Turandot

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The Greek National Opera presents the masterful opera Turandot at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Giacomo Puccini’s swan song, nearly a century after its creation, opens this year’s programme at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, in a new majestic production on 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8 June 2025, conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi, directed by Andrei Şerban, with sets and costumes designed by Chloe Obolensky, and featuring a world-class cast.

Turandot, Giacomo Puccini’s last opera, is the most majestic of them all. The score combines the light elements of commedia dell’arte with the profound lyricism that characterises all of Puccini’s operas, along with a sense of grandeur that reflects a fantastical version of imperial China. Recognising the changes that occurred in the early 20th-century musical landscape, the composer chose to differentiate his writing by following new musical paths. Therefore, despite the fact that this work is undoubtedly rooted in the 19th century, its innovative musical language places it among the finest masterpieces of the 20th century.

With a rare sense of theatrical timing and a tightly-woven plot derived from Carlo Gozzi’s play, Puccini balances the heroic and the sentimental elements, alongside the grotesque, with wondrous mastery. Through sharp-edged and abrupt musical shifts and contrasts, he emphasises the intensity and violence of the overarching theme he explores. Much like in Madama Butterfly, to create the exotic atmosphere dictated by the opera’s theme, the composer draws inspiration from a Chinese music box and traditional Chinese melodies, adding extra expressive power to the music.

The opera’s plot is set in another time, in the distant and exotic China, where Princess Turandot will only marry the man who can solve her three riddles. All those who have tried, have failed and paid the price with their lives. Stunned by her amazing beauty, an unknown prince insists on trying his luck, and he is indeed successful. However, after he solves the riddles, Turandot refuses to marry him. The prince offers her a chance to release herself from her commitment if she can guess his name before the break of dawn.

The opera’s composition was never finished, as Puccini passed away in 1924, at the age of 65. In his last, farewell meeting with Arturo Toscanini, the maestro and artistic director of La Scala in Milan at the time, the composer predicted that “my opera will be presented unfinished; someone will take the stage and say to the audience: ‘At this point, the composer died’.” The work was finally completed, according to Puccini’s drafts, by composer Franco Alfano in 1926, under the supervision of Toscanini, who had heralded the premiere at La Scala as the “event of the century”. The world premiere took place at La Scala in Milan on 25 April 1926, achieving tremendous success. On that evening, at the point where Puccini’s composition ended, maestro Arturo Toscanini told the audience: “Here the opera ends, because at this point the maestro died. In this case, death was stronger than art.” Since then, Turandot has been presented in this hybrid version. In 2001, composer Luciano Berio proposed a second finale for Turandot, thus reopening the dialogue on Puccini’s unfinished masterpiece.

For the new production of Turandot –17 years after its last presentation in Greece–, the Greek National Opera collaborates with high-profile and world-acclaimed artists.

The production is directed by one of the world’s most prominent theatre and opera directors, Andrei Şerban, who has won international acclaim for his groundbreaking and iconoclastic stagings. Şerban is hailed as one of the most creative and daring opera and theatre directors worldwide. Following his initial productions in Romania and his work as an assistant to the legendary English director Peter Brook, he gained international recognition for his tour of a Greek trilogy, which included Electra, Medea, and The Trojan Women, all performed in ancient Greek by the New York theatre company La Mama. He served as the Head of the Theatre Department at Columbia University’s postgraduate programme and as the first General Director of the Romanian National Theatre in Bucharest after the revolution. His landmark production of Turandot, created for the Royal Opera House in London in 1984, continues to be performed at Covent Garden to this day, celebrating more than four decades of presence. He has successfully collaborated with prestigious opera houses across the globe on productions that have become cornerstones of their repertoire, including his Lucia di Lammermoor in Paris and his Werther in Vienna.

The sets and costumes for the production were designed by the internationally acclaimed Greek set and costume designer Chloe Obolensky, marking her first collaboration with the GNO. Obolensky has made her mark on iconic opera, theatre, and film productions through her work with esteemed directors such as Peter Brook, Franco Zeffirelli, Deborah Warner, Fiona Shaw, Abbas Kiarostami, and Lefteris Vogiatzis, among others. After completing her studies in London and Paris, she took her first professional steps as an assistant to Lila De Nobili and Yannis Tsarouchis. Her career flourished primarily abroad, at famous theatres and festivals, ranging from the Salzburg Festival and the Paris Opera to the New York Metropolitan Opera, La Scala in Milan, and the English National Opera. Her twenty-five-year-long collaboration with Peter Brook was highlighted by historic productions such as The Cherry Orchard, Carmen, and, of course, the legendary Mahabharata.

To tell Turandot’s fascinating story, Chloe Obolensky and Andrei Şerban, along with their creative team, have crafted a new stage arrangement at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, aiming to explore the shared elements between the ancient civilisations of China and Greece through the sets, costumes, direction, and movement. The natural setting of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is reimagined to host the mythical world of imperial China, featuring dozens of striking costumes and handcrafted masks, while avoiding stereotypical cultural ornamentation. As Chloe Obolensky notes: “Wanting to avoid the depiction of yet another gilded 'Chinese' palace, I opted to recreate the memory of a landscape outside the gate of an ancient city.” A new immersive viewing and listening experience at the emblematic space of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, where even the conventional relationship between spectacle and spectators is transformed into a new, profoundly intimate, and fascinating experience.

