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Laman Ismayilova

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Baku is preparing for a major premiere of a new production of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot.

On October 24, 25 and 27, audiences at the Heydar Aliyev Palace will see the famous opera, which has everything audiences love about grand opera: magnificent music, large-scale choral scenes, passion, drama and one of the most recognizable arias in history, Nessun dorma, according to the press service of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.

The upcoming premiere is set to be one of Baku's major cultural events this autumn. With the support of PASHA Holding, the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is presenting a large-scale international production featuring three casts, invited international performers, leading Azerbaijani soloists, three conductors, a choir and an orchestra. New sets and costumes have been created for the production, giving audiences the opportunity to see a new Turandot created specifically for the Baku stage.

The project is led by the theater's director and People's Artist of Azerbaijan, world-renowned vocalist Yusif Eyvazov. On October 24, he will also appear on stage in his signature role as Prince Calaf.

Each of the three performances of Turandot will have its own character. The casts will change from one evening to the next, along with the performers of the leading roles and the conductors.

The opening performance will bring Azerbaijani and international opera artists together on the same stage. Italian soprano Carmen Giannattasio will make her Baku debut as Turandot, while People's Artist of Azerbaijan Yusif Eyvazov will perform the role of Calaf.

They will be joined by People's Artist of Azerbaijan Akram Poladov, Honored Artists Afag Abbasova, Anton Fershtandt, Tural Agasiyev and Aliahmad Ibrahimov, as well as Fahmin Ahmadli and Orkhan Jalilov. Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi will lead the orchestra.

On October 25, the role of Turandot will be performed by Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Farida Mammadova, while Chilean guest tenor Diego Godoy will take on the role of Calaf.

They will perform alongside Honored Artists Inara Babayeva, Tural Agasiyev and Aliahmad Ibrahimov, as well as Igor Yadrov, Mahir Tagizade, Muhammad Shammadov and Orkhan Jalilov. Honored Artist Eyub Guliyev will conduct the performance.

On October 27, the leading roles will be performed by Honored Artists of Azerbaijan Ilaha Efendiyeva and Farid Aliyev. Fatima Jafarzade, People's Artist Akram Poladov, Honored Artists Anton Fershtandt, Tural Agasiyev and Aliahmad Ibrahimov, as well as Fahmin Ahmadli and Orkhan Jalilov, will also appear on stage. Mustafa Mehmandarov will conduct the performance.

The theater's creative team is responsible for creating the visual world of the new Turandot. The production is directed by Mikail Mikailov, with Mustafa Mustafayev serving as set designer. Honored Cultural Worker Teheran Babayev is the production artist, while Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Sevil Hajiyeva serves as chorus master.

Turandot has a special place in Baku's musical history. Puccini's opera was first presented to Baku audiences in 1928, just two years after its world premiere at Milan's La Scala. That production went down in history as the first staging of Turandot in the Soviet Union.

Nearly a century has passed since then. Eras, theatrical traditions, generations of performers and audiences have changed, but Puccini's music continues to live on at the world's leading opera houses. Today, the theater is returning to Turandot with a new stage interpretation created for Baku audiences.

There is a particular historical connection in this return. Baku was among the first cities in the Soviet Union to present Puccini's then-new opera to its audiences. Today, the city is welcoming the masterpiece once again, this time in a 21st-century production.

The three evenings at the Heydar Aliyev Palace will offer audiences three different interpretations of Turandot. International guests and leading Azerbaijani opera artists, different casts and conductors will make the upcoming premiere an event that goes far beyond a regular theater production.

On October 24, 25 and 27, Turandot will once again resound in Baku. Each of the three evenings will feature its own Turandot, its own Calaf and its own story on the stage of the Heydar Aliyev Palace.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.