A Story of Riddles, Courage, and a Frozen Heart
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Based on the play Turandot by Carlo Gozzi
Long ago, in a legendary China of moonlit palaces, crowded streets, and ancient ceremonies, there lives a princess named Turandot.
She is famous for two things.
Her extraordinary beauty—
and her heart of ice.
Princes travel from distant lands hoping to marry her. But Turandot has made a terrible rule:
Any prince who wishes to marry her must answer three riddles.
If he answers all three correctly, he may marry her.
If he fails even one…
he must die.
Many princes have tried.
None have succeeded.
Then one night, a mysterious young man arrives in Beijing.
His name is Calaf.
And the moment he sees Turandot, everything changes.
Act I — The Prince Who Accepts the Challenge
Night is falling over Beijing, but the city is anything but quiet.
A huge crowd has gathered outside the Imperial Palace.
A Mandarin steps forward and announces the ancient law:
“Any prince who wishes to marry Princess Turandot must answer three riddles.
If he fails, he will die.”
Tonight, another prince has failed.
The young Prince of Persia is to be executed when the moon rises.
The crowd waits impatiently.
In the confusion, an old blind man falls to the ground.
His servant, a young woman named Liù, cries out for help.
“Please! Someone help my master!”
A young stranger pushes through the crowd.
He looks at the old man—and freezes.
“Father?”
The old man is Timur, the exiled king of Tartary.
And the stranger is his long-lost son, Calaf.
They have found each other again after years of separation.
Calaf is amazed to see that Liù has stayed faithfully beside his father through all their hardships.
“Why did you take such good care of him?” he asks.
Liù lowers her eyes.
“Because once, long ago, you smiled at me.”
For Liù, that one small kindness was enough.
She has loved Calaf ever since.
🎵 “Signore, ascolta!” — Liù
Katia Ricchiarelli brings a luminous tendernes to Liù‘s plea – delicate, sincere and deeply touching.
Liù begs Calaf to listen to her and not risk his life for Turandot. It is one of the opera’s most tender and delicate moments.
Then the moon rises.
The Prince of Persia is brought before the crowd.
At first, everyone demands his death.
But when they see how young and frightened he is, their anger changes to pity.
“Mercy! Let him live!”
Then Princess Turandot appears high above them.
She does not speak.
She simply raises her hand.
No mercy.
The prince must die.
Calaf looks up at her.
For a moment, the whole world seems to disappear.
He sees only Turandot.
And he falls instantly in love.
Timur and Liù are horrified.
“No, Calaf!”
Three imperial ministers—Ping, Pang, and Pong—rush toward him.
They warn him that Turandot is dangerous.
They tell him to forget her.
They tell him to go home.
Even the ghosts of princes who have already died seem to warn him.
But Calaf will not listen.
He walks toward the great gong.
Striking it means only one thing:
He accepts Turandot’s challenge.
Liù makes one final attempt to stop him.
Calaf turns to her gently.
🎵 “Non piangere, Liù” — Calaf
Plácido Domingo brings warmth and tenderness to Calaf‘s plea to Liù – a beautifully lyrical moment before the drama unfold.
Calaf asks Liù not to cry and begs her to continue caring for his father if he does not return.
Then—
GONG!
Calaf strikes the gong once.
GONG!
Twice.
GONG!
Three times.
The challenge has been made.
There is no turning back.
Act II — The Three Riddles
Before the great ceremony begins, Ping, Pang, and Pong are alone.
They are tired.
Very tired.
Ever since Turandot began her deadly riddle game, their lives have been filled with executions, ceremonies, and frightened princes.
They dream of peaceful homes far away from the palace.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful,” they sigh,
“if nobody wanted to marry Turandot anymore?”
But the palace trumpets sound.
Another prince has accepted the challenge.
Time to work.
The courtyard fills with officials, soldiers, wise men, and crowds of people.
High above them sits Emperor Altoum, Turandot’s elderly father.
Even he does not want another young man to die.
He speaks to Calaf.
“Young man, please reconsider. Enough blood has already been spilled.”
But Calaf answers firmly:
“I have chosen.”
Then Turandot enters.
For the first time, she explains why she has made such a cruel law.
Long ago, one of her ancestors, Princess Lo-u-Ling, was captured and killed by a foreign prince.
Turandot has never forgotten her story.
She believes that by defeating every prince who comes to marry her, she is taking revenge for what happened to her ancestor.
She refuses to belong to any man.
🎵 “In questa reggia” — Turandot
Éva Marton embodies Turandot with extraordinary power and authority – a commanding voice for one of opera‘s most formidable princesses.
Turandot tells the story of Princess Lo-u-Ling and explains why she has sworn never to surrender herself to a prince. The music is proud, cold, and powerful.
Now the riddles begin.
Turandot looks directly at Calaf.
The First Riddle
“What is born each night
and dies each dawn?”
Calaf thinks.
