Turandot, by Puccini: a summary of the plot

The plots of great operas are often difficult to fathom, partly because opera composers are generally more interested in writing great music than telling a believable story. The plot is merely a peg on which to hang arias, duets and choruses. Opera plots are often absurd, with unlikely happenings, impossible coincidences and ridiculous characters right, left and centre. On the other hand, some operas are also great dramas. See what you think about this one:

Turandot was Puccini's final opera, left unfinished at his death. At the first performance, at La Scala, Milan, on 25th April 1926, the conductor, Arturo Toscanini, laid down his baton in the middle of Act 3, turned to the audience and told them that this was the point at which the composer had died. The curtain was lowered slowly and the audience departed in silence. However, the opera is now performed in its entirety, the remaining pages having been completed by Franco Alfano, based on Puccini's sketches.

Act 1 - an open space in central Beijing, in ancient times

A mandarin reads a proclamation to the crowd that the hand of Princess Turandot will be given to the first prince of royal birth who can answer her three riddles. The downside of the deal is that failure to answer correctly means that you do not come back next week, but lose your head. The Princess is clearly in no great hurry to get hitched.

The crowd press forward to catch a glimpse of the Prince of Persia, who was unwise enough to take up the challenge and will soon pay the price for failure.

Also in the crowd is a beggar and a slave-girl, and another Prince, all of them hiding their identity. They meet, and the Prince recognises the beggar as being his own father, the exiled King Timur of Tartary.

As the Prince of Persia is brought forward to be executed, the crowd call for Turandot to show mercy, and the unknown Prince curses her cruelty. When Turandot appear, the Prince refuses to bow down to her, but instead is struck by her beauty and falls hopelessly in love with her. The merest glimpse of a well-turned ankle and some men are putty in the hands of a beautiful woman.

Despite the entreaties of his father and Liu, the slave-girl, he determines to try his luck at the Princess's challenge. All he has to do to announce his challenge is to strike the great gong three times. Even the three courtiers, Ping, Pong, and Pung, try in vain to dissuade him; and if the sight of the Prince of Persia's severed head being carried across the stage by the executioner won't put him off, nothing will. He strikes the gong and the curtain falls.

Act 2, Scene 1 - a gorgeously painted pavilion

A bit of light relief as the three comic courtiers take the stage. Was Puccini a secret fan of Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado? Maybe!

Scene 2 - outside the Palace

The Emperor appears with all his court, and even he tries to dissuade the Prince from taking up the challenge. Turandot appears and explains her motive for being so unpleasant, which is that her grandmother had been cruelly murdered and Turandot sees it as her duty to avenge the crime by slaughtering as many foreign princes as she can.

So the test goes ahead. Question One - "What is it that flies by night, that is born when the sun sets, and dies when it rises?" The Prince gives the answer - "Hope". He is correct. Question Two - "What is it that dreams can kindle into flame, whose voice we tremble to hear, and which is the colour of the setting sun?" Answer Two - "Blood". Turandot is now seriously worried, as we have to assume that no previous candidates have got as far as this before. Question Three - "What is it that, while it freezes, sets you on fire, which by setting you free makes you a slave, and by taking you as a slave makes you a king?" The Prince gives the answer - "It is you, Princess Turandot".

He's right, you know. She can't pretend that he isn't, because the answers are written on sealed scrolls borne by the Emperor's wise elders. She appeals to the Emperor, but he points out that, by the terms of the deal, she must now marry the unknown Prince.

So he's won the bet, and the opera will now draw to a triumphant conclusion? You might think so, but we're only in Act 2, and we haven't got to "Nessun Dorma" yet. At this point we get one of the strangest plot twists of all time. Having won the prize, the Prince now gives Turandot another chance to win. If she can answer his riddle, which is "What is my name?", before dawn, then she wins after all and he dies. Next time you win the lottery, you will hand the money back and have another go, won't you?

Act 3, Scene 1 - the Palace gardens at night

OK, so this is where "Nessun Dorma" comes in. "None shall sleep", sings the Prince, as he reflects on the efforts that the Princess, and everybody else, will be making to learn his true name.

