Turandot

This was my first time at the Metropolitan Opera and I’m glad it was as part of the Macaulay seminar class. Lincoln center is simply so majestic that speaks volumes to the kind of talent that we find inside on stage. The external Lincoln square is the best, especially at night when the buildings are all lit up. As you walk in the red carpet all over the place and the grand staircase instills in you the level of elegance and professionalism that occupies the halls. I was actually in sort of a panic because I had left my ticket at home and had realized that half way through the commute. Luckily, professor Natov had an extra with her so I was able to get in. we were in the family box so that was all the way at the top of the hall. It was, I believe, four flights of stairs above the ground floor. When I got to my seat the chandeliers ascended, signaling the beginning of the show. That sight is probably one of the best parts of the experience at the MET. It was like we were in a different world, or like a ride, ready to be amazed. My focus was on the audience and I found that the audience was much more diverse than our previous trips. I saw people from all around the world and it really felt like New York City. Everyone, of course, was very fancy and elegant and we all felt underdressed. We were the only teenagers there so our presence was quite noticeable. Apparently, some of the audience behind us was talking about us in their native language. Nonetheless, the best part overall has to be the staging. The level of professionalism and perfection was totally unexpected. Even though the intervals were long, around forty-five minutes each, they went by fairly quick and it gave us an opportunity to explore more of the MET. The staging for the second act was particularly captivating. There was a body of water represented and I remember asking professor Natov if it was of real water. Everything was set perfectly and Turandot couldn’t have been a better opera to see for a first time opera visitor.

The Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is an incredible building. From the moment you walk through the grandiose entrance, you are welcomed by a sea of red. The thick, plush red carpets are an inviting cocoon that want to swallow your whole being. As you continue into the building, you start to grasp the true grandeur of the opera house. The winding staircases seem to stretch on forever. As you ascend the steps towards your seat, you pass vast expanses of space with exciting and eclectic outlets: restaurants, bars, bronze water fountains, marble sinks, and crystal chandeliers. The true size of the enormous building does not dawn on you until you enter the main theater.

The main theater is huge. There are four towering balconies, each containing hundreds of seats and one floor of orchestra seats. The immense gold curtains hug the enormous stage that seems to be able to encompass 50,000 people. Along the walls run hundreds of private booths for the fabulously wealthy. Each of the thousands of seats in the hall has deep and plush red seats that invite the attendees to sit back and relax. There are mini screens in the back of each scarlet seat that display the lyrical translations of the play. The mix of gold and red bright colors create a vision of an alien planet, a planet where anything is possible.

The Met Opera House is an incredible venue that helps to set the stage for the show that is about to be performed. The opera house helps to set the scene of the performance and transports you to a new world where anything is possible. The grand chandeliers that line the opulent ceiling are utterly incredible, but their true majesty only becomes clear once the show is about to begin; the chandeliers come to life and rise to the ceiling. The chandeliers are the culmination of the first act of the night, the theater itself.

Two big themes in the play Turandot by Giacomo Puccini is love and revenge. The prince, Calaf, was willing to risk his life to answer the three riddles to marry princess Turandot. Many princes died before him because of this challenge and Calaf, seeing the princess just once, was still up for the challenge. He was so in love with Turandot that even after many people warned him not to put his life at risk, he still disregarded what they said and went to the gong and pounded it symbolizing that he accepted the challenge. The theme revenge is seen by this challenge. Turandot believes because of these very complicated riddles no one will ever marry her. Turandot does not want to get married because she is convinced that her ancestor princess Lo-u-Ling lives in her and Lou-u-Ling wants to avenge the fact that she was raped and murdered by a prince. She then asks Calaf to withdraw, warning him you only have one life but you still have to answer three riddles one mistake and he will be beheaded, but he does not listen again. She then asks him the three riddles and Calaf gets all of them right. After he gets them right Turandot now realizes she has to marry him and she does not want to. Calaf, still believing love will trump all, gives her one escape, to find out his name. Turandot quickly sends many people to discover his name or she will kill them. She also ends up finding Liu (calaf’s slave) and Calaf’s father. Liu says she is the only one who knows Calaf’s  name and ends up killing herself instead of the princess finding out, in spite of love for Calaf. After all of this, Calaf goes to visit Turandot, kisses her, and announces his name, so now his life sits in her hands. After the kiss, she softens and realized that she actually loves the prince. When it was time for Turandot to say his name she says his name is love. This show portrayed that love was triumph after all.

