Turandot on Sydney Harbour: Opera Australia Sydney
About the Event
When the heroic top notes of ‘Nessun dorma’ ring out, your soul stirs. It's impossible to resist — the climax of an exotic adventure, captured perfectly in Puccini's music. Chinese director Chen Shi‐Zheng's take on Chinese fable Turandot will be one for the history books.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour presents Turandot: a story of a death‐marked love told with salt in the air, light on the sails and the city skyline reflected in your glass. It's the best of Sydney in a single evening: singing, sunsets and sparkling wine, in perfect harmony. Join us at the water’s edge in a pop‐up opera house with purpose‐built bars, restaurants and a grandstand under the stars.
As a child of the Cultural Revolution, Chen Shi‐Zheng grew up in a China where cruelty and beauty coexisted. Taken in by a Chinese opera troupe, he grew up surrounded by music, but witnessed great suffering. It’s a duality he finds utterly compelling, and a juxtaposition that ties in perfectly with the ice‐hearted, impossibly beautiful princess at the heart of Puccini's Turandot. As a director, his work forms a bridge between Chinese and Western artistic approaches, drawing on the Hollywood film tradition, theatrical acrobatics and traditional Chinese opera to create works that thrill visually and cut to the heart.
Cast / Production
Production
Conductor, Brian Castles‐Onion
Director & Choreographer, Chen Shi‐Zheng
Set & Costume Designer, Dan Potra
Lighting Designer, Scott Zielinski
Cast
Turandot: Dragana Radakovic*
Daria Masiero†
Calàf: Riccardo Massi*
Arnold Rawls†
Liù: Hyeseoung Kwon*
Eva Kong†
Timur: Conal Coad
Pong: John Longmuir
Pang: Graeme Macfarlane
Ping: Luke Gabbedy
Emperor: David Lewis
Mandarin: Gennadi Dubinsky
Opera Australia Chorus
Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
* March 24, 27, 29, 31; April 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23.
† March 26, 30; April 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24.