It's time for Ping, Pong and Pung to re-appear, this time offering the Prince lots of goodies just to leave and forget all about Turandot. No deal - despite what he knows about her bloodthirsty character, she is the only woman for him. It takes all sorts.

There's a commotion as a company of guards comes in, dragging Timur and Liu with them. Word has got about that these two were seen with the Prince the previous day, so surely they must know what his name is?

Turandot is summoned, and she questions Timur, but Liu steps forward and says that only she knows the answer. Oh no, she doesn't, says the Prince. Well, one thing leads to another and Liu admits that she loves the Prince - apparently she is as good as the Prince at falling helplessly in love at a moment's notice. Liu has realised that she can now never have the Prince for herself, but she can at least save his life by sacrificing her own, which she does by stabbing herself.

Only the Prince and Turandot are left on the stage. He tears off her veil and kisses her. She admits that she had actually fancied him all along, but then she reminds him that he has not told her his name. You might think that this is a bad move on the Prince's part, given the volatile nature of Turandot's character, but he tells her that his name is Calaf, thus putting his life back in her hands. We know he's a bit of a gambler, so maybe he reckons that that smacker he gave her will have done the trick. Just bear in mind for a second that this was the role played by Pavarotti, even in his sixties. Some gamble, that!

Scene 2 - outside the Palace

Everybody has gathered to learn the outcome of the previous night's challenge. Turandot looks down at Calaf and tells her father, "I know the name of the stranger. It is Love!" So the kiss did work, after all. Calaf leaps up and takes her in his arms. General rejoicing as the curtain falls. Not bad for a grand opera - only a couple of grizzly deaths, and a happy ending.

© John Welford

Madame Butterfly, by Giacomo Puccini: a summary of the plot

This is one of the best-known and loved of all operas, both for its superb music and its plot, a tragedy of broken faith in which the whole audience longs to scream out to Butterfly, "Don't trust him!"

The opera had several sources, including "Madame Chrysantheme", a novel by Pierre Loti dating from 1887, and a short story (1898) by the American writer John Luther Long that was turned into a play by David Belasco. Puccini's opera was itself the inspiration for "Miss Saigon", the musical that premiered in 1989.

At its first performance, at La Scala, Milan on 17th February 1904, the opera was not the success that the composer hoped for. However, by splitting the original two acts into three and making some other changes, Puccini ensured that this would become one of his greatest successes, and a "standard" in the repertory of opera companies across the world.

Act 1 - A villa in the naval port of Nagasaki, Japan

Lieutenant Pinkerton, U.S. Navy, seeks the advice of a marriage broker, having been told that his posting in Japan will be a long one. The marriage broker assures him that any marriage will only be binding as long as he consents to live with his wife, after which she will be free to marry again. However, the lady in question, Cho-Cho-San, sees things differently, as she falls in love with Pinkerton and believes that she will be marrying him for life. She even goes so far as to renounce her religion and thus severs all ties with her own people.

Sharpless, the American consul and Pinkerton's friend, tries to prevent the match by telling Pinkerton how serious the girl is about it. At the wedding feast, Cho-Cho-San's uncle, a priest, appears and heaps curses on her head for renouncing her faith. All her relatives desert her, but she clings to her new husband, who calms her fears. The scene ends with mutual protestations of love.

Act 2 - The villa, three years later

After a short but blissful wedded life, Pinkerton has been recalled to America, promising to return to Cho-Cho-San (now called "Madame Butterfly"), "when the robins nest again". She trusts him implicitly, but her maid, Suzuki, has different thoughts.

The battleship on which Pinkerton serves is ordered back to Japan, and he writes a letter to Sharpless, asking him to break the news to Butterfly that he will be arriving with his new wife, an American. However, when Sharpless takes the letter to Butterfly, she is so overjoyed at seeing a letter in Pinkerton's hand that she completely ignores what it says. She is also deaf to the marriage broker, who tries to arrange a new marriage for her, on the grounds that Pinkerton's desertion amounts to a divorce. "That may be so in Japan," she says, "but I am an American!" When the Consul tries again to convince her of the truth, she introduces a fair-haired child, with the words "My lieutenant cannot forget this".