Daniela Violeta Dima is responsible for the dramaturgy, while Kate Flatt with Georgia Tegou handled the choreography and movement. Jean Kalman and Simon Trottet designed the lighting.

The production will be led by the internationally acclaimed Italian conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi, who returns to the Greek National Opera after his triumphant conducting of La traviata at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in the summer of 2024. Morandi has excelled in the Italian repertoire with hundreds of performances at some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and festivals, including the Rome Opera House, La Scala in Milan, Opéra national de Paris, La Monnaie in Brussels, the New York Metropolitan Opera, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and the Vienna State Opera, among others.

The audience will have the opportunity to enjoy world-class opera singers in both casts.

The title role of Turandot will be shared by two acclaimed dramatic sopranos of our time, both hailed as ideal performers of this role: the American soprano Lise Lindstrom and the British soprano Catherine Foster.

Internationally acclaimed soprano Lise Lindstrom, one of the most sought-after artists of her generation, returns to the GNO nearly 15 years after her iconic performance in Wagner’s Tannhäuser. With her unique vocal power and unparalleled stage presence, as well as her wide repertoire that ranges from Turandot to Seda, Elektra, and Brünnhilde, Lindstrom has conquered the world’s most prestigious venues, such as the New York Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Royal Opera House in London (Covent Garden), La Scala in Milan, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, and Arena di Verona, among others. In 2016, she was awarded for her performance as Brünnhilde in her first full Ring Cycle for Opera Australia.

The renowned dramatic soprano Catherine Foster returns to Athens one year after her exceptionally successful debut at the Greek National Opera, during the 2023/24 season in the Callas Gala and Die Walküre. She has performed with enormous success as Turandot at some of the world’s greatest opera houses. In this role, she also debuted at Covent Garden in Andrei Şerban’s historic production in 2023. Globally recognised as one of our time’s best performers of Brünnhilde, she excels in dramatic roles such as Elektra, Turandot, and Isolde, distinguishing herself at leading opera houses in various cities across the globe, including Barcelona, Madrid, Bologna, Amsterdam, Washington, and Budapest, to name but a few. She has been regarded as one of the most prominent leading singers at the Bayreuth Festival over the past decade.

Calaf will be portrayed by two celebrated tenors,  Brian Jagde and Riccardo Massi.

Brian Jagde, with “his enormous, vibrant voice capped by exciting top notes” (The New York Times), is globally hailed as one of the top tenors of our time. His exceptional vocal performance and captivating stage presence in well-known tenor roles in works by Verdi (Aida, La forza del destino), Puccini (Tosca, Madama Butterfly), and Bizet (Carmen) have brought him to the world’s leading opera houses and festivals, including the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, Arena di Verona, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and other venues in cities such as Paris, Milan, London, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, among others. In his first appearance with the Greek National Opera, he will perform as Calaf in Giacomo Puccini’s long-awaited Turandot, a role he has performed to rave reviews at La Scala in Milan and at other venues in cities including San Francisco, Paris, Rome, and Munich, as well as at the Royal Opera House in London in the revival of Andrei Șerban’s landmark production.

In the role of Calaf, we will also have the chance to enjoy the internationally acclaimed Italian tenor Riccardo Massi, known to the Greek audience for his tremendously successful performance in Tosca at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in 2024. A performer of the lyric-dramatic repertoire, he has received rave reviews for his portrayals of roles from works by Puccini and Verdi. He has appeared at leading opera houses such as the Royal Opera House in London, the Berlin State Opera, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Rome Opera, the Zurich and Oslo Opera Houses, the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Teatro Regio di Torino, and more. He has also successfully performed the role of Calaf at the New York Metropolitan Opera in Franco Zeffirelli’s landmark production.

The role of Liù will be portrayed by the renowned soprano from the GNO, Cellia Costea, and the remarkable emerging soprano, Maria Kosovitsa.

Cellia Costea, the Greek audience’s favourite who has carved out an international career performing numerous leading roles, will portray Liù for the first time at the Greek National Opera. An intriguing detail is that her first performance of this particular role was also in a production directed by Andrei Şerban, although that time it was for the Royal Opera House in London. In the second cast, the audience will have the chance to discover the amazing emerging Greek soprano, Maria Kosovitsa, who will make her role debut as Liù. In 2024, she was selected to participate in the Accademia Verdiana programme at the Teatro Regio di Parma, and in that same year, she also won second prize at the international opera competition “Voci Verdiane”.

The role of Timur will be taken on by the distinguished bass from the GNO, Tassos Apostolou, who has performed internationally at prestigious venues including the UN and Lincoln Center in New York, as well as in Italy, Germany, Qatar, Switzerland, Boston, Egypt, Cyprus, etc.

Alongside them performing will be Haris Andrianos, Yannis Kalyvas, Andreas Karaoulis, Georgios Papadimitriou, and Nicholas Stefanou.

Featuring the Orchestra, Chorus, and Children’s Chorus of the Greek National Opera.