The crowd holds its breath.
Then he answers:
“Hope.”
Correct.
A murmur runs through the palace.
Turandot asks the second riddle.
The Second Riddle
“What burns like a flame,
but is not fire?”
Calaf pauses.
Then he smiles.
“Blood.”
Correct again.
Now Turandot looks worried.
No one has ever come this far.
She asks the final riddle.
The Third Riddle
“What is like ice,
yet burns?”
Silence.
Calaf looks at Turandot.
And suddenly he understands.
“Turandot.”
Correct.
The crowd explodes with joy.
Calaf has solved all three riddles.
According to the law, Turandot must marry him.
But Turandot is horrified.
She turns to her father.
“Father! You cannot give me to this stranger!”
The Emperor reminds her:
“An oath is sacred.”
Calaf watches her.
He has won—but he does not want a wife who hates him.
So he gives Turandot a challenge of his own.
“You asked me three riddles.
I will ask you only one.”
Nobody moves.
“You do not know my name.
Discover it before sunrise.
If you do, I will accept death.”
Turandot agrees.
Now the entire city has only one night to discover the stranger’s name.
Act III — No One Shall Sleep
It is night in Beijing.
Turandot has given an order to the entire city:
No one may sleep.
Everyone must search for the mysterious prince’s name.
If they fail to discover it before sunrise, terrible punishment will follow.
Calaf stands alone in a moonlit garden.
From far away, he hears the voices of the city:
“Nessun dorma…
No one shall sleep…”
But Calaf is calm.
He is certain that Turandot will not discover his name.
He looks toward the stars.
By morning, he believes, he will win not only the challenge—
but Turandot’s heart.
🎵 “Nessun dorma” — Calaf
There are many wonderful tenors who have sung this aria – but for me, this aria simply had to be Pavarotti. The video may not have the best quality, but that unmistakable voice makes it timeless.
The most famous aria in Turandot. Calaf waits for dawn, certain that he will triumph. It ends with the famous cry: “Vincerò!” — “I will win!”
Soon Ping, Pang, and Pong arrive.
They offer Calaf everything they can imagine.
Gold.
Beautiful women.
A life far away from Beijing.
“Just tell us your name!”
Calaf refuses.
Then soldiers bring in Timur and Liù.
They have been seen with Calaf, so Turandot believes they may know who he is.
The guards threaten Timur.
Liù quickly steps forward.
“I know his name.”
Turandot turns toward her.
“Then tell me.”
But Liù refuses.
She is threatened and tortured, yet she remains silent.
Turandot cannot understand.
“What gives you the strength to resist me?”
Liù looks at Calaf.
Her answer is simple.
“Love.”
🎵 “Tu che di gel sei cinta” — Liù
Ermonela Jaho brings heartbreaking tenderness to Liu‘s final aria – fragile, devoted and deeply human.
Liù tells Turandot that one day even her icy heart will be conquered by love. It is Liù’s final, deeply moving aria.
Liù knows she may not be able to endure much longer.
And she is terrified that she might reveal Calaf’s name.
So she makes a tragic choice.
She takes a dagger and ends her own life.
The crowd falls silent.
Timur kneels beside her.
The old man is heartbroken.
Liù, who had guided him, cared for him, and stayed beside him when he had nothing, is gone.
Her body is carried away as the people slowly follow.
For the first time, the palace feels different.
Love has shown itself not as a prize or a victory—
but as sacrifice.
Calaf and Turandot are left alone.
Calaf confronts her.
“Why are you so afraid of love?”
Turandot tries to remain cold.
But Calaf sees that beneath her pride is fear.
Then he kisses her.
Turandot is shaken.
No prince has ever challenged the walls around her heart in this way.
She begins to cry.
“I was afraid of you,” she admits.
Calaf realizes that something has changed.
And now he takes the greatest risk of all.
He tells her his name.
“I am Calaf, son of Timur.”
Turandot now knows the answer.
She can still have him executed.
Morning comes.
The whole court gathers before the Emperor.
Turandot steps forward.
She announces that she has discovered the stranger’s name.
Calaf waits.
Then Turandot looks at him.
“I know his name.”
The crowd listens.
“His name is… Love.”
The palace erupts in celebration.
The cold princess has finally opened her heart.
And as the sun rises over Beijing, fear gives way to hope.
The riddles are over.
And Turandot’s frozen world begins to change.
Beyond the story
The Opera Puccini Never Finished
Turandot was to be Puccini’s final opera — but he never lived to finish it.
When Puccini died in 1924, the final part of the opera was still incomplete. Composer Franco Alfano was later asked to complete the ending using the musical sketches Puccini had left behind.
At the world premiere at La Scala in 1926, conductor Arturo Toscanini stopped the performance at the point where Puccini’s own music ended. The completed ending was performed from the following performance onward.
That means the Turandot we hear today carries the work of two composers — Puccini’s final vision, completed after his death.