlighting the brilliant top part of the tenor’s vocal range. The melody builds higher and higher and ends on a high B at the very top of the tenor’s voice and can send chills down your spine! This unforgettable melody comes back at the very end of the opera and is sung by the entire Imperial court for a breathtaking effect.

“Nessun dorma” is a thrilling aria loved not just by opera fans, but by people all over the world.

It’s an aria that has risen to the top of the charts and impacted popular culture through movies, commercials, and even the Grammy Awards ceremony.

A ctive L ear n i n g 1. Listen to a recording of “Nessun dorma” with your classmates. Write down your reactions to it. How does it make you feel?

2. V isit YouTube and search for “Nessun dorma.”

How many different versions do you find? Which one is your favorite?

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a c t ing t h e s t o r y U s i n g Ta b l e a u s Even though our Turandot Student Guide does not contain a full libretto, you can still act out the story with just the synopsis using tableaus!

W hat is a T A B L E A U ?

In a tableau, participants make still images with their bodies to represent a scene.

A tableau can be used to quickly establish a scene that involves a large number of characters.

A dditio n al I deas

The tableau doesn’t just have to be a mute frozen image. Students can be told in advance that they will be taped during the presentation, and that they will need to provide a clue as to who or what they represent in the tableau. Alternately, the teacher or a student could act as a reporter and conduct short interviews with individuals acting in the tableau. The teacher might choose to facilitate a discussion with the audience by highlighting certain tableau details through questioning.

For example, you could ask, “Why might this character be smiling?” or “What do you think this character is thinking?”

The cast of The Barber of Seville strikes a pose in this example of a tableau. Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography, 2014

H ow do you ma k e a tableau ?

To begin, give each group an excerpt from the synopsis (like one scene), and ask the groups to create a frozen image that somehow captures the essence of what is going on in the scene. Students must then collaborate to decide how to represent the scene in the form of a tableau. No matter what they do, students should carefully craft their gestures, facial expressions, and physical poses.

Give groups enough time to plan and rehearse and, when they are ready, have students present their scenes while the rest of the class discusses what they think is going on in the tableau. Additionally, one of the members of the group can read the scene while the other members act it out in tableau.

Finally, have the class discuss the choices that went into making that particular tableau.

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Tableaux can also be a series of frozen images that, together, tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Or, the tableau might be more effective with the music from the opera playing. Groups also might want to use slow motion to transition from one tableau to the next.

After the students create the tableau, encourage them to describe how they think music could enhance the scene that they created. Then ask students to use sounds to describe the music and back up their ideas with evidence.

For a more detailed lesson plan from Opera America, visit tinyurl.com/OATableaus.

For a video to reference of how to create a tableau using an opera scene, visit tinyurl.com/OperaTableaus.

Sources cited: learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/scenes-in-tableaudrama-strategies-to-use-with-any-days-times-part-2/?_r=0 dramaresource.com/tableaux/

TU R A N D OT C a s t a n d C r e a t i v e Te a m Final Dress Rehearsal–Wednesday, September 21, 2016, 2:00 p.m. at the Academy of Music. Music by Giacomo Puccini. Libretto by Giuseppe Adami & Renato Simoni. Performed in Italian with English supertitles.

P ri n cess T ura n dot Ice Princess

Christine Goerke

calaf The Unknown Prince

Marco Berti*

pi n g Lord Chancellor

Daniel Belcher

Liù Slave & Timur’s Attendant

Joyce El-Khoury*

pa n g Majordomo

Julius Ahn*

T imur K i n g o f Ta r t a r y

Morris Robinson

po n g Chef of the Imperial Kitchen

Joseph Gaines

E mperor A ltoum , T ura n dot ’ s father Toffer Mihalka M a n dari n Johnathan McCullough T wo H a n dmaide n s Veronica Chapman-Smith, Jennifer Beattie P ri n ce of P ersia George Somerville (offstage) C hildre n ’ s C horus Pennsylvania Girlchoir Turandot's ladies, soldiers, executioner and executioner assistants, crowds, children, servants, priests, dignitaries, palace dancers, wise men, heralds, temptresses, ghosts of the dead C o n ductor Corrado Rovaris D irector / C horeographer Renaud Doucet A ssociate D irector Kathleen Stakenas* A ssista n t C horeographer Roxanne Foster* S et & C ostume D esig n André Barbe* W ig & M a k eup D esig n David Zimmerman O rigi n al L ighti n g D esig n Guy Simard* L ighti n g D esig n Anne Catherine Simard-Deraspe* C horus M aster Elizabeth Braden *Opera Philadelphia debut Co-production with Cincinnati Opera, Minnesota Opera, Seattle Opera, Utah Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera

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THE S TO R Y O F T u r a nd o t Retold by Dan Darigan

For centuries, happiness had reigned in China, but everything changed when Princess Turandot came of age. She steadfastly refused to marry but her father, the Emperor, finally insisted that she must take a husband. To this, Turandot agreed to be wed only if she was allowed to set the conditions. The man, born of royal blood, who would become her rightful suitor, was to be put to the task of answering three riddles. Should that man succeed in answering all of them, he would take Turandot’s hand in marriage. Should he fail, he would forfeit his head. Many princes, lured by her beauty, tried and failed, and their heads were mounted on stakes that lined the walls of the palace.

The Prince of Persia awaits his sentencing by Princess Turandot. Photo by Philip Groshong from Cincinnati Opera

Addressing the milling masses of angry people outside the walls of the Imperial City, a Mandarin proclaims yet another victim is to die. He wails the news, “The Prince of Persia is the most recent of Princess Turandot’s unsuccessful suitors and will die as the moon rises tonight.”

The angry crowd responds, “He must die!

Where is the executioner? Put him to death!”

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Meanwhile, inching through this bustling multitude, an old, blind man, led by a shabbily dressed young woman, is jostled to the ground. The woman cries out, “My old

master has fallen. Who will help me lift him up? Please, someone have pity!”

A handsome young man approaches and kneels, kindly coming to their aid. But, surprised, he exclaims, “Father, I have finally found you!”

“Calaf, my son,” the old man sighs and looking up with great relief, “I thought you were dead. Only with Liù’s help have I been able remain alive and arrive in Peking. When I would fall from exhaustion, she dried my tears and helped me walk again. She even begged alms for me!”

“I’ve wept for you, dear Father. Now I kiss your sainted hands!” Turning to the young woman, Calaf asks, “And who might you be?

Why did you come to my father’s assistance?”

and falls instantly in love with her. “Oh, heavenly being, what wondrous sight!” he sighs. “I want you to be mine!” Nothing Liù or his father can say dissuade him.

“I am nothing,” she says demurely, looking at the ground with the respect of a slave. “I help your father because one day, long ago, in the palace, you smiled at me.” Liù blushes at her own words, having so openly spoken her heart’s desire.

“Don’t you notice? Her perfume fills the air!

It fills my soul! My heart aches for Turandot,” says the young prince.

The moon begins to rise in the night sky and the guards lead the handsome young Prince of Persia to the scaffold. Seeing him, the crowd takes pity, “How sweet is his face.

How sure is his step. Princess, have pity on him!”

As if in a daze, Calaf boldly marches toward a great bronze gong, great bronze gong to ring it and declare himself Turandot’s next suitor. Three of China’s Ministers, Ping, the Grand Chancellor, Pang, the Grand Purveyor, and Pong, the Chief Cook appear and try to warn him but Calaf is undeterred.

