Turandot - Puccini's Final Papers

Turandot: Puccini's Original Ending to Premiere in Florence on July 18

On July 18, Florence's Teatro della Pergola will host the world premiere of Turandot featuring the ending originally envisioned by Giacomo Puccini. Instead of the well-known finale completed by Franco Alfano after the composer's death, the production will present a reconstruction by American musicologist Deborah Burton, based on Puccini's autograph sketches for the final duet and the opera's closing scene.

The production is based on the last pages of Turandot that Puccini took with him on his final journey from Viareggio to Brussels, where he died in 1924 before completing the opera.

Deborah Burton's reconstruction aims to restore the ending Puccini intended, following the composer's surviving notes and sketches to bring his final dramatic and musical vision to the stage.

The production is directed by Mauro Pardini, historian and author, who was selected by Boston University for the project. He is joined by Roberta Ceccotti as collaborating director, while Sandro Gori serves as production director.

The staging also draws on the notes Puccini left for Giovacchino Forzano, in which he outlined several key elements of the production. Conductor Pietro Mazzetti will lead a full orchestra of more than seventy musicians, matching the orchestral forces originally envisioned by Puccini.