As Sharpless departs, a cannon shot announces the arrival of Pinkerton's ship. Butterfly and her maid excitedly decorate the house with flowers to welcome her husband, but as the evening drags on he does not appear. Suzuki and the child fall asleep, but Butterfly waits and watches.

Act 3 - The same, the next day

Butterfly has not slept all night. Suzuki wakes and persuades Butterfly to lie down and rest, which she does, so that she can look her best when Pinkerton arrives. When she has left the room, Sharpless, Pinkerton and Kate, his American wife, arrive. When he hears from Suzuki about Butterfly's devotion, he is overtaken by remorse and cannot bear to face his deserted bride. Kate tells Suzuki to tell Butterfly that she will care for the child, but at this point Butterfly enters and hears it directly from Kate. Butterfly retains her composure, congratulates Kate politely, and tells her that, if they return in half an hour, they may have the child.

However, when the Americans return, they find that Butterfly has used her father's sword to end her life. On the sword are inscribed the words "Die with honour when you can no longer live with honour".

© John Welford

Tosca, by Giacomo Puccini: a summary of the plot

There are not too many laughs in Tosca, which is based on a drama by the French playwright Victorien Sardou, set in Rome in 1800. The play was first performed in 1887, and it soon attracted the attention of Giuseppe Verdi as a possible subject for an opera. However, it was Giacomo Puccini who was to produce one of the operatic "standards", which had its first performance in Rome in January 1900 and has never been out of the operatic repertoire since then.

Tosca's popularity is not only due to the quality of its music but the fact that only three relatively straightforward sets are required and the cast has just four main parts. The profit margin per performance is therefore going to be reasonable!

Act 1 - Inside the church of Sant' Andrea in Rome

Cavaradossi, a painter, is working on a mural when Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, asks for his help. Cavaradossi agrees to help him to escape and meanwhile hides him in the church.

Tosca, a singer, and Cavaradossi's lover, enters and has a go at the painter for using another woman as his model for the "Magdalen" in his mural. He replies that Tosca has nothing to worry about.

The sacristan and choir enter, followed by Scarpia, the chief of police, who is looking for Angelotti. He finds a fan that has been dropped by the artist's model and taunts Tosca with it to try to rouse her jealousy, but Scarpia has a double motive. He wants her to betray her lover, whom Scarpia suspects of knowing more than he is telling, and he also wants Tosca for himself. Dodgy policemen have been around for a long time!

Act 2 - Scarpia's office

Scarpia's men have not been able to find Angelotti, but Cavaradossi will do just as well for an interrogation, so he is brought before Scarpia for questioning. He says nothing, and is sent off to the torture chamber to see if that will change his mind.

Tosca has been sent for, and she is also silent until Scarpia opens the door to the torture chamber and she can hear what is being done to Cavaradossi. This loosens her tongue and she tells Scarpia where to find Angelotti. (Why Cavaradossi told her this in the first place is a mystery in itself. There you are, you have just done something that could cost you your life, namely hiding a political fugitive, and you reveal the secret to your girlfriend who in any case suspects you of being unfaithful. Not the cleverest thing to do, surely?)

As Cavaradossi is brought out to be taken off to prison, he has angry words with Tosca for betraying him. However, Scarpia must be convinced that Tosca and Cavaradossi are still very much an "item", because he now tries another ploy; the painter will be executed unless Tosca agrees to succumb to Scarpia's wicked ways. She doesn't think much of this idea, but news is now brought that Angelotti has poisoned himself to avoid recapture, which makes Tosca think that Cavaradossi might do the same. It's a strange train of thought, maybe, but that's what she thinks. So Tosca gives in.

