One of my Voluntary Oral Presentations

Thomas Daly

Music 109

11/3/03

Introduction

The presentation I am going to give is on Puccini’s opera Turandot. Puccini lived from 1858 to 1924. Turandot was his last opera. I will be talking about how Turandot was a unique opera, and a little about the story behind it.

Transition: Lets start with how Turandot was a unique opera.

Body

I. Turandot was a unique opera because two composers wrote it.

A. Puccini was able to get through writing acts one and two, but after he finished the first scene of act III, he died.

B. Turandot originally ended without the answer to The Unknown Prince’s riddle being answered.

C. A conductor by the name of Toscanini couldn’t accept this, so he hires an Italian composer named Franco Alfano to finish Turandot.

D. Alfano used his own style for scene two of act III, but the results were having Turandot end with The Unknown Princes riddle being answered.

E. Toscanini accepted this, and this is how Turandot was a unique opera.

Transition: Now lets look at the story behind Turandot.

II. In Turandot, Princess Turandot passes a law that in order for a prince to earn her love, he had to solve three riddles.

A. If he was successful, that was the prize.

B. However, if he failed, the executioner men beheaded him.

C. At the opening of this opera, this was a test that no prince has survived.

D. The piece I am going to play is Turandot’s entrance aria, which is known as in questa reggia.

E. In this aria, she is singing about what happened in the palace a thousand years ago.

F. Ladies and gentlemen, here is in questa reggia. (Show slide, play piece.)

Conclusion

Even though Puccini is no longer alive, his music lives on. His music and operas continue to thrill audiences all around the world. No matter what he died of, this is something that can never be taken away. Thank you.

Bibliography

Works Cited

Giacomo Puccini. “Turandot”
EMI Classics. CD-ROM. Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin: 1958
Liceu Barcelona. N/A
<> 3 Nov 2003
Berger William. The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Opera, 2002, New York, New York, The Berkeley Publishing Group, 2002.
Maehder, Jurgen, “Alfano Franco”, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Volume One. New York, NY, Macmillan Press, 1992
Budden, Julian, “Turandot”, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Volume Four. New York, NY, Macmillan Press, 1992