The Des Moines Metro Opera opens Iowa Public Radio’s 2018 Arias in April with performances from their 45th Festival Season. IPR’s first DMMO broadcast features Puccini’s Turandot on Saturday, April 7th at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 8th at 11:00 p.m.
Puccini’s final opera is an epic fairy tale set in a China of legend where the beautiful Princess Turandot reigns with an iron fist and an icy heart. In order to win her hand, each suitor must answer three riddles. Those who fail will face beheading as a warning to all. When a mysterious suitor emerges victorious, Turandot finds herself confounded by the most profound riddle of them all—love. One of the grandest operas ever created will feature the return of dramatic soprano Alexandra LoBianco as Turandot and tenor Jonathan Burton as the Calaf. The DMMO’s Music Director and principal conductor, David Neely, filled the role of Turandot’s Music Director, and Stephanie Sundine served as Stage Director.
