It is as if enormous masses of sound were being chased under the highest tension through a tightly set embouchure tube: the high notes glow with a cold, glistening intensity. “What we hear is perhaps the most brilliant soprano voice on record anywhere. Let’s move on to one of the legendary Turandots of history, Eva Turner. The music swings to higher and higher registers and several times it reaches the high B, for the first time imitating the cry that the princess Lou-Ling uttered. It is a music that radiates coldness, austerity and yet also melancholy, describing frustration with almost psychopathic features. Rarely has music characterized a character as glaringly as this aria. Halfway through the work, the timbre changes with Turandot’s entrance. Once a foreign king had killed an ancestor of Turandot. Madama Butterfly is one perennial favorite.

She explains the reason for the bloody edict. Giacomo Puccinis operas are notable for the very high percentage that remain among the most popular operas today. In questa reggia – the grand entrance of Turandot Unis dès la plus tendre enfance (Iphigenia).Madamina, il catalogo, Catalogue Aria (Don Giovanni).Je dis que rien ne m’epouvante (Carmen).Glück, das mir verblieb (Die tote Stadt).Dies Bildnis ist wunderschön (Zauberflöte).Dein ist mein ganzes Herz (Land des Lächelns).

Most popular puccini opera