Ping shouts, “Wait!”

Pong asks, “What are you doing?”

Pang warns, “Stop!”

Together they speak as one, “Don’t you know?

This is the door to the butcher shop! They’ll cut your throat! Take your head! Go quickly back to your own country!”

The Prince of Persia will be beheaded for failing to answer Turandot’s riddles correctly. Photo by Philip Groshong, Cincinnati Opera

Calaf becomes angry and shouts, “Cruel princess, let me see you and curse you!”

“Let me by!” orders Calaf.

Ping tries to reason, “Listen! A night without a bit of light is still clearer than Turandot’s riddles!”

Pang continues, “Your hard head is not nearly as hard as Turandot’s riddles!”

Almost magically, Turandot, cold and remorseless, bedecked in her gowns of white that shimmer in the moon’s light, appears Pong pleads, “Bid us goodbye! Scale the on her balcony above the crowd. Gazing at mountains, ford the streams, and stay away her subjects bowed below her, she holds out from Turandot’s riddles!” one pale hand, her loose robe draping like a ship’s sail headed for disaster. In one decisive “No!” Calaf adamantly roars, “I only know I gesture she signals the hangman to proceed love her and glory awaits me!” in his deadly task. The Prince of Persia is doomed and his head will join all the other Calaf, completely undeterred, marches young men who recklessly gave up their lives. forward like a soldier going into battle, seizes the hammer, and boldly strikes the gong Refusing to bow to the ice princess, Calaf is thrice, sealing his fate forever. immediately blinded by Turandot’s beauty 23

The three Ministers turn, saying to one another, “Well, let him go. There is no use shouting. When the gong clangs, Death will be the only one who is happy!”

Ping muses, “And this year, the year of the Terrible Tiger, there have been thirteen already!”

Pong cries, “We have become nothing more than the executioner’s ministers!”

Not long after, the three Ministers, Ping, Pang, and Pong return to their pavilion in another part of the imperial palace. Ping says sadly, “The fatal gong has rung again and we must prepare for any event that might happen. If the Stranger wins, it means a wedding. If he loses, a burial.”

“I have a house in Honan,” sighs Ping, “with a little blue lake and surrounded with bamboo!”

“Ah, to go back home,” moans Pong, “I have forests, near Tsiang, that are lovelier than any, but I cannot enjoy their shade.”

Pang cries, “Ah, I have a garden near Kiu that I left to come here. I’ll never see it again.”

They all groan, “And here we are, wasting our brains and lives!”

Pong bemoans, “There have been so many killed. Farewell to love!”

“Beheaded. Farewell to our race,” says Pang.

Liù and the ministers beg Calaf not to bang the gong to answer Turandot’s riddles. Photo by Philip Groshong, Cincinnati Opera

Pong states, “I’ll prepare the wedding with red lanterns, gold-gilded coins of paper, a fine scarlet bamboo litter, and the singing priests.”

Pang says, “And I will prepare the funeral with white lanterns, tea, sugar, and nutmeg, a well-made casket, and the moaning priests!”

“I will shower her with soft feathers and confetti,” sighs Ping.

“I will perfume her chamber with magnolia, jasmine, and pink lotus,” croons Pang.

“And I will lead the bridal pair holding the lamp!” says Pong.

Ping muses to no one in particular, “Oh, China, how happily you used to sleep for seventy thousand centuries. Everything went according to the ancient laws, until Turandot was born.”

To this they all say, “And the three of us will sing of love until the morning. Glory to their happiness and to love which will conquer and give China peace once again!”

Pong continues, “And now it is always the same...three riddles and off with their heads!”

Ping sighs, dreamily, “We’re dreaming while the palace is swarming with lanterns, servants, and soldiers!

Pang states, “In the year of the Mouse there were six. In the year of the Dog, eight.”

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“Slaughtered. China is coming to an end!” moans Ping. “But should the riddles finally be answered....”

Pang cries, “Hear the great drum of the green temple?”

Pong wails, “Hear the trumpets! The ceremony is now beginning.”

Together they sigh, “Let us go and witness this umpteenth torture!”

The doors to the palace’s throne room are imposing, decorated with golden dragons that have eyes made of pearls, and needlesharp talons that seem to want to reach out and spirit the next candidate away. Slowly, the massive doors creep open as a dozen guards usher the young man inside. In the center of the gilded chamber, the wizened Emperor Altoum sits alone slumped on his ivory throne atop a great marble staircase.

The Mandarins, dressed in blue and gold silk, arrive and stand to the Emperor’s left while three Wise Men take their places to his right, slowly moving together as if dancing to music only they can hear. Each carry a sealed silk scroll in his hand that contains the answers to Turandot’s riddles.

“Young man,” the Emperor sighs. “It is my duty to uphold this ghastly law. The scepter I clasp is steeped in blood, the blood of foolhardy and innocent young men like yourself. It must end! Go, young man! Go away!”

Calaf, standing as tall as the majestic masts of the Emperor’s greatest ship, says, “I ask that I be allowed to undergo the trial!”

“Let me die without the burden of having to take yet another young life!” the Emperor wheezes.

Calaf repeats, “I ask that I be allowed to undergo the trial!”

“Don’t fill the palace, our world, with horror another time!” speaks the Emperor, his voice louder and harsh.

Again, Calaf intones, “I ask that I be allowed to undergo the trial!”

“Strange young man, you are drunk with death! So be it! Let your destiny be fulfilled!” he orders.

Turandot, beautiful and impassive, strides forth as if she were floating on the surface of a still pond and stands before the throne looking down upon this daring man, her icy eyes filled with hate. “In this very palace, thousands of years ago, the desperate cry of my sweet and serene ancestress, Princess Lou-u-ling, rang out as she was dragged off by a man. A man like you!” she says, pointing her outstretched finger at Calaf like an arrow shot out of a crossbow. “The spirit of Louu-ling is alive in me today and I avenge that

Turandot tells the story of her ancestress Lou-u-ling.

Photo by Philip Groshong, Cincinnati Opera

purity, that cry, and that death!”

The crowd chants, “Princess Lou-u-ling has slept for centuries in her huge marble tomb.”

“No one will ever possess me,” Turandot revels, “because in me is reborn the pride of such purity. Do not tempt Fate, Stranger!

The riddles are three but death is one!”

Steadfastly, Calaf retorts, “No, Princess, no!

The riddles are three and life is one!”

“Very well, Stranger, here is your first riddle,” says Turandot.

“In the gloom of the night, a phantom flies O’er the oppressed people who wail to the skies Begging for favors, beseeching new things, Asking for wonders as it spreads its wings.

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At dawn it vanishes. Born anew in each heart The very next evening, it gets a new start.

‘It begins then it ends,’ they bemoan, ‘What a shame!’

This ethereal thing? Tell me, what is its name?”

Calaf replies immediately, “Yes, it is born anew every day and jubilant! It brings me along with it, Turandot! The phantom about which you speak is Hope.”

The Sages open their first scroll and repeat, “Hope.”

“Yes!” replies Turandot. “But Hope...is always false, it is a mere illusion!”

Calaf smiles while Turandot offers the second of the three riddles,

“Yes, Princess,” begins Calaf tentatively. “It flames and smolders, too. When you look at me, I burn inside, but when you look away, that flame smolders, then dies. What is it you ask? It is Blood!”

The Sages open their second scroll and intone, “Blood.”

