Marco Arturo Marelli’s Vienna concept (he too is responsible for the current Turandot production at the Bregenz Festival) is set in Puccini’s study at his Torre del Lago home with a tinkling piano testing one of the opera’s melodies, before the first true chords of the opera rise from the pit.

It was in this house that the tragic case unravelled in which a 16-year-old maid who tended the composer following an automobile accident, eventually committed suicide - having being denounced as a whore by Puccini’s wife, Elvira. Puccini, infamous for his flirtations and affairs, later became entangled with the soprano Rose Ader - who would in fact become the final focus of the composer’s affection before his demise. Ader is considered to be something of a template upon whom the character of Turandot’s Liu is based. 

Following the Puccinian pattern linking love with death (and often sacrifice on the part of the female heroine), Marelli interweaves the aforementioned threads into his presentation - placing the chorus in 1920’s period evening dress as observers and commentators (eventually including nuptial accessories for the happy ending) and with Calaf actually embodying the composer who enters the action through his manuscript, in a play within a play.

The chorus (well individualized in character and reaction) is slickly brought in and out on sliding rows of stacked seats while a touch of Commedia dell’arte features at times (Josef Burbely as the White Clown), with Ping, Pang and Pong (Gabriel Bermúdez, Carlos Osuna, Norbert Ernst), bitingly-accurate in rendition (though somewhat awkwardly over-choreographed at times) and interestingly sinister (on occasion with the ghosts of headless princes haunting the rooms), while taking stock in their shelved gallery of pickled Princes’ heads.

Lise Lindstrom has made the role something of her own in our day, and guaranteed for many thrilling moments on this evening with a stentorian top range that only very occasionally hints at distress. She shaped her big scenes intelligently, making up for any minor deficiencies in her mid range volume.

This Princess (with endlessly-long strawberry blond ringlets, incidentally) reveals a human touch from the beginning when kissing the Prince of Persia’s brow as he leaves for execution, and singing "In questa reggia" with an intimately personal note to the enshrined figure of Lou-Ling - thus somewhat weakening any customary tension as to the potential consequences when Calaf reveals his name. Instead, she threatens suicide after the riddles are solved with a dagger eventually used by Liu to take her own life.

As the romantic hero, Yusif Eyvazov impressed with a gleaming (if rather unindividual) timbre, much imaginative phrasing, and comfortable endurance to stay the evening. This character, however, rather failed to cross the footlights and captivate - with stage deportment a touch wooden and an irritating tendency to drag in tempo in his big numbers (occasionally falling foul of the maestro’s baton). In his State Opera debut role, Eyvazov certainly earned his success - but unfortunately over-milked the reception at the final curtain, finally falling to his knees for a booster round of applause!

Anita Hartig scored the real triumph of the evening (artistically and with the audience) with her endearing stage presence, and pure soaring soprano. Her overloaded gesticulation with every phrase (perhaps demanded by the director) was distracting rather than enhancing- but nevertheless, this was an enchanting performance of fine calibre.

If vocally solid, Dan Paul Dumitrescu’s Timur somehow didn’t manage to pull the heartstrings, and as such left one feeling somewhat shortchanged. Veteran tenor, Heinz Zednik produced a multi-facetted - and touching - cameo as Altoum, while Paolo Rumetz left his mark as an imposing Mandarin.

When Toscanini conducted the world premiere of Turandot at La Scala, he chose to cut some 100 bars from the finale which Franco Alfano had produced in completing the opera after Puccini’s untimely death. Alfano’s uncut version was chosen here, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting from memory. Rather like Calaf's challenge early in the opera’s plot, the conductor appears yet to have entirely won over the Vienna Opera Orchestra. The rendition somewhat lacked malleability and detail, with the pit unnecessarily drowning Lindstrom and Eyvazov on occasions - and overall, regrettably, just missed the mark and the score’s true potential.

Nevertheless, an interesting evening - and one well received by the house.