When Puccini died in 1924 of throat cancer, "Turandot" was incomplete. In the 2005 book "Puccini Without Excuses," however, journalist William Berger begins his chapter on the opera with the sentence, "Let's settle this right now: it is pronounced as it is written: TOO-rahn-doat." In Italian, he says, all letters except for "h" are sounded out, unlike French, which people seem to think the title is. How, exactly, is it pronounced? Puccini scholar Patrick Vincent Casali argued that the final "t" shouldn't be pronounced since Puccini didn't say it that way, and even in the opera one strains to hear a "t" on the end of the word Turandot. "Turandot" has always been the Puccini work most open to interpretation and critical debate.Įven the title.
And when he finally takes the stage, he has just as much reason not to. Has good reason to pay attention to the notes. Smith, singing the role in Opera Memphis' "Turandot" tonight and Tuesday at the Orpheum,
Now, for those unfamiliar with this short, triumphant burst of music (unfamiliar with the Italian title, that is, since the music is used in countless commercials and during the climaxes of films as varied as "The Killing Fields" and "Bend It Like Beckham"), it is one of the most important tenor arias in all of opera getting it right in performance can make or break a singer's career. The singer displays the famous "Nessun Dorma" aria, sung by the unknown prince. From his backpack, Roy Cornelius Smith pulls out the vocal score to Puccini's final opera "Turandot," and flips through the pages until he reaches the top of Act III.Īn opera buff will know right away where he's going with this.
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