The crowd shows its support, “Keep your courage, solver of riddles!”

Suddenly angry, Turandot points to the crowd and orders the guards, “Lash them, lash them all for such insolence!” Then she descends the marble stairs and bends over Calaf, who falls to his knees.

Turandot snaps, “Here is your third and final riddle, Stranger:

“It burns like a flame yet it is not fire.

“What is the ice that sets you on fire, At times it rages with heightened desire.

When one is defeated, it smolders, grows cold, But turns colder still when she knows your desire?

She makes you a slave by giving you wings, When dreaming of winning it flames as of And by doing as such, she makes of you a old. king.”

“What is it, Stranger?” Turandot asks.

Turandot tries to intimidate Calaf, who has accepted the challenge of answering her riddles. If he answers successfully, he’ll win her hand in marriage; if he fails, he will be executed. Photo by Philip Groshong, Cincinnati Opera

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Waiting for Calaf ’s answer, Turandot threatens, “You’re pale with fear, you know you are lost.

How can there be fire when there is so much frost?

What is the ice that gives off fire, Stranger?”

Turandot asks.

Calaf leaps to his feet, “My victory has finally given you to me! My fire will thaw you! And the answer is you. The answer to this final riddle is Turandot!”

With that, the gathered crowd cheers ecstatically, “Glory to the victor! May life and love smile on you!”

Knowing she is defeated, Turandot turns toward her father and pleads, “Please, don’t throw me into the Stranger’s arms!”

“The oath is sacred!” he utters solemnly.

“No!” cries Turandot. “Don’t give me to him as if I were a common slave to die of shame!”

“He’s won!” exult the gladdened masses.

“No one will ever possess me!” she protests.

“He offered his life for you!” cries the crowd.

The princess turns to Calaf and weeps, “Would you really want me in your arms, reluctant and angry?”

“No,” returns Calaf, “I want you willing and aflame with love!”

She demands, “Don’t look at me like that! I will not be yours!”

“All right,” Calaf says. “Let me offer you a counterchallenge in return, Princess. You asked me three riddles and I solved them

all. I ask you only one. You do not know my name, Turandot. What is it? What is my name? Give me your answer before dawn and I will die as the sun rises.”

Above them all, the Emperor rises and, holding his hands out toward Calaf, solemnly says, “May it be the will of heaven that, as the sun rises, you will be my son!”

Later that evening, Calaf sits on the pavilion steps just outside Turandot’s chambers in the palace. Voices nearby and in the distance herald the proclamation, “Tonight no one shall sleep in Peking! Under pain of death, everyone must help discover the name of the Stranger! Under pain of death...,” it drones on.

“No one shall sleep,” Calaf repeats to himself, “no one shall sleep.” Standing and gazing up at Turandot’s open windows as if singing her a lullaby, he continued, “Oh, Princess, you stand in your cold room, staring up at the stars, trembling with love and hope. But my secret is locked inside me and no one will know my name. But, Turandot, when daylight shines I will say it on your lips and my kiss will melt the silence, making you mine.” Calaf continues staring up at the sky, “Oh, night, vanish! Fade away all you stars! At dawn, I will win!”

Slipping through the shrubbery that line the edge of the pavilion, the Ministers — Ping, Pang, and Pong — confront Calaf. “We will give you anything you want, Stranger, but for your sake and ours, give up this deadly gambit!

“What is it you want of me?” asks Calaf.

“You tell us what you want. We can give it to you. Do you desire beautiful women, wealth and treasures, great glory? It is within our power to give you all of that, only leave.

Travel far away and forget Turandot!”

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Calaf rebuffs them, “Your prayers and threats are in vain. Even if the whole world were to collapse, I’d still only want Turandot.

Suddenly, a group of guards break through the crowd, dragging old Timur and Liù, who are bruised, broken, and bleeding. “Here is where you’ll find out the name, it’s here in these two!” they shout.

“You know nothing, slave!” Turandot whips back.

“I know his name and it is my supreme pleasure to keep it secret and to have it for myself alone.”

Calaf quickly moves in front of Liù and hisses, “You will pay for her tears! You will pay for her torment!”

Ping reveals, “The old man and the girl were talking to the Stranger last night. They surely “Seize him,” Turandot orders. know the secret!”

“I will not speak,” protests Liù. Calaf is “Let them go!” orders Calaf. dragged away by the soldiers and shackled while Liù falls to her knees on the ground.

Turandot emerges from the pavilion while Ping turns toward her and shares, “Divine “His name!” Ping threatens.

Princess, the Stranger’s name is harbored “No!” Liù spits back. within these mouths. We have instruments and pincers to drag out that name!”

“His name!” Ping commands, his voice louder.

Turandot turns to Calaf, “You are pale, Stranger.”

“It is your fear that sees the coming pallor of dawn, Princess!” he says. “They don’t know me!”

“Your servant begs your pardon but she cannot obey!” A soldier twists her arm and she cries out, “Ah!” Old, blind Timur, who only heard what was going on, asks, “Why are you crying?”

“We shall see,” states Turandot calmly. “Come, speak, old man! Speak his name!”

Liù reassures him saying, “I’m not crying now! They aren’t hurting me!”

Liù bolts forward and cries, “The name you seek, only I know!”

To the guards, Turandot orders, “Let her go!”

To Liù, she orders, “Speak!”

“I’d rather die!” Liù quails through gritted teeth.

Becoming thoughtful, Turandot paces around the girl like a snow leopard circling its prey, then asks, “What gives your heart such courage?”

“Love,” replies Liù. “It is Love, Princess!”

After Calaf answers her riddles, Turandot must now f ind out his name. Photo by Philip Groshong, Cincinnati Opera

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“Love?”

“Yes, love. Secret and unconfessed, these torments are sweet for me because I make a gift of them to my lord. By keeping silent, I give you to him, Princess, and I lose everything!” Liù falls to her knees with tears in her eyes. “Even the impossible hope that he will love me. Bind me! Torture me! Give me pain! I will suffer every torment as the supreme offering of my love for him!”

Stiffening, Turandot orders, “Wrest the secret from her!”

Liù guarantees, “You, who are enclosed in ice, yet conquered by such a fire, you will love him, too! Before the break of day, I will wearily close my eyes so he can win again and I’ll see him nevermore!”

Saying that, Liù breaks free, seizes a dagger from a soldier’s belt, and stabs herself.

Looking around in a daze, her eyes land on her beloved Calaf, who is still held tightly by the guards. Stumbling over to him, she falls headlong at his feet, lifeless.

he moans. “Liù. Get up!” He takes her hand, “It’s the bright hour for all awakening! It’s the dawn, my Liù...Open your eyes, my dove!”

An expression of torment passes over Turandot’s face. Ping notices it, and goes roughly toward the old man to drive him away. But as he nears Timur, his natural cruelty is overcome, and the usual hardness of his voice softens. “Get up, old man! She’s dead!”

Old Timur slumps next to Liù. “Oh, what a horrible crime! We will all pay for this!”

The guards flank Liù and raise her up. The old man tenderly takes the dead girl’s hand and walks along beside her, crying, “We are walking together again, this time your hand in mine. I know all too well where you are going and I will follow, to rest near you in the night that has no morning.”

Calaf turns to Turandot and shouts, “Princess of Death, Princess of Ice, come down to earth from your tragic heaven! Raise your veil and look! Look, cruel one, at the purest blood that has ever been shed for you!”

