Triumphant Yonghoon Lee's Calaf wins over Turandot and the public (Turandot, ROH, 08.03.2023)

Every time we go to the Royal Opera House, we expect to get "the value for money", which means as good a performance as possible (we take it as a given). Most of the time, we do get "the value for money" - we see a good performance. There are times though, when we see a brilliant performance, when we experience something more than just a "value for money", when everything fits into place and every part of the production is equally good. This production of Turandot is indisputably one of the best productions I've ever seen at the Royal Opera House. I can confidently say that the public, as well as myself, was taken over since the very beginning. The very appropriate and aesthetically pleasing chinese scene, the reassuring sound of the orchestra (under Antonio Pappano's direction) and the delightful singers made our matinée's rehearsal unforgettable.

Andrei Serban’s staging may seem "classic", but there is nothing wrong with classic. It was vibrant, colourful, dynamic and very well directed. All singers, dancers, actors or choir members moved on stage with clear direction and purpose. The music was there to create an atmosphere, to anticipate the moods and to support excellent singers.

I like when singers dominate their roles because I can relax and trust that they will carry me over. Yonghoon Lee's powerful Calaf pinned us all to our chairs from the very beginning. His attack on singing and crystal clear delivery of his arias or duets were of the highest quality (including Nessum Dorma, the aria that has been made so well-known by Luciano Pavarotti). There was no hesitance in Yonghoon Lee's singing nor in his acting, he was just perfect Calaf and what a real privilege to have heard him in this performance. Anna Pirozzi (whom I already saw as Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth, in the ROH production), was also a good Turandot. She does have what it takes to deliver this icy, fearless princess convincingly, with a clear and powerful approach to her debut aria In questa reggia and then again in the three riddles that follow. As well as Calaf, she cannot show any hesitance - musically (because of her powerful arias) and dramatically (because she's a character that everybody's is afraid of). Stage-wise, the role of Turandot is a little bit more static than the others, nevertheless, she stayed engaged and engaing when it was her "turn" to sing or act.

Timur, Calaf's father, was also perfectly assured by Vitalij Kowaljow, one of the leading basses of our time. Very natural on stage, his beautiful deep yet cantabile voice was again first class. Masbane Cecilia Rangwanasha's Liu was really impressive. The former participant of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in 2018/21 Season, has a beautiful, warm and colourful soprano, and she gave all of her warmth and artistry to a sensible and caring Liu.

Equally entertaining and dramatically engaging were the three village men Ping, Pong and Pang, sung by Hansung Yoo, Michael Gibson and Aled Hall respectively. They were actually the motor of the performance, they commented on the story, they advanced the story or they actively participated in the story. They all felt very natural in these roles and their trios were well harmonised.

I wasn't a fan of this opera before, I thought it was a challenging opera to listen to because of its darker music and story (representing the Pincess of Death) and a lot of "fortes or fortissimos" from the choir to celebrate the later victory. However, after this performance, I'll remember this exciting and exhilarating production forever. Turandot opens officially at the Royal Opera House tomorrow, the 10th of March.