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Post war recordings are less than 2 hours apart from von Karajan's 1988 effort (2h 11m)
'''Turandot''' is a three-act Italian opera by Giacomo Puccini based on a fairy tale of romance and knowledge. Puccini died in 1924 before completing the third act and Franco Alfano finished the work. It is a deeply psychological work. It typically takes two or three hours to perform.
'''Turandot''' is a three-act Italian opera by Giacomo Puccini based on a fairy tale of romance and knowledge. Puccini died in 1924 before completing the third act and Franco Alfano finished the work. It is a deeply psychological work. It typically takes a little under two hours to perform.
==Plot==
==Plot==
The opera opens at sunset outside the Forbidden City in Peking. There is a crowd. A mandarin describes the law. He declared that the Prince of Persia attempted the challenge and failed. The Prince of Persia will be executed that night at the rise of the Moon. The crowd goes wild with blood-lust.
The opera opens at sunset outside the Forbidden City in Peking. There is a crowd. A mandarin describes the law. He declared that the Prince of Persia attempted the challenge and failed. The Prince of Persia will be executed that night at the rise of the Moon. The crowd goes wild with blood-lust.
The blind, deposed King of Tartary, Timur falls in the rush. His loyal slave-girl, Lui, cries out for help. At that moment, Timur's long-lost son, Calaf (described in the libretto as the Unknown Prince) appears. Father and son recognize each other and have an moment of emotional reunion. Calaf asks Lui why she stays loyal to Timur. Lui explains that it is because Calaf once smiled at her in their palace in Tartary (and she fell in love with him).
The blind, deposed King of Tartary, Timur falls in the rush. His loyal slave-girl, Lui, cries out for help. At that moment, Timur's long-lost son, Calaf (described in the libretto as the Unknown Prince) appears. Father and son recognize each other and have a moment of emotional reunion. Calaf asks Lui why she stays loyal to Timur. Lui explains that it is because Calaf once smiled at her in their palace in Tartary (and she fell in love with him).
The executioner's men and the crowd eagerly anticipate the execution. The crowd await the appearance of the Moon, describing it as if it were a bloodless severed head. The Moon appears and the crowd called out for the executioner, Pu-Tin-Pao.
The executioner's men and the crowd eagerly anticipate the execution. The crowd await the appearance of the Moon, describing it as if it were a bloodless severed head. The Moon appears and the crowd called out for the executioner, Pu-Tin-Pao.