With that he runs over and tears away Turandot’s veil, revealing her face.

Turandot arrives to see if Liù will reveal Calaf ’s name. Photo by Philip Groshong, Cincinnati Opera

Calaf weeps at the sight, “Ah, you are dead, my poor little Liù.”

“How dare you!” she barks coldly. “I am not human, I am the daughter of heaven who is free and pure. You may hold my cold veil in your hand but my spirit is still aloft in heaven.”

“Your spirit may be on high but your body is near and with these burning hands, I’ll clasp the golden border of your starry cloak and my trembling lips will be pressed on yours!” he cries.

Turandot, too, stares at the little body that lay “Do not treat me with such disrespect!” she on the ground. demands.

Old Timur, Calaf ’s father, stumbles over to “I feel you alive! Your iciness is a lie!” the little dead body and kneels down, “Liù,”

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“No one will ever possess me!” she says defeatedly. “No one!”

“I want you to be mine!”

“My ancestress’s torment will not be repeated!”

Calaf takes her in his arms and kisses her. Carried away, Turandot has no more resistance, no more strength, no more will power. She returns his kiss, then murmurs, “What has become of me? I’m lost.”

“You are mine! Mine!” he states.

“You’ve gotten what you sought. Please don’t seek a greater victory. Go Stranger...go away with your secret.”

Calaf says soothingly, “I have no secret. You are mine, you who trembles when I touch you, you who is pale when I kiss you. You, who can destroy me if it is your will. My name and my life I give you together. I am Calaf, son of Timur!”

“My flower, oh, my morning flower!” he sings. “I “I know your name finally,” she exhales breathe you in and hold you closely against my triumphantly. “I know your name!” chest. Already I feel you faint with sweetness, “My glory is only in your embrace!” murmurs all while in your silver cloak.”

Calaf.

“How did you win?” Turandot asks, confused.

“Listen, the trumpets blare.” Turandot replies.

“The hour has come and it is time for the “You weep?” questions Calaf, surprised. court to reassemble. Ah, Calaf, come with me Turandot, weeping “It’s dawn! Dawn! My sun before the people.” has set!”

Calaf can only say, “You have won! I do not “Yes, it’s dawn, my love, but love is born with fear it.” the sun!”

Later, at the top of the marble stairs in front Embarrassed, Turandot turns away, “No one of the Emperor, Turandot, who is dressed all must see me, my glory has ended.” in white, announces, “Noble father, I know the name of the Stranger...and his name is “No,” intones Calaf, “It has just begun! Your Love! glory is radiant in the magic of a first kiss and of your first tears.”

Calaf rushes up the stairs and the two embrace while the masses sang, “Oh Sun! “Yes,” Turandot realizes. “My first tears.

Life! Eternity! Love is the light of the world!

Stranger, when you first arrived, I felt the We rejoice and celebrate with song in the fatal shudder of this great illness that has sunshine of our great happiness! Glory to enveloped me my entire life. I’d seen so many thee, glory to thee!” men die. I scorned them all...but I feared you.

In your eyes was the light of a hero. There was haughty certainty and I hated you for that!” She pauses, “And I love you for that, too! I was, for the first time, torn between two fears...to defeat you or be defeated by you. And, I am defeated by you, by this fever that comes to me from you!”

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W h at m a k e s A Heroine Heroic?

By Deborah Bambino Giacomo Puccini, who lived from 1858–1924, was one of opera’s most successful composers, and is credited as one of the leaders of the verismo, or realistic style of the genre. Where did Puccini get his inspiration, his “realism,” and why is his work still so popular?

Part of the key to Puccini’s popularity is that we, the audience, can connect or relate to the characters in his operas and their problems. When we can relate to the hero, or heroine, we get caught up in the opera’s magic and are moved by their situation.

It’s clear that Calaf is the hero in Turandot, but who is the heroine? Is it Turandot, the violently protective and defensive princess who kills the suitors she outsmarts? Or the courageous and devoted slave Liù , who takes her own life to avoid betraying the Prince’s anonymity? How can we decide?

If a heroine is “a woman admired for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities,” who fits those qualities better: Turandot or Liù?

If we are looking for the main female character in the story, then it’s Turandot who gets our attention, minus our sympathy or admiration. But what was Puccini’s intent? The jury is still out. In fact, Puccini died before the opera was finished.

He died in real life after he completed composing Liù’s death scene. Liù was his addition to the original story upon which he based the opera.

Looking at two of Puccini’s most popular operas, he has a definite type: a heroine who loves and dies tragically. First, in Madama Butterfly, CioCio San believes the American Naval Officer, Pinkerton, is her husband and bears his child.

However, the audience knows the wedding of Cio-Cio San and Pinkerton was not legal. When the officer ships out, she waits faithfully for him for three years. When Pinkerton finally returns to Japan with his legal, American wife, Butterfly kills herself thereby relinquishing custody of her son to his deceitful father.

In Tosca, the female lead, Floria Tosca, is a singer who is extremely jealous and suspicious of her lover, Cavaradossi. When her jealousy is manipulated by the local authorities, she unwittingly leads them to her lover’s location and he is tortured and dies. Tosca kills herself after she unsuccessfully works to free her lover from prison. Like Liù , Butterfly and Tosca “die for love,” but are they heroic?

Soprano Adina Nitescu as Tosca and Thiago Arancam as her lover Mario Cavaradossi. Opera Philadelphia, 2011. Photo: Kelly & Massa

Some historians claim that Puccini was writing his own melodramatic love life into his operas.

Is art imitating life in Turandot? If Puccini were alive today, the paparazzi would be camped out around his villa, and he’d be a regular story in the tabloids. In real life, Puccini was married, and frequently unfaithful. Paternity battles are still being waged by people who claim to be his grandchildren.

Puccini’s wife, Elvira, was convicted of slander because she publicly accused their maid, Doria Manfredi, of chasing after her husband and having an affair with him. Doria was devoted to Puccini, but they were not involved romantically.

After her reputation was ruined, Doria poisoned herself. Her death was a tragedy, but was she heroic?

Was the innocent, devoted Doria the model for Liù? Is the vengeful Turandot a stand-in for Elvira, Puccini’s jealous wife? Was it Puccini’s own experience of larger than life emotions that inspired him to write such beautiful music? The decision is yours.

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C h ris t in e g o e rk e O u r Tu ra n d o t Soprano Christine Goerke spoke with String Theory Charter School students about her love of singing and the role of the “Ice Princess.”

STRIN G THEORY What’s your favorite aspect of performing in an opera?

You know what...when I was your age...I totally thought opera was really dumb. I didn’t really understand until I went to my first [opera], that the amount of sound that is coming at you, from all the people in the orchestra and all the people on stage, none of that is...amplified. And to know that the human body can make those kinds of noises is unbelievably cool. So being paid to dress up and be super loud, it’s a good gig, I’m not going to lie.

CHRISTINE G OER K E

ST Wait, you just said that you went into college and then you found out you could sing; did you sing opera or did you just sing in a choir?

Well, it started with a choir. Then I sang in professional choirs with Robert Shaw, who is an amazing American conductor and choral expert. Being able to be part of a chorus, it’s like being an instrumentalist and being part of an orchestra or a band. It makes you listen in a different way than when you’re performing by yourself. So, in a way, being in a choir, being in a band was the best kind of training I could have possibly had to sing solo stuff.

CG

ST

Can you describe your training?

