Puccini: Turandot – Riccardo Chailly

   in Opera Now (Mar, 2017)
Another soprano encased in her frock is Nina Stemme in the title role of Puccini’s Turandot at La Scala. In this case, her costume is a black carapace, enclosing and shielding her from the world she dominates. Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s production emphasises the mysterious Peking into which Calaf stumbles, the chorus masked, the backdrop austere, no clues available. So the emphasis is on Turandot’s psychology as she interacts with Calaf and Liù, and Stemme makes a great impression as she uses not just her face but her whole body to display her shifting and emotions. Her voice is stentorian, generally thrilling, though the top C doesn’t quite have the laser-like quality one …