Franco Zeffirelli’s larger-than-life production of Puccini’s Turandot returns to the Met stage for 17 performances, starting February 28. Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, also the first female music director of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, makes her Met debut, leading two notable casts. Starting February 28, soprano Elena Pankratova makes her company debut in the title role, opposite tenor SeokJong Baek in his Met role debut as Calàf, following his company debut as Ismaele in Verdi’s Nabucco earlier this season. Joining them are soprano Aleksandra Kurzak in her company role debut as Liù and bass Vitalij Kowaljow reprising the role of Timur. Soprano Juliana Grigoryan sings the role of Liù on March 13, making her company debut.
For the spring run starting April 3, soprano Christine Goerke reprises her highly acclaimed performances in the title role, opposite tenor Roberto Alagna in his company role debut as Calàf. Sopranos Gabriella Reyes and Angel Blue share the role of Liù during this run. Bass Peixin Chen makes his company role debut as Timur.
For the final series of performances starting May 29, Pankratova and Baek return, joined by soprano Olga Kulchynska and bass Soloman Howard in their Met role debuts as Liù and Timur, respectively, with conductor Marco Armiliato leading the cast. Earlier this season, Kulchynska sang Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème, and Howard will make his role debuts as the Marquis of Calatrava / Padre Guardiano in the new production of Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, opening February 26.
Turandot has appeared 349 times at the Met to date, with the current production by Franco Zeffirelli (who also designed the sets) premiering on March 12, 1987. The creative team also includes costume designers Anna Anni and Dada Saligeri, lighting designer Gil Wechsler, and choreographer Chiang Ching.
Turandot Broadcasts on Radio and Online
The February 28, March 16, April 19, and June 4 performances of Turandot will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on the SiriusXM app. The March 16 performance will also be broadcast over The Robert K. Johnson Foundation–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network, and audio from the April 19 and June 4 performances will also be streamed live on the Met’s website, metopera.org.
For further details on Turandot including casting by date, please click here.
