an
INTRODUCTION - continued
Maestro
Zubin Mehta and Zhang Yimou - who, with three Oscar Nominations is China's
most internationally acclaimed director - joined
forces in this staging of Puccini's opera Turandot.
The production is by the 
Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino Theater of Florence, Italy.
In
a career covering almost forty years, 
Maestro
Mehta has worked with the world's finest orchestras and opera houses,
and has repeatedly been attracted to exceptional venues for productions-such
as Fidelio at the Amphitheater at Caesarea in Israel and Tosca at the
Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome.
One of his most spectacular ambition became reality in 1998: Turandot in the Forbidden City of Beijing. Over 1000 participants - 350 alone from Florence - were involved in this production.
The
staging was the undertaking of the best-known Chinese film director,
Zhang
Yimou, who was nominated for no less than three Oscars for his work
in 'Ju Dou', 'Raise the Red Lantern' and 'Shanghai Serenad'e. He sees
himself less as an interpreter of Puccini's intentions but rather as
responsible for depicting the emotional language and antique traditions
of his native country. Yimou also places great emphasis on the authenticity
and artistic handicraft employed in the production of costumes and decor-of
the connection between power and splendor.
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 Maggio Musicale |
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