Scarpia draws up a passport for the prisoner and at the same time gives orders for the execution, by firing squad, of Cavaradossi. He explains to Tosca that it will be a mock execution, using blanks, for the sake of appearances. Scarpia must think that he has covered all the bases, because he now advances to claim his prize. However, Tosca promptly grabs Scarpia's knife and stabs him to death. Then, instead of fleeing the scene and rushing to find her lover, she spends a considerable time arranging Scarpia's body and placing candles at his head and feet and a crucifix on his chest. Odd.

Act 3 - the battlements of the prison

The soldiers have received the order for the execution, but apparently the news of Scarpia's murder has not reached them yet. Tosca rushes to Cavaradossi and explains that all is well, she has his passport and the execution will be faked. Why on earth she believed a word that Scarpia said is another matter, given what she knows about his duplicity, but this lady's thought processes are not of the clearest, as we have already discovered.

Needless to say, the bullets are real, and Cavaradossi is killed. At first Tosca just thinks that he is a better actor than she had given him credit for, but when she realises the truth she gives way to despair. The news of Scarpia's death has reached the guards and they now rush in to arrest her. However, she escapes their clutches and throws herself over the battlements to her death.

With all the principals dead, the curtain falls.

There is a story, whether true or not is not within my knowledge, that at one performance there was an unexpected alternative ending. It is usual for the leap from the battlements to be cushioned by a pile of mattresses out of sight of the audience. This is doubtless because top operatic sopranos are expensive and theatres do not like being sued for broken ankles. However, on this occasion the diva had been particularly unpleasant to the stage crew, who got their revenge by removing the mattresses and introducing a trampoline instead. Tosca then made several unexpected reappearances as she bounced back into view. It would be a lovely story if true ...

© John Welford

Giacomo Puccini, a great opera composer

Giacomo Puccini was one of the greatest opera composers of all time. He was unusual among modern composers in writing no mature works that were not operas, having committed himself to this medium from an early age.

He was born in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, on 22^nd December 1858, the fifth of seven children of the organist and choirmaster of Lucca’s San Martino Cathedral. This was a position that had been held by the Puccini family for four generations and Giacomo was pencilled in as the next incumbent. However, his father died when Giacomo was only five and he was sent to study with his uncle, who had taken over the position until Giacomo would be old enough to move into his father’s job.

However, Giacomo saw a production of Verdi’s “Aida” at Pisa in 1876 and decided that opera was far more interesting to him than being an organist. He therefore enrolled at Lucca’s Conservatorio Pacini, completing his studies in 1880. He then moved to Milan, which was the Mecca for all budding opera composers, and studied at the Conservatorio Reale between 1880 and 1883.

While there he entered a competition for a one-act opera, sponsored by a music publisher. His opera was “Le Villi”, but when the results were announced Puccini’s name was not even mentioned as an “also ran”. However, when he played and sang some of the music at a party where a number of influential people were present, the reception was so enthusiastic that arrangements were made to stage the opera anyway.

The Milan music publisher Giulio Ricordi acquired the rights to “Le Villi” which Puccini expanded to two acts, and also commissioned a new opera from him. This was “Edgar”, which was far less successful, mainly because the subject matter was not conducive to Puccini’s talents. The opera was staged in April 1889 but was coolly received and was lost soon afterwards.

It was at this time that Puccini fell in love with Elvira Gemignani, a married woman, whom he was only able to marry in 1904 after her husband had died.

His next project was much more to his liking and much more successful. This was “Manon Lescaut” which was staged in February 1893 and made his name known throughout Italy and beyond. He was widely hailed as the true successor to Verdi.

While still working on this opera, Puccini had bought a house at Torre del Lago near Lucca. The house overlooked a lake which attracted thousands of ducks and geese, which appealed to Puccini’s other passion of wildfowl shooting. He lived in this house until 1921, composing his operas with a shotgun by his side so that he could open the window and bag a duck or two when he needed a break.

