Turandot

The story of Turandot is a musically shimmering, dramatic tale about the fate of a princess in ancient China. Puccini’s romantic tonal language, with one of the world’s most beloved arias, »Nessun dorma«, is a moving story from beginning to end. At the premiere in 2013, Svenska Dagbladet wrote about an excellent performance, »an interpretation which unites humanity and energy in a way that makes the audience gasp«. The first performance of the revival is on 25 April, 2026 – exactly 100 years after the world premiere of the original production of Turandot at La Scala in Milan, 25 April, 1926!

Turandot Turns 100!

On 25 April 1926, Turandot had its world premiere at the legendary La Scala opera house in Milan. Rosa Raisa sang the title role, conducted by the world‑famous Arturo Toscanini. Exactly one hundred years later, on the very same date – 25 April 2026 – The Royal Swedish Opera revives its latest production of Turandot.

At the original premiere in 1926, Maestro Toscanini chose, out of reverence, to end the performance after Liù’s death in Act III, since Puccini himself had not had time to compose the opera’s ending. Turandot was left unfinished when Puccini died of cancer in 1924, at the age of just 65. The ending was later completed by the composer Franco Alfano, based on Puccini’s sketches, and it is this version that has become the standard. It was performed at La Scala already the day after the premiere, and it is this version that we perform at The Royal Swedish Opera.

Turandot is widely regarded as the last great classically romantic opera in the standard repertoire that dominates opera houses around the world. While later operas have certainly achieved success, acclaim and longevity, none has had the same profound impact as Puccini’s work – combining instantly memorable vocal melodies, breathtaking visual grandeur and emotionally gripping drama.

That Turandot possesses an appeal reaching far beyond the opera house was demonstrated when the supergroup The Three Tenors, led by Luciano Pavarotti, scored a chart hit with the aria “Nessun dorma” during the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Pavarotti’s single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart that year, and the three tenors performed it again at the World Cup finals in 1994, 1998 and 2002. The aria has also been recorded by pop artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. What other operatic aria has achieved such widespread success so long after the opera was written?

With “Nessun dorma”, Turandot and Puccini have taken deep root in popular culture. And its triumphal journey began on 25 April 1926.