2013-14 Palace Opera/Ballet Launch: Puccini's Turandot
'Turandot' is the beginning of an exciting program in corporation with the Royal Opera House, and Palace Cinemas. I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to attend the advanced screening of this amazing production, as a part of the 2013-14 Palace Opera/Ballet Season Launch.
Essentially, the opera, or ballet is filmed live a few days beforehand and is then broadcast in 800 cinemas around the world; For me, that was a standout feature. I think the special integration of opera and theatre arts into cinema is really pleasant made only more great because, generally, people in our parts of the world do not get the opportunity to see such grand productions.
The Royal Opera House’s cinema season most definitely had a dramatic start. Puccini’s Turandot is a tale of disguised identities, riddles, ritual executions, and triumphant love. Andrei Serban produced this dark oriental tale to perfection. The costumes, set design and masks were something else. Multiple times I found myself completely overwhelmed with aural as well as visual stimulation. This particular opera was quite interesting because it was an amalgamation of east meets west. Eastern Asian history, culture and development told in the beautiful Italian language.
Personally, i am not usually a big fan of opera productions, but having a close friend studying the art of the performance, the opera put a lot of things into perspective and gave me a wider appreciation. The symbol of the voice was certainly the centrepiece. In productions where there is singing, dancing and acting, generally it’s the visual aspect that make it worthwhile. Watching Turandot at Cinema Paradiso compelled me to shut my eyes at times to take in the amazing sounds and soundtrack. When I opened them I was similarly amazed by the choreography, stage props and costumes. I urge anyone to go and see a production at Palace. There are some truly spectacular ballet shows on the horizon.