I started with the clarinet in fourth grade and I took lessons and music theory all the way through high school. When I graduated high school, I went to State University of New York at Fredonia for one semester as a clarinet major with a concentration in music education, and that’s when I found out I could sing. I came home, went to the local community college where I was living on Long Island...and then I transferred Christine Goerke sings the title role in Turandot in September to State University of New York at Stony 2016 with Opera Philadelphia. Photo: Ariel Doneson.

Brook where I finished my Bachelor’s degree ST What sparked your interest in opera? studying voice from that time. When I graduated, I went to Opera Theatre St. Louis’ C G So I totally wasn’t interested in opera, at Young Artist Program, and was an apprentice all. When I was a kid, I played woodwinds. I at Glimmerglass Opera. And from there, the was a clarinet player, flute, sax, but I kind of man who ran Glimmerglass saw something just wanted to be a high school music teacher, in me, and he contacted the people at the because my high school music teacher was Metropolitan Opera who have an amazing so cool. When I got to college, they totally training program for young artists, but it’s found out by accident that I could sing. And very hard to get into. And he said, “You I thought, okay, let’s give this a shot and I should hear this girl.” And I went and did haven’t looked back since. an audition and was lucky enough to be accepted, so I was a member of their training CG

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program for three years, and after that, people have been strangely hiring me since.

So it seems like there’s a lot of preparation to do before [singing a role] too.

ST

C G Yeah, there totally is. We really do our research about the piece and understand the historical context, and what was going on historically when the piece was written, and of the period that the piece takes place in. And you take all of these things into account and then you’ll get the director who’ll tell you, “That’s nice, but here’s what I think, and I’m gonna want you to do this!” And if you come in with tons of ideas, you’ll be able to put together something really cool really fast. So I try to do all the work ahead of time.

ST

very beautiful, but it’s hard to understand why he would do this. And for her, she only sees someone coming in trying to take her kingdom away, and [someone that] is going to hurt her.

So, the way I like to look at her, not gonna spoil the ending...but the way I like to look at her...any time I play a character that’s not so nice, I always try to figure out why they are the way that they are. For me, this character, although she is pretty awful in what she has done to all of these princes, she’s scared.

She’s really frightened for her people, she’s scared this is all going to happen again. She is desperately afraid to let her guard down. And in the end, she really just would love to be able to let her guard down, but it’s really hard for her to trust anybody. And you’ll have to come and see what happens.

So what is your role in Turandot?

I sing the title role in Turandot and she’s not so nice, but she’s scared. She is a princess and she refers to herself as ice. She tells a story about how one of her ancestors was beautiful and peaceful and ruled the land, and a foreign prince came in and he conquered the land and he killed her. She certainly is afraid because she doesn’t want to be killed or anything else that dudes can come in and do to princesses.

So she vows to never marry, and any prince that comes in that wants to marry her, she puts him through a series of riddles. Now there are three riddles, and so far no one has answered them all correctly. The wager is, you can try and answer the riddles, but if you fail, (throat cutting noise).

CG

ST

You’re dead.

Rough, right? Like literally, she cuts your head off. Answer this riddle, you get it wrong, you’re dead! It’s interesting to see from the role of Calaf, who is the prince that comes, what part of it is about conquest, and what part of it is about fascination with this, sort of mystical person. She’s almost not real there’s so much pageantry behind her that he sees that it’s CG

In 2008 Christine Goerke sang the title role in Bellini’s Norma with Opera Philadelphia. Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography ST

I have to see it now. Trust issues.

C G Trust issues, über trust issues, big time trust issues.

Okay, the last question. Do you have any preshow rituals?

ST

One weird thing that I do, that most singers don’t get anywhere near…I always have a small carton of milk in my dressing room.

Singers tend to totally stay away from things that are all dairy because they can make you all (phlegm noises). But I like to drink milk during a show. That’s my weird thing.

CG

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M e e t t h e a r t is t s : P i n g, Pa n g, a n d Po n g Favorite TV shows: Bones, Criminal Minds, Flashpoint, Star Trek: The Next Generation Did you always know that you Favorite Foods: Noodles (Korean, Japanese, wanted to be a singer? etc.)

No. Although I have Favorite Quote: "Two roads diverged in a always loved music wood, and I--/I took the one less traveled and singing. I didn't by,/And that has made all the difference.” even think about the –Robert Frost possibility of becoming a singer until opera found me, in Hawaii of all places, when I was 29.

D a n i e l B e l c h e r Ping

J u L i u s A h n Pa ng

What is the most diff icult aspect of your job?

The lack of security and stability.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

To touch and move people's hearts and minds, and perhaps, even inspire them.

Has anything funny ever happened to you onstage where something went wrong?

Many, many times. An exciting aspect of a live performance is that anything can happen at any moment, and often does! A performer has to be prepared to adjust accordingly.

What do you do in your “downtime” for fun?

I love to eat, as does my wife. We have joked that we will need extra income just for the food.

How would you describe your role in Turandot?

Pang, along with Ping and Pong, is a minister of the palace in charge of the preparation and handling of all funerals. He, along with Ping and Pong, is tired and weary of the life (and deaths) in the palace, and longs for better days.

FAST FACTS

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea Siblings: One younger brother (deceased) Favorite Movie: E.T.

Why do you like to sing?

Singing has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I love being able to communicate in a way that is completely human and real and take an audience on a great journey.

Did you grow up in a musical/artsy family?

Ironically, no. Apparently when I was young I would watch The Lawrence Welk Show. I was introduced via my hometown's symphony programs with the schools.

If you couldn’t be a singer, what career would you have pursued?

Accounting. I know, sounds strange. But there's actually a big link between numbers and musical ability. I love the integration of my math/accounting and art.

What is the most diff icult aspect of your job?

Being away from my daughter and wife.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

When I'm singing and performing, everything disappears except the story. For those few hours, the theatre is magical and transformative.

Daniel Belcher photo by Christian Steiner

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Has anything funny ever happened to you onstage where something went wrong?

I was singing Figaro in The Barber of Seville in Tokyo when a major earthquake struck! It was not funny by any stretch, but completely surreal. When they say the show must go on, that it did...shaking set, lights and all.

How would you describe your role in Turandot?

Ping is one of the three comedians. Yet there is this darker side to him. I rarely get to play dark characters and every now and then it is fun to explore.

FAST FACTS

Hometown: St. Joseph, Missouri Siblings: One brother Hobbies: Hanging out at home, painting, mowing, home projects, and following anything and everything my daughter does.

Favorite Movies: Stand By Me Favorite Quote: Life is not a dress rehearsal.

J o s e p h G a i n e s P o ng

Why do you like to sing?

I've done a lot of different jobs over the years (working in offices, retail, selling real estate, being a professional driver, and more), and singing is still the most satisfying thing I can think of to do.

There is nothing else like it in the world, and it when it's good, it's really, really good, and makes me incredibly happy to be alive.

Has anything funny ever happened to you onstage where something went wrong?

The most recent example was when I was in Oscar at Opera Philadelphia last year. In my first big scene onstage, I had a big walking stick with a brass handle on top as a prop. I whacked the walking stick on a counter, the staff cracked in half, and the heavy top half fell on the floor and started to roll towards the orchestra pit. I grabbed it very quickly and kept a mean look on my face, pretending like I meant to break it in the first place.

What do you do in your “downtime” for fun?

I’m an avid gamer (computer games), but even more than that, I love being outside.

