New Jersey Opera Theater sings ‘Turandot.’
By: Stuart Duncan
When Puccini’s Turandot debuted in Milan at the end of April 1926, it was almost immediately forgotten. Perhaps it was because the composer had died just before he completed the work, from complications of throat cancer. Conductor Arturo Toscanini asked Franco Alfano to finish the last act (of three) and he did so, using sketches that Puccini had left behind, but not attempting the "great orchestral peroration" that Puccini had hoped would convince listeners they should care about his two callous principals Princess Turandot of Peking and her ardent suitor, Calaf.
It was not until 1961 that the opera was rescued from obscurity when Metropolitan Opera manager Rudolph Bing teamed Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli in a sumptuous Cecil Beaton production. Later, famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti recorded Calaf’s second act aria "Nessun dorma" and the rush was on. The recording went to the top of the Billboard charts both the classical and the popular. Now critics call Puccini’s final work "the summit of Puccini’s achievement."
New Jersey Opera Theater has picked the piece as its mid-winter gift to the group’s growing following a teaser, if you will, for the three-opera summer program in July. It has been done as a staged reading, in full costume, with the orchestra on the stage behind the singers and a 100-voice chorus (the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia) against the rear wall of the stage.
It may not be the spectacle of the Beaton production of an opulent palace in Imperial Peking, but it should be plenty. And with a cast of first-rate singers, and with stage direction by Ira Siff, the opera may just be more inviting than ever.
Six years ago tenor Allan Glassman played Calaf at McCarter Theatre and he is back again, far more powerful and confident than before. His "Nessun dorma" brought delighted roars of approval at the orchestra dress rehearsal from the very knowledgeable audience of students. Barbara Shirvis is extraordinary as Liu, the slave girl. And Anton Belov, Jonathan Green and Joel Sorensen as Ping, Pang and Pong, the court jesters, clearly enjoyed providing the comic touches. Sharon Sweet sings the title role with the cool brilliance of a blue white diamond. Raymond Aceto is solid as Timur, Calaf’s long-lost father.
Patricia A. Hibbert’s costuming is not only true to the time period, but in stunning contrast to the black of both the orchestra and the chorus. She is becoming a legend in opera circles and will return for all three of the works this summer. Steven Mosteller conducted with a minimum of bravado, but with complete control and constant regard for the principals.
Turandot will be performed at the State Theatre, 7 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, March 11, 3 p.m. Tickets cost $30-$90. For information, call (732) 246-7469. On the Web: www.statetheatrenj.org; New Jersey Opera Theater on the Web: www.njot.org

