Giacomo Puccini Turandot centenary commemorations

Commemorations for the centenary of Giacomo Puccini’s opera ‘Turandot’ have taken place through various artistic mediums in Italy and Portugal.

In Italy, the celebrations included an exhibition in Venice titled ‘Turandot Rivisitata’ at the Palazzo Franchetti. Curated by the Parasol Unit Foundation, the exhibition featured eleven artists from Central Asia using video, sculpture, and textiles to link the opera’s mythic roots to contemporary identities in countries such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Additionally, the Arena di Verona staged a production based on Franco Zeffirelli’s 2010 design, led by conductor Andrea Battistoni.

Further productions have highlighted the composer’s legacy and different interpretations of the opera’s unfinished ending. In Portugal, the Operafest Lisboa and Oeiras presented a production at the Mosteiro da Cartuxa directed by Daniela Kerck, which utilized a setting evocative of the Italian Riviera. In Verona, revivals of Zeffirelli’s production continued to be noted for their visual grandeur and lavish tableaux.