How would you describe your role in Turandot?

In the context of the story, our most important job is to help Turandot with vetting all of the princes who come to ask for her hand in marriage. That means both organizing everyone else in the palace, and also sometimes doing really unfortunate things, as in threatening and sometimes hurting or killing those people who stand in the Princess’s way.

FAST FACTS

Hometown: Houston, Texas Siblings: 2 (1 brother, 1 sister, both older) Did you always know that you wanted to be a singer?

Hobbies: I love hiking No. For a long time I wanted to be an Favorite Singer: 1. Bjork. 2. Bonnie Raitt architect, a scientist, a cartoonist, a novelist, a Favorite Quote: "Blessed Cecilia, appear in priest, a teacher... many other things besides visions./To all musicians, appear and inspire:/ being a singer!

Translated Daughter, come down and startle / Composing mortals with immortal fire."

What is the most diff icult aspect of your job?

–"Ode for St. Cecilia's Day," words by Making a consistent living at it. It's very W.H. Auden and music by Benjamin Britten difficult, but it's not impossible What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

There are few things more satisfying to me than being a part of this massive and powerful effort at storytelling called opera.

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C r o ss w o rd p u z z l e Tu ra n d o t ACROS S

1. The Mandate of Heaven is a form of this type of sovereignty.

4. Last name of the composer that finished the opera Turandot.

7. _____________________ of Heaven

10. This is the name of Chinese Dynasty that is well known for its porcelain vases.

12 First name of Puccini’s maid who committed suicide.

13. China was ruled by a series of these. Each emperor belonged to one.

17. The slave girl in Turandot who is in love with Calaf.

18. This is the title of the very famous tenor aria that opens the third act of the opera.

21. The name of the composer who died before completing Turandot.

23. This princess was Turandot’s ancestress.

24. The first name of Puccini’s wife.

25. The place that several Emperors called home, which was also the seat of China’s Imperial government.

26. This legendary Italian conductor was instrumental in finishing Turandot.

27. I n the opening scene, the prince who loses his life because he didn’t answer the riddles correctly is from this country.

DOW N

2. Emperors were thought of, and addressed as, Son of ____________.

3. Calaf answers Turandot’s riddles in the Emperor’s ___________.

5. The name of the Unknown Prince.

6. Turandot is a ___________.

8. This is the title of Altoum, Turandot’s father.

9. This is the name of the town where Puccini lived.

11. The 1762 play on which Turandot was based is by this writer.

14. The name of the icy princess who asks her suitors to answer three riddles to win her hand.

15. Calaf strikes this to signify that he wants to answer the Princess’s riddles.

16. Puccini used the melody of this traditional Chinese song throughout the opera.

17. This famous Italian opera house is where Turandot was premiered.

19. Name of Calaf ’s father who is blind.

20. Ping, Pang, and Pong serve as these in Altoum’s government.

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22. This is the name of Puccini’s music publisher.

24. Turandot’s suitors must answer three of these to win her hand.

WO R D B A N K

Alfano Calaf divine right Doria dynasty Elvira enigma (riddle)

Forbidden City Giacomo Puccini gong Gozzi Heaven jasmine flower La Scala

LiĂš mandate Ming ministers Nessun dorma palace Persia

Princess Princess Lo-u-ling Timur Torre del Lago Toscanini Turandot 37

c h ild ’ s p l ay In 1926

By Vincent Renou Imagine living in the US when the first performance of Turandot was held in Milan, Italy on April 25, 1926. Calvin Coolidge was President, author Harper Lee, actress Marilyn Monroe and musician Miles Davis were just born, and gangster Al Capone was terrorizing Chicago during the Prohibition in the 1920s.

In 1926, as a child you probably would not have been in school; rather you would work in a factory 18 hours a day, 6 days a week performing dangerous work.

Because they were small, children were often used to crawl into tight dangerous machinery. In 1926, the U.S. had the highest job-related fatality rate of any industrialized nation.

Group of Breaker boys. Location: Pittston, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington D.C.

Back in 1900, nearly 1 in 5 full-time American workers was aged 16 or under. Child labor was common in the U.S. For centuries children legally worked on farms, as servants and apprentices.

The practice reached an all-time high during the Industrial Revolution (1820 -1870) as new technologies allowed improvements to industrial manufacturing and processing. New factories sprang up across the nation, and production of items such as cotton and clothing accelerated. People moved into the cities to work in manufacturing plants, leaving fewer agricultural workers. With no basic child labor laws in place, factories regularly used workers as young

38

as six years old, working long hours 6 days a week for little pay.

One man, the industrialist Henry Ford, changed the work conditions in his factories and consequently helped change labor laws for every worker in the US. In 1914 he announced that he would pay workers $5 a day, double the going rate. With extra cash, Ford reasoned, workers would purchase his new car, the Model T. In September 1926 Ford announced a 5-day work-week. Ford reasoned that 5-day weeks would encourage workers to shop on Saturdays and go on vacation. Before long, manufacturers all over the world followed his lead. "People who have more leisure must have more clothes," he argued. "They eat a greater variety of food. They require more transportation in vehicles."

The 1900 census revealed that close to 2 million children were working in mills, mines, fields, factories, stores, and on city streets across the United States.

The report helped trigger a national movement to end child labor in the US. In 1908, the National Child Labor Committee hired Lewis Hine as its staff photographer and sent him across the country to photograph and report on child labor. Social reformers began to condemn child labor because of its harmful effect on the health and welfare of children. One of the most effective attacks came from Charles Dickens's immensely popular novel Oliver Twist, which portrays an orphan raised in workhouses and by street criminals in industrialized London in the 1850s.

In the 1930s the US federal government became actively involved in curbing child labor; prior to that state and local authorities tended to favor the wishes of big business over the needs of children. Federal protection of children came with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938 signed

by President Roosevelt. The movement to end child labor was victorious. FLSA established rules limiting the employment of minors. In addition it addressed minimum wage and overtime. FLSA continues to be the main law governing child labor: no one under 14 can be employed, no one under 16 can work more than 18 hours a week (except during school holidays), and no one under 18 can work in a hazardous job.

v e r y p u z z ling Art Lesson

By Joann Neufeld

“ W hat walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, three legs in the evening, and no legs at night?”

Ever since the Sphinx of Greek mythology presented this puzzle to Oedipus Rex, riddles have been used to determine a reader's ability to listen and solve problems. Oedipus was fortunately the first to solve the riddle. All previous contestants who failed to solve the riddle were eaten by the Sphinx! The answer to this riddle is a human, who crawls as a baby, walks into adulthood, uses a supportive cane during old age, and then dies at the end of the symbolic day. Turandot uses her own set of very difficult riddles to avoid marriage.

She probably should have just said ‘No!’, but then we wouldn’t have an opera worth dramatizing. Prince Calaf uses his creative intelligence to solve her riddles and win his life as well as his bride.

Students like to practice this spontaneous problem solving. There are many websites with riddles for students to solve. Practice on these: Alive without breath, as cold as death, Never thirsty, ever drinking, all in mail, never clinking. (a f ish) – J.R.R. Tolkien

Q: Throw away the outside and cook the inside, then eat the outside and throw away the inside. What is it?

A: Corn on the cob, because you throw away the husk, cook and eat the kernels, and throw away the cob.

Q: If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?

A: A secret.

Q: What goes up but never comes down?

A: Your age.

