'Turandot' at Washington National Opera
Ewa Plonka as Turandot. Photo by Cory Weaver
Washington National Opera's production of 'Turandot', with a new ending by Christopher, was a smash hit. The entire run sold out prior to opening night, with rave reviews and coverage from The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR and the Associated Press.
To learn more about the work, visit the sheet music page.
Photo by Cory Weaver
In addition to the seven performances, Washington National Opera also hosted an event prior to opening night called the 'Christopher Tin Sing In', where the general public was invited to the Kennedy Center to participate in a singalong of Christopher's two themes to Civilization ("Baba Yetu" and "Sogno di Volare"), and then to learn the choral finale from his new Turandot ending. A video of the event, posted below, subsequently went viral on Instagram. (The event featured the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra and soloists Colleen Daly and Carl Tanner.)
REVIEWS
Its sound and attitude, while contemporary, grow organically from Puccini’s original, like a savvy modern addition on a historic building. Mr. Tin launches their confrontation with a fiercely dramatic duet; the sound is edgier than Puccini but still tonal, and Turandot’s initial insistence on power through violence is Wagnerian in scope and accompanied by blaring brass.
The Wall Street Journal
Even without the new ending — and Tin’s splendid musical additions, which draw sensibly from Puccini’s score while applying an entirely new emotional finish — Zambello’s “Turandot” crackles with fresh energy and some truly extraordinary singing.
Washington Post
Tin’s score is exceptional... Tin is a master of musical embroidery and subtle Puccini references abound, connecting the final scene convincingly to what goes before... Christopher Tin should be reflecting on this success. He has established his opera street cred and it’s time for him to commit to a full work. It is talent like his that will lead the next generation into opera houses around the world.
Reaction
[Translated from Italian]: Christopher Tin succeeded in the balancing act between respecting the Puccini of the two previous acts, the Puccini of the incomplete sketches and his own personality as a composer of today... In my opinion, this ending does not look out of place alongside Alfano's (first or second) and could very well enter the repertoire as a variant of the classical standard.
OperaClick
Composer Christopher Tin is a two-time Grammy award winner. Perhaps that gave him the courage to compose new music in juxtaposition to some of Puccini’s greatest when this is his first opera composition... My hearing was that it was a job well done, interesting in orchestration, pleasing to the ear, and working well coupled to the vocals containing the new libretto.
OperaGene
Musically, Tin incorporates the same fragments Puccini left at his death, though often in novel ways—for instance, the tune for “Mio Fiore,” usually Calaf’s insistent love song, becomes a part of Turandot’s memory of her assault. The neo-romantic mode of Tin’s orchestration feels broadly continuous with the main score, though Tin adds some interesting details from traditional Chinese music and instrumentation.
Parterre Box
This new World Premiere also adds the enticing music of composer Christopher Tin to the finale of this production---so we have the ravishingly soaring music of the revered composer Giacomo Puccini as well as the contributions of this refreshing modern composer.
Broadway World
But Tin, who is best known for his film and video game soundtracks, prides himself on making his work accessible. "To me if you've come up with a great melody, boy, you've done 80% of the work, right there," he says. "A great tune lasts forever."
NPR
In 2024, Tin made an impressive debut in the opera world when he was commissioned to compose a new ending for the reimagined production of Giacomo Puccini’s venerable opera Turandot, which premiered at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Fulbright Review
To craft new music for this revised story, Zambello turned to Tin, a Grammy award-winning composer who has written for film, TV and video game soundtracks.
Associated Press
Tin is wise not to mimic the master and he does an interesting job of rearranging motifs and building a new kind of musical finale.
Metro Weekly
Tin’s music is muscular and modern without losing satisfying, even gorgeous melodic lines.
DC Theater Arts
Puccini died just before he could finish writing the opera, so the Washington National Opera enlisted a pair of powerhouses to write the last 10 minutes of the piece: Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin (the video game “Civilization IV”) and acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Susan Soon He Stanton (HBO’s “Succession”).
WTOP
... this reimagining of “Turandot” is a perfect example of opera’s power to cross time and appeal to a modern audience. From its new time period to its complex and riveting tale about nature and the power of love, this production is sure to please everyone from the seasoned opera buff to the first-time viewer.
Maryland Theatre Guide
[Tin's] music convincingly extends Puccini’s idiom to encompass these new dramatic ideas, and draws out shades of meaning that the libretto implies... Zambello and the WNO deserve credit for taking a risk here, and Stanton and Tin deserve kudos for making it pay off.
Washington Classical Review
A triumph for this marvelous cast and creative team.
The Zebra
Yonghoon Lee as Calaf. Photo by Cory Weaver
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Sheet Music
ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTATION: Large Orchestra, Chorus, Soloists. Libretto by Susan Soon He Stanton.
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