World Premiere of Derrick Wang’s new completion of ‘Turandot’, May 17–19, 2024
On May 17 & 19, 2024, Derrick Wang’s new completion of Turandot (the unfinished final opera by Giacomo Puccini) will receive its world premiere by OperaDelaware.
Today, Turandot is perhaps best known as the source of the hit song/aria “Nessun Dorma,” made famous by Luciano Pavarotti and Aretha Franklin.
Famously left incomplete upon the death of Puccini in 1924, Turandot has traditionally been performed with an ending written by Franco Alfano in 1926. Building on that ending, OperaDelaware’s production features the world premiere of a new completion with music by Derrick Wang.
“Turandot is one of the most magnificent works that Puccini penned. The ending that we have accepted as standard practice for many years is a bit of a let-down,” said Brendan Cooke, OperaDelaware’s General Director. “As we approach the 100th anniversary of the premiere of this towering work, it just feels like the right time to revisit this ending with a fresh perspective. Choosing a composer to take on this task was an easy decision for us — after the smashing success of his opera Scalia/Ginsburg…we knew that composer Derrick Wang would be a perfect fit.”
“When OperaDelaware invited me to create a revised ending to Turandot — one that would newly connect the heart of Puccini’s original sketches to the excitement of Alfano’s finale — I was intrigued,” said composer Derrick Wang. “To explore Puccini’s potent musical ideas, to uncover the connections between them, and to shed new light on the original text: for a musical dramatist and forensic musicologist, what better challenge could there be? By developing a character-driven musical narrative open to multiple interpretations, I hope to unlock new possibilities for the future of this thought-provoking classic.”
Two performances of Turandot will be given at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware, as follows:
Friday, May 17, 2024 | 7:30pm ET
Sunday, May 19, 2024 | 2:00pm ET
For tickets and more information, please see the following:
Tickets to Turandot in Wilmington, DE
Show info for Turandot in Wilmington, DE
Press release from OperaDelaware about Turandot in Wilmington, DE
