Gli enigmi sono tre...

Three riddles and three finales!
Until today we knew

a) the Alfano finale (with or without cuts)

b) the Berio finale

Now it seems that we 'll have to deal with a new finale for Puccini's adored masterpiece, Turandot!

Hao Weyia, a chinese composer, has written a new 18 minutes long finale, for the new production of Turandot that is gonna take place at the National Center for Performing Arts (or National Grand Theatre as stated elsewhere).

" In Hao's new version, the melody of the Original Remix appears at the climax of Turandot to show the change of Turandot's nature, while it comes at the beginning in Puccini's unfinished composition, according to the Chinese composer."

The theatrical release of Turandot with the Chinese ending will add two new characters, Loulin Princess (SIC!) and Yuren, the former presenting Avenger while the latter will be China's Angel.
Director Chen Xinyi said that the two contrasting roles combined the spiritual core of Turandot. "We will let dancers act the roles with the purpose of making the heart of the heroine better understood by the audience."

The two roles would also better express the two themes of the opera, love and heroism, which Chen said he wanted to highlight.

I suppose that Loulin Princess is "principessa Lou-Ling"

"I believe the new version of Turandot will tell people the fact that Chinese musicians are gaining a more prominent place in the world." said Chen Zuohuang, artistic director of the NCPA.

That's gonna be the set of the new Turandot production


NGT is a new signature building for Beijing that cost 3 billion yuan (about 410 million U.S. dollars) for the main structure alone. The total cost is believed to be almost double. It stands next to the prestigious Great Hall of the People, the venue for national conferences.

Here 're some pretty impressive pics from the new National Grand Theater





So, who's in for a trip to Beijing??