  

Puccini’s next three operas are among his greatest, namely “La Bohème” (first staged in 1896), “Tosca” (1900) and “Madame Butterfly” (1904). He employed two librettists, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, who produced their scripts jointly; Illica would draw up the scenario and invent plot details, in prose, and Giacosa would produce a version in verse. Puccini also had a lot to say about the script and there were many arguments among the three of them. However, Puccini, like Wagner, had a very strong theatrical sense and knew instinctively what would work from a dramatic point of view. The composer’s view always prevailed.

In these and his other operas it is noticeable that Puccini’s heroines are more important than his heroes; indeed, of his twelve major operas seven are named after the heroine. He had a gift for understanding the female psyche and, although they come to tragic ends, his heroines are portrayed with true affection.

“The Girl of the Golden West” (1910) was set in the 1849 Californian gold rush and used American and Native American tunes. It was premiered in New York and went down far better with the public than with the critics.

“La Rondine” (1917) was the least successful of Puccini’s mature operas and it also caused him some political difficulties in that its resemblance to a Viennese opera was regarded by some as being unpatriotic at a time when Italy was fighting on the side of the Allies (Britain, France, Russia, etc) against the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. 

“Trittico” (1918) was a venture along the lines of Parisian “Grand Guignol” in which three contrasting one-act plays or operas were presented in sequence. Puccini’s triptych was “Il Tabarro”, “Suor Angelica” and “Gianni Schicchi”, although these days they are rarely performed together as originally intended.

Puccini’s final opera, which was incomplete at his death, was “Turandot” which is often regarded as his greatest masterpiece, despite various problems with its plot. It combines the heroic, the lyrical-sentimental, the comic-grotesque and the exotic. It contains one of the greatest of all tenor arias, namely “Nessun dorma” which was brought to wide public attention in 1990 when Luciano Pavarotti’s recording was used as the theme of the BBC’s World Cup coverage.

Puccini died from cancer of the throat on 29^th November 1924, with the final two scenes sketched but not completed. “Turandot” was performed at La Scala, Milan, on 25^th April 1926 under the baton of Arturo Toscanini, ending at the point where Puccini’s score ended, with Toscanini announcing the fact as he laid down his baton. However, the following evening it was performed in its completed version, the final scenes having been written, based on Puccini’s sketches, by Franco Alfano.

The legacy of Giacomo Puccini is a succession of operas that provide wonderful spectacle and drama as well as music of the highest quality and the opportunities it provides for the world’s greatest opera singers, of all voices, to display their talents to the utmost. Puccini’s works will surely be heard throughout the world for many years to come.

© John Welford

Henri Murger and "La Boheme"

1^st February 1896 saw the first production, in Turin, of Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Bohème”. The opera was an immediate hit and has continued to be so ever since. The story of poverty-struck artists and writers living on their wits in Paris, and the love affair between one of them and a neighbouring seamstress who is dying of consumption, is a real tear-jerker, helped enormously by some of Puccini’s best-loved music.

Puccini got his plot from a play called “La Vie de Bohème” by Henri Murger, who had based the play on his own set of stories entitled “Scènes de la Vie de Bohème”.

Henri Murger (see photo) was born in 1822 and died in 1861 at the age of only 39. He earned a living of sorts from writing poetry but never made any money by so doing – very few poets ever do! However, he was enthralled by the life of 19^th century Paris and appreciated the freedom it offered to writers, artists and musicians to live in unconstrained and unconventional ways, which is what the word “bohemian” means – it was believed at the time that gypsies came from Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) and their independent lifestyle became the inspiration for other like-minded people.

Henri Murger did much better for himself by writing about his fellow bohemians, who rejected bourgeois values and chose artistic freedom even at the price of poverty and poor health. His stories attracted the attention of other writers who were much more talented than he was, hence the later adaptations by Puccini and others, and also brought him fame and fortune towards the end of his short life.

No doubt Henri Murger would have enjoyed seeing “La Bohème” had he lived long enough. The main character Rudolfo, who sings “Your tiny hand is frozen” to Mimi, was based on Murger’s Rudolphe, a poet, who is clearly a self-portrait.

© John Welford