Being my first experience at an opera, I don’t have much to compare Turandot to. However, that doesn’t take away from how amazing the experience was in its entirety. Everything from the story, to the way you could hear the performers so clearly (without microphones!) just added to its quality. With a performance as long as Turandot was, however, an interesting story is essential to keeping viewers’ attention. Thankfully, thats exactly what it had. A tale resembling a Brothers’ Grimm kind of story, accompanied by lots of movement and dramatic music, kept me wanting to see it to the end.

The story is set in China, where a princess by the name of Turandot leads several men to their deaths by pursuing their dreams to marry her. A system is set in place whereas one must answer three riddles correctly in order to succeed- or else they die. Though many suitors have faced the executioner being drawn in by Turandot’s appeal, a character known as the Unknown Prince takes the challenge. And though his recently found father and companion Liu try to convince him otherwise, his will to marry the princess overcomes him- and he signals for the challenge to begin.

As Turandot reveals herself, she explains the consequences of failure- a result she has a lot of faith in. She then goes on to read the first riddle, which the Unknown Prince correctly answers. Slightly taken aback by this, Turandot continues to read the second, which the Unknown Prince also gets right. Finally, with the prince’s life at stake having everyone on the edge of their seats, she recites the third riddle. After a moment of pacing, the prince announces his answer, which turns out to be Turandot’s name, as well as correct. Clearly shaken by this, Turandot reveals her reasoning for this system and says he’d be just as those who forcibly married and tortured other past princesses or queens. Seeing her clearly distraught, the Unknown Prince offers a trial of his own.

The prince offers his life once again: he’d have himself killed if the princess could figure out his name by dawn. With a character deemed “the Unknown Prince,” this seems like it’d be a rather difficult challenge- similar to Rumpelstiltskin in this aspect. With everyone in the city commanded to search for any clue to his name, the father of the prince as well as Liu are eventually recovered. In order to prevent the elderly father from facing the lengths Turandot would go to get his name, Liu says only she knows it. Though she puts herself in danger because of this, she makes it clear that her lips are sealed and that she would keep the prince’s name to herself. At this point in the performance its more than obvious that Liu has something for the Unknown Prince. Turandot, not understanding the feeling of love, can’t comprehend why Liu wouldn’t tell her his name, or why she ends up killing herself. The scene was very emotional and clearly a pivotal point in the opera, for dawn follows soon after.

As dawn approaches, Turandot has a moment of venting mainly out of fear of what is to come. Her bad perception of men as a whole causes this, but the Unknown Prince reassures her he only wants to have her happily. He reveals his name to her, and seeing that he is willing to give up his life for her more willingly than before, she feels love towards him. In the end, they end up married and Turandot, known as the princess of frost and ice, is overcome by lovely fire.

Even before entering the venue, I was shocked at how beautiful the architecture was. The fountain gave the venue a sense of fanciness we had not experienced at other Macaulay Events. After walking in, the venue only looked better. The stairs were endless and everything was covered in a beautiful red velvet which gave a sense of elegance. The chandelier dangling in the middle was my favorite part.

However, the steps leading to our seats were very tiny and it felt like I was going to fall. Our seats were located very far from stage which made it hard to see the actors clearly. The seats themselves were very comfortable, but as we learned from experience, only meant for one person. The highlight of the opera house was probably the small screen in front of every seat with the subtitles. They were special because you were only able to see yours from your seat. Thus, other people’s screens were not distracting.

-Noshin Choudhury