Puccini: Turandot

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Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano

Tullio Serafin

Callas sang the role of Turandot 24 times on stage, in the late 1940s. It was the role originally planned for her US debut, but the opera company went bankrupt and the performances (scheduled for Chicago in 1947) never took place. She brings unusual subtlety to Puccini’s icy princess, while Elisabeth Schwarzkopf – more readily identified with Fiordiligi and the Marschallin – is surprise casting as the self-sacrificing Liù.

La principessa Turandot: Maria Callas

Calaf (Il principe ignoto): Eugenio Fernandi

Liù: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

L’imperatore Altoum: Giuseppe Nessi

Timur: Nicola Zaccaria

Ping: Mario Borriello

Pang: Renato Ercolani

Pong/Il principe di Persia: Piero De Palma

Un mandarino: Giulio Mauri

Prima voce: Elisabetta Fusco

Seconda voce: Pinuccia Perotti