There have been some great recordings of Turandot in the past, but this one does not pale in the face of the competition, reads the final sentence of the Financial Times review. The latest studio recording of Turandot, Puccini's spectacular last opera, marks a number of important firsts: Antonio Pappano had never conducted the work before the March 2022 recording sessions in Rome, and neither Sondra Radvanovsky nor Jonas Kaufmann as Calaf had sung their parts on stage before. This is also the first recording of Turandot to include the entire final scene, completed by Franco Alfano after Puccini's death in 1925. Radvanovsky and Kaufmann are joined by Ermonela Jaho (Liù), Michele Pertusi (Timur), Michael Spyres (Altoum), and the chorus & orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The success of the entire project was confirmed by a concert performance that took place a few days after the recording was completed and received a standing ovation. The recording was recently released by Warner Classics. For the making-of video click here.

The performance of Verdi's Aida with Anna Netrebko, Elina Garanca, Jonas Kaufmann and Luca Salsi will be broadcast on Jan. 29, unfortunately in Austria only: starting at 20:15 on ORF III in the series Erlebnis Bühne. Afterwards the recording will be available for seven days on ORF's TVThek. A version with international reach is to follow soon on the website of the Vienna State Opera.