Great Performances (TV Series) Turandot (1994) User Reviews

Passionate Eva Marton

[Gyran · 7/10 · 1 December 2004]

This production, from San Francisco Opera, suffers from the considerable handicap of being designed by David Hockney. The sets and costumes are in garish primary colours like a comic strip or a Hammer horror film. Halfway through the first act I turned my television to monochrome so that I could continue to watch and listen to this, otherwise excellent, production.

Michael Sylvester, who is new to me, sings the role of Calaf as well as I have ever heard it. Lucia Mazzaria as Liù and Kevin Langan as Timur are also very strong. Ping, Pang and Pong are well sung but it was difficult to distinguish between them because of the silly costumes and clowns' faces that Hockney gives them.

Eva Marton as Turandot is perhaps not in her best form vocally. However, she more than makes up for this in her acting performance. This is an unusual interpretation of Turandot because Marton makes it clear from the moment she sees Calaf that she is besotted with him. When she poses the three riddles, you can tell that she is willing him to get them right. In the final scene when, she succumbs to Calaf, most Turandot's signify it with a decorous peck on the cheek but with Marton it is a passionate kiss. Brian Large, the doyen of opera film directors captures all these details beautifully.

Brilliant, my third favourite Turandot after the 1988 and 1983 productions...

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 13 March 2012]

Turandot I've always held in high regard. It's not my favourite Puccini opera, but ever since singing in the chorus five years ago it has been very special to me. This 1994 performance is brilliant, my third favourite after the 1988 Met production with Marton, Domingo, Mitchell and Plishka and the 1983 one with Marton, Carreras and Ricciarelli. I also love the 2009 Met production, but I slightly prefer the above three. Firstly, this Turandot looks fantastic visually. The Met production is a little more lavish, but I do love the simple but still oriental story-book-like costumes and sets. The production looks equally amazing on DVD, the reds, greens and blues are very intense and helps enhance the action. The staging with the colourful dancing especially is very involving and the three enigmas scene will have you biting your nails. The orchestra perform Puccini's wonderful music superbly, and the conducting has plenty of authority. The chorus are fine in general, the "grind and sharpen" chorus is very impressively acted, and they are well balanced on the whole, but at times such as in Act 3 they could have done with a richer sound and a few more nuances. I loved the principal performances. Eva Marton is not as good vocally as she was in 1983 and 1988 with a wobble that can make her pitch approximate sometimes, but it is a musically and dramatically committed performance complete with a hair-raising In Questa Reggia. Michael Sylvester I knew from his impressive Gabriele Adorno in 1991's Simon Boccanegra, and he is a credible Calaf, noble and heroic with a strong voice and a solid if not entirely thrilling Nessun Dorma. Kevin Langan is a stately and moving Timur, the voice is one where richness and beauty pours out of him, he is very firm dramatically especially in Act 1 and I loved his make-up, it was beautifully done and I actually believed that this relatively young man was older than he really was. Ping, Pong and Pang, even though their costumes are ridiculous, are great, and steal their scenes. Lucia Mazzaria's poignant Liu though was the star of the show, her Act 3 arias and Signor Ascolta were sung with deep feeling and attention to musicality, and her vocals are fresh and alluring, almost recalling young Mirella Freni perhaps, and her top positively floats. Overall, brilliant. 10/10 Bethany Cox