Here are some sites riddled with riddles:

• • •

funology.com/riddles/ brainden.com/picture-rebus-puzzles. htm kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/brainteasers/ rebus-puzzles/index.htm

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c h a r a c t e r a n a ly sis Pyramid Using the character descriptions from the Turandot teacher guide, fill out this graphic organizer for one of the opera’s characters, either individually or in groups. After filling out the form, take 10 minutes to discuss the characters and how they would interact.

n ame / title

physical appeara n ce

character ’ s role

character ’ s problems / challe n ges

major accomplishme n ts

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p l o t in t h e a c t i o n Tu r a n d o t Fill in the required information for each section below in numerical order. Use the information that appears with each section to help you proceed.

2. As the story continues, the R isi n g A ctio n s introduce complications and problems for the main characters. These difficulties create suspense!

3. The C lima x of the story is when the reader is most interested in how the story will end. The suspense is at its peak, but the outcome is not yet known.

3 . C lima x

2 . R isi n g A ctio n s

1 . T he E x positio n

1. The E x positio n appears at the beginning of the story. It introduces us to the setting, characters, and provides background information.

4 . F alli n g A ctio n s

4. F alli n g A ctio n s appear toward the ending of the story. Suspense has been eliminated and these events show characters’ lives returning to normal.

5 . resolutio n

5. The R esolutio n is the final solution to the problem or conflict. In stories with happy endings it is called the denouement. Tragic endings are called catastrophe.

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w h at h a p p e ns n e x t ?

Alternate Endings Using the space below, below, write write what what you you think think will will happen happen next nextto tothe thecharacters charactersininTurandot.

Turandot.

Do Turandot and Calaf live live happily happily ever ever after, after,or or do do they theyhave havemarital maritalproblems? problems?What What happens to Ping, Pang, Pang and Pong? Does Calaf become Emperor when when Altoum Altoum passes passes away? away?

Alternatively, you could could write write aa new new ending ending for for the the opera libretto based based on on what what youyou would would have have liked to liked see.to see.

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make a Synopsis A synopsis is a concise summary or brief statement of events. In writing a synopsis, the main points or ideas are written and the supporting details are left out. To do this successfully, we must make judgments on what are the most important facts or details.

Often you are asked after a day of school, “How was your day?” or “What did you learn today?”

You know how to answer these questions because you know what the important things you did were.

1. B efore or after you see the opera, in a small group, examine the main characters of Turandot. How did the actions of the characters move the plot forward? What were the most important things that happened?

2. M ake a word bank of the main characters. List important adjectives that describe their character traits. Then list the verbs or action words which highlight their actions.

C haracters

D escriptive A djectives

A ctio n s

Now write a brief account of Act I of the opera. See which member of your group wrote the most comprehensive synopsis.

Use additional paper if needed.

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w ri t ing a r e v i e w of the Opera In order to write a review of the performance, you will need to take notes. It’s not enough to give your personal opinion. You are writing for an audience so you need to support your “likes and dislikes� with developments on the stage. Use this frame to take notes and organize your thoughts before writing a five paragraph review.

(Become familiar with the synopsis of the opera before your performance. Be familiar with the main characters, their motivations, their relationships, and the central conflict that will move the action or plot forward. Make note of any themes that are central to the drama.)

P lot & C haracters

Did the performance tell the story dramatically, and were you engaged in the plot?

Summarize the main characters and conflict briefly in this opening paragraph.

M usic & V oices

Did the music carry the characters and action forward? Were there particular voices, arias or duets that added to your involvement in the conflict?

S tagi n g

How did the sets, costumes, and staging enhance or undermine the plot?

S etti n g

Make note of the time and location where the opera takes place. Is it the same setting the composer imagined, or has it been updated? If it has been updated, does the change add to the power of the piece, or is it a distraction?

Y our opi n io n (After the performance)

Would you recommend the performance to your friends or family? Explain why or why not.

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c o nn e c t t h e O p e r a Te r m s 1 . O pera S eria

A . Dance spectacle set to music

2 . B arito n e

B . Highest pitched woman’s voice

3 . O pera

C . Dramatic text adapted for opera D . Low female voice

4 . B allet

E . Comic opera

5 . O rchestra

F. A drama or comedy in which music is the essential factor;

6 . L ibretto

very little is spoken

G . Opera with dramatic and intense plots

7. D uet

H . Music composed for a singing group

8 . A ria

I . A composition written for two performers

9 . S opra n o 1 0 . C horus 1 1 . A ct 1 2 . C o n tralto 1 3 . T e n or 1 4 . O pera B uffa 1 5 . R ecitative 1 6 . B ass

J. A group of musicians who play together on various musical

instruments

K . Highest pitched man’s voice L. A musical style used in opera and oratorio, in which the text

is declaimed in the rhythm of natural speech with slight melodic variation

M . Male voice between bass and tenor N . A piece of music originally designed to be played before an

opera or musical play

O . T he term describing the realistic or naturalistic school of

opera that flourished briefly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; libretti were chosen to depict a ‘slice of life’

P. Deepest male voice

1 7. O verture

Q . Elaborate solo in an opera or oratorio

1 8 . V erismo

R . Main division of a play or opera

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2016–2017 Season Subscriptions Review the charts of Opera Philadelphia’s performance season and prices. Then answer the questions below.

2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7 seaso n series chart P roductio n

Sun. One

Sun. Two

C urtai n T imes

2:30 p.m.

T ura n dot

S eries Name

Wed. One

Fri. One

Fri. Two

2:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

9.25.16

10.2.16

9.28.16

9.23.16

9.30.16

T a n credi

2.12.17

2.19.17

2.15.17

2.10.17

2.17.17

T he M arriage of F igaro

4.30.17

5.7.17

5.3.17

4.28.17

5.5.17

2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7 seaso n subscriptio n price chart S eati n g locatio n

si n gle -tic k et prices

Sundays

Weekdays

Sundays

Weekdays

$537

$179

$143

$161

Pa rquet

$429

$438

$134

Pa rquet Ba la nce/Center Pa rquet Ci rcle/Center Ba lcony Ci rcle/ Ba lcony L o g e / P r e m iu m Fa m i l y C i r c le

$384

$321

$116

$107

Side Pa rquet Circle/Side Ba lcony C i r c le / Fr ont Fa m i l y C i r c le

$267

$240

$89

$80

P r o s c e n iu m B o x / Fa m i l y C i r c le / Side Balcony Circle/Premium A mphitheatre

$186

$186

$62

$62

Center A mphitheatre

$132

$105

$44

$35

$51

$51

$17

$17

Pa rquet Box / Ba lcony Box Pa rquet Premium

S id e Fa m i l y C i r c le / Side A mphitheatre

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subscriptio n prices

$645

$645

$402

$215

$215

1. Tancredi will be performed on what day, date, and time in the Wednesday Series?

2. If a new subscriber buys 4 subscriptions for the Weekday Series in the Balcony Loge, what does he/ she pay?

3. Which performance occurs closest to Valentine’s Day? 4. Which series have the same curtain time?

5. On Sundays, what is the cost of the subscription for a parquet or balcony box and of an individual ticket?

6. H ow much more does a person pay when buying single tickets to all the operas in the Parquet Floor section on Fridays than the person who buys a subscription in the parquet? What is the percentage of savings of a parquet subscription over four individual tickets?

in v e s t in Grand Opera Many adults have trouble understanding charts and graphs, which are used in daily life. Study the information and then see if you can answer the questions below.

