[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/operapaskaret.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/\u00a9andreas-hylthen-Fotograf-AB-6646-scaled.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” title_text=”\u00a9andreas hylthen Fotograf AB-6646″ hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Every summer, Opera p\u00e5 Sk\u00e4ret attracts both new and returning stars to its productions. One of these is the conductor Lorenzo Coladonato, who this summer will lead his fourth production. Previously, he conducted\u00a0The Magic Flute<\/em>\u00a0(2019),\u00a0Un Ballo in Maschera<\/em>\u00a0(2022), and\u00a0Rigoletto<\/em>\u00a0(2023).<\/p>\n But what makes him return time and again to Opera p\u00e5 Sk\u00e4ret? And what are his thoughts on Puccini and the music in\u00a0Turandot<\/em>?<\/p>\n This will be your fourth opera production at Opera p\u00e5 Sk\u00e4ret as conductor. What do you appreciate the most about Opera p\u00e5 Sk\u00e4ret? Have you conducted Turandot<\/em> before? What stands out to you about the music in Turandot? Puccini was an avid reader and a man of culture, something that is not widely known. He kept himself well informed of what was going on in the musical world around him. In April 1924, for example, he attended the first Italian performance of the controversial Schoenberg\u2019s Pierrot Lunaire in Florence. While the performance was met with boos and whistles, Puccini listened attentively and followed the performance with Schoenberg’s score in his hands, in the effort to find new elements to incorporate into\u00a0Turandot. An example of this can be heard at the beginning of Turandot <\/em>where two different keys are used simultaneously. Modern elements like these recur throughout the opera, especially in Turandot\u2019s and the choir\u2019s performances.<\/p>\n Turandot<\/em><\/strong> is set in mythical and fantastical Peking (now Beijing) in China. How is that reflected in the music? Despite all these new elements, how can one recognize it as a Puccini opera? What are the biggest challenges, in your opinion, with conducting Turandot<\/em>? [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every summer, Opera p\u00e5 Sk\u00e4ret attracts both new and returning stars to its productions. One of these is the conductor Lorenzo Coladonato, who this summer will lead his fourth production. Previously, he conducted\u00a0The Magic Flute\u00a0(2019),\u00a0Un Ballo in Maschera\u00a0(2022), and\u00a0Rigoletto\u00a0(2023). But what makes him return time and again to Opera p\u00e5 Sk\u00e4ret? And what are his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>\u2013 There\u2019s so much I appreciate! The atmosphere is one thing. By now, I also know the production team I work with, the orchestra, and the choir and their dedication. Sk\u00e4ret and Kopparberg are an oasis for me. It\u2019s nice to be away from the cities where opera houses are usually located. Here, there are no distractions. All of us involved in the production live and work together for a couple of months. It\u2019s very special and a privilege to work together in such a focused way for an unusually long time, by opera standards. Here, it\u2019s all about music and nature!<\/p>\n
<\/strong>\u2013 Yes, at the Bregenz Festival in 2015. I\u2019m really looking forward to doing it again. I never really losetouch with operas I\u2019ve conducted before. The relationship with the work continues to live within me; it becomes like a friend. Even if I don\u2019t conduct or listen to it, I can \u201chear\u201d it in my mind. That\u2019s an important mental aspect.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>\u2013 There are so many aspects. Throughout his career, Puccini tried to find new ways to approach opera. For example, Turandot\u2019s character is very different from how women were usually portrayed \u2013 and still are today. For the first time, Puccini painted a cruel, ruthless female character, quite different from the typical heroines of his earlier operas. Meanwhile, the plot of the libretto inspired him to find new elements in his musical language and gave him the opportunity to enrich his style.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>\u2013 Puccini was fascinated by other cultures, including the Orient. For instance, in Turandot<\/em> you can hear a traditional Chinese song called Mo Li Hua – Song of the Jasmine Flower, a folk song that is still very popular and has a history dating back to the Qing Dynasty. It recurs several times, especially in the first act. In addition, Puccini\u2019s friend and musicologist Baron Fassini provided him with a musical anthology, from which Puccini selected several melodies to weave into his score. Not only that, inspired by Chinese and oriental scales, Puccini also composed his own Chinese-style melodies, which he integrated into Turandot<\/em>.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>\u2013 The music remains very typical of Puccini\u2019s style, both in how he handles the voices and the orchestration. However, in Turandot <\/em>he makes significant steps forward in the harmonic aspects of the composition, very often using altered chords and unorthodox concatenations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/strong>\u2013 Every opera has its challenges, and Turandot<\/em>\u00a0is no exception, but there aren\u2019t really any challenges that are unique to this opera. The difficulties that arise are dealt with in the moment while conducting \u2013 it\u2019s a bit like Formula 1 racing; you just can never relax. Music always flows, never stops. For this reason, a conductor must be constantly alert, react immediately, take control of the situation and use his experience to guide the musicians and singers through the work.<\/p>\n