Met Opera "Tulandot" & Caribana festival.

7월30일 토요일

오늘은 내남자가 시네플렉스 영화관에서 12시에 시작하는 오페라 Tulandot 재상영이 있어서, 그걸 보러가야한다. 그런데 캐리비안 축제인 캐리바나가 오늘 스트릿 퍼레이드가 있다고 해서 온라인에서 스케줄을 확인해보니 아침8시부터시작해서 아침10시에 퍼레이드를 시작한다고... 그래서 아침을 먹고 9시반경에 온타리오 플레이스에서 자리잡고 기다렸는데...젠장 11시가 되어서 퍼레이드를 시작할 기미가 보이지 않는다. 씨엔이 장소에서는 참가자와 주관하는 사람들끼리 음악틀어놓고 열나게 놀고 있는건지....

그래서 우리는 오페라를 보러 극장으로 이동했다. 그런데 11시가 넘었는데도 그때에 출발지로 가는 참가자들이 보이고.....캐리비안들의 문화인듯싶다. 날씨가 더운나라라서 정해진 스케줄에 신경않쓰는 문화........내년에는 12시정도에 나타나면 될듯싶다.

 

12시에 시작하는 오페라  Tulandot 을 영화관에서 본다. 이번에 남자 주인공이 한국인 성악가 이 영훈씨라고 소개되어있다. 

이 오페라의 하이라이트곡은 "Nussun Dorma" 인데, 새벽에 될떄까지 공주가 왕자가 되려는 사람의 이름을 알아내려고 하는 와중에 

왕자가 되려고 지원한 칼라가 나는 승리할것이다 라고 노래하는 내용이다. 

여주인공이 우크라이나 성각가이다.

 

ACT I

Peking, in the mythic past. Outside the Imperial Palace, a mandarin reads an edict to the crowd: Any prince seeking to marry Princess Turandot must answer three riddles. If he fails, he will die. The most recent suitor, the Prince of Persia, is to be executed at the moon’s rising. Among the onlookers are the slave girl Liù, her aged master, and the young Calàf, who recognizes the old man as his long-lost father, Timur, vanquished King of Tartary. Only Liù has remained faithful to him, and when Calàf asks her why, she replies that once, long ago, Calàf smiled at her. The mob cries for blood but greets the rising moon with a sudden fearful silence. As the Prince of Persia goes to his death, the crowd calls upon the princess to spare him. Turandot appears in her palace and wordlessly orders the execution to proceed. Transfixed by the beauty of the unattainable princess, Calàf decides to win her, to the horror of Liù and Timur. The three ministers of state, Ping, Pang, and Pong, appear and also try to discourage him, but Calàf is unmoved. He reassures Liù, then strikes the gong that announces a new suitor. 

ACT II

Within their private apartments, Ping, Pang, and Pong lament Turandot’s bloody reign, hoping that love will conquer her and restore peace. Their thoughts wander to their peaceful country homes, but the noise of the crowd gathering to witness the riddle challenge calls them back to reality.

In the royal throne room, the old emperor asks Calàf to reconsider, but the young man will not be dissuaded. Turandot arrives. She recounts the story of her beautiful ancestor, Princess Lou-Ling, who was abducted and killed by a conquering prince. In revenge, Turandot has turned against men and determined that none shall ever possess her. Trumpets then herald the beginning of the riddles. Turandot poses her first question to Calàf: What is born each night and dies each dawn? “Hope,” Calàf answers correctly. Turandot continues: What flickers red and warm like a flame, yet is not a flame? “Blood,” Calàf replies after a moment’s thought. Shaken, Turandot delivers the third riddle: What is like ice but burns, and if it accepts you as a slave, makes you a king? Tense silence prevails until Calàf triumphantly cries “Turandot!” The crowd erupts in joy, and the princess vainly begs her father not to give her to the stranger. Hoping to win her love, Calàf offers Turandot a challenge of his own: If she can learn his name by dawn, he will forfeit his life.

ACT III

At night in the Imperial Gardens, Calàf hears a proclamation: On pain of death, no one in Peking shall sleep until Turandot learns the stranger’s name. Calàf is certain of his victory, but Ping, Pang, and Pong try to bribe him to leave the city. As the fearful mob threatens him to learn his name, soldiers drag in Liù and Timur. Calàf tries to convince the crowd that neither of them knows his secret. When Turandot appears, commanding Timur to speak, Liù replies that she alone knows the stranger’s identity and will never reveal it. Soldiers torture her, but she remains silent. Impressed by her fortitude, Turandot asks what gives Liù the strength to resist. It is love, she replies. When the torture intensifies, Liù tells Turandot that she, too, will know the joys of love. Then she snatches a dagger and kills herself. The crowd forms a funeral procession, and Timur follows as they take away her body. Turandot remains alone to confront Calàf, who impetuously kisses her. Knowing emotion for the first time, Turandot weeps. Calàf, now sure of winning her, reveals his identity.

Once again before the emperor’s throne, Turandot declares she knows the stranger’s name: It is Love.