We want you to join our family of donors. In fact, we need you, as only 20% of our costs are met through ticket sales. Your contribution is critical to our success!

do n or be n efits Name

Member

Pa t r o n Program

Genera l D i r e c t o r ’s Council

G ift L evel

1

2

3

$100 Contributor

x

x

x

$250 Supporter

x

x

$500 Sustainer

x

$1,000 Partner

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

$2,500 Bronze

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

$5,000 Silver

x

x

x

x

x

x

$7,500 Gold

x

x

x

x

x

$10,000 Diamond

x

x

x

x

$15,000 Platinum

x

x

x

$25,000+ Chairman’s Council

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

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x

x

x

1. Save up to 10% on single ticket and event purchases 2. Between the Notes—a lecture series that delves into each production of the season given by scholarly guest speakers 3. D iscover Opera---an in depth lecture series that explores broad aspects of the art form 4. E merging Artist Recital & Member Appreciation Reception 5. Mailed copy of the Annual Report 6. Invitation for two to attend a dress rehearsal 7. General Director's Backstage Tour of the Academy of Music 8. Access to the VIP area at Opera on the Mall, the annual HD broadcast 9. V IP Patron Service—personalized concierge service with dedicated phone line for priority in ticketing, seating, and exchange requests 10. Champagne Intermission Receptions in the Academy Ballroom and at the Kimmel Center, along with two guest passes per season 11. Patron Travel Program—join the Opera on group destination opera trips

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14

15

16

17

18

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

19

20

21

22

x

x

x

x

12. VIP Coat check and private restrooms at performances 13. M eet the Artists—an intimate reception with the cast of a current production 14. D irector’s Salon—an event featuring a presentation from the creative team of a current production 15. Invitation to one pre-performance dinner or brunch 16. O pening Night Cast Party—celebrate with the cast after each opening night of the season 17. General Director’s Council Dinner with principal artists 18. Post-performance meet-and-greets with the cast 19. O pportunity to underwrite an Emerging Artist, community initiative, or event 20. Invitation to the Annual Chairman’s Opening Night Dinner 21. E xclusive dinners and events throughout the season with celebrity artists, hosted in private homes 22. B runch or Dinner with the General Director and/or Opera leadership before underwritten performances

1. How many benefits would you receive if you donated $10,000? What is your gift level?

2. List the benefits of someone who is at the Gold Patron gift level.

3. Which giving level is the first to receive VIP Patron Service?

4. At which giving levels would you get a private backstage tour for you and your guests?

47

gl o ss a r y a n c e s t r e s s —[ a n - S E S - t r i s ] N . b e d e c k — [ b i h - S E K ] V.

a woman from whom a person is descended

to adorn, especially in a showy or gaudy manner

b e s e e c h i n g — [ b i h - S EE C H ] V.

to beg eagerly for; solicit

e t h e r e a l —[ i h - t h e e r - e e - u h l ] A D J . g h a s t ly — [ G A S T - l e e ] A D J .

shockingly frightful or dreadful; horrible

h a u g h t y — [ HAW - t e e ] A D J . h e r a l d — [ HEH R - u h l d ] V.

heavenly or celestial

snobbish; scornfully arrogant

to give news of; announce; proclaim

i n s o l e n c e —[ I N - s u h - l u h n s ] N .

contemptuously rude behavior or speech

M a n d a r i n —[ M A N - d u h - r i n ] ( i n t h e C h i n e s e E m p i r e ) N . pa l l o r — [ PAH L - e r ] N .

unusual or extreme paleness, as from fear

pav i l i o n — [ p u h - V I L - y u h n ] N . p h a n t o m — [ FA N - t u h m ] N .

a small, ornamental building in a garden

an appearance of something without material substance

p i n c e r —[ P I N - s e r ] N .

a gripping tool with two handles forming a pair of jaws

r e b u f f — [ r i - B UH F ] N .

a blunt or abrupt rejection

r e m o r s e l e s s — [ r i - M AW R S - l i s ] A D J . s c a f f o l d —[ S K A F - u h l d ] N . s c e p t e r — [ S EP - t e r ] N .

without mercy or pity; relentless

a raised platform on which a criminal is executed

a rod held in the hand as an emblem of regal or imperial power

s h a c k l e — [ S HA K - u h l ] V.

to put on shackles or handcuffs

s m o l d e r — [ S M OH L - d e r ] V.

to burn without flame; a slow combustion

s t e a d fa s t — [ S TE D - f a s t ] A D J .

a person who is firm in purpose or resolve

s u i t o r — [ S OO - t e r ] N .

a man who courts a woman in order to marry her

ta l o n — [ TAH L - u h n ] N .

a claw, especially of a bird of prey

t o r m e n t — [ TAW R - m e n t ] V.

to give great bodily or mental suffering; pain

u m p t e e n t h — [ u h m p - TEE N TH ] A D J . u n d e t e r RE D — [ u n - d i h - TE R D ] V. w i z e n e d — [ WYZ - u h n d ] A D J . w r e s t — [ r e s t ] V.

48

a high-ranking public official

an indefinitely large number of things in a row

not discouraged from acting or proceeding

withered; old; shriveled

to violently twist or turn; pull, jerk, or force

THE S C HOO L D I S T R I C T O F PH I L A D E L PH I A S C HOO L REFORM COM MISSION Marjorie Neff, Chair

William J. Green, member

Feather Houstoun, member Farah Jimenez, member

Sylvia P. Simms, member

William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D Superintendent of Schools

Sounds of Learning™ was established by a

generous grant from The Annenberg Foundation.

Dedicated funding for the Sounds of Learning™ program has been provided by:

THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION WALLY LOEB Wells Fargo Hamilton Family Foundation Universal Health Services

OPE R A PH I L A D E L PH I A David B. Devan General Director & President

Corrado Rovaris Jack Mulroney Music Director Annie Burridge Managing Director

Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Programs

Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Memorial Fund Eugene Garfield Foundation The Hirsig Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation Morgan Stanley Foundation Victory Foundation The McLean Contributionship Louis N. Cassett Foundation

Opera Philadelphia is supported by major grants from The William Penn Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Additional support is provided by the Independence Foundation and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.

Opera Philadelphia receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

Written and produced by: Opera Philadelphia Community Programs Department © 2016 1420 Locust Street, Suite 210 Philadelphia, PA, 19102 Tel: 215.893.5927 Fax: 215.893.7801 operaphila.org/learn Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Programs bolton@operaphila.org Adrienne Bishop Education Coordinator bishop@operaphila.org Katie Dune Graphic Designer dune@operaphila.org Special thanks to: Frank Machos Director of Music Education, School District of Philadelphia The Office of Strategic Partnerships School District of Philadelphia Deborah Bambino Dr. Dan Darigan Karl Janowitz Joann Neufeld Bi Jean Ngo Vincent Renou Curriculum Consultants Dr. Bettie Joyner Kleckley Dr. Nanci Ritter Program Evaluators Maureen Lynch Operations Manager, Academy of Music Frank Flood Assistant Operations Manager, Academy of Music Cornell Wood Head Usher, Academy of Music Academy of Music Ushers

Turandot production photographs courtesy Philip Groshong for Cincinnati Opera Opera Philadelphia production photos are by Kelly & Mass Photography

Elena Shomos Rebecca Schnell Volunteers

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o p e5 r 0 a p h i l a . o r g