On 25 April 1926, the premiere of Giacomo Puccini's posthumous opera Turandot took place at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, almost a year and a half after the composer's death. The production was conducted by Arturo Toscanini and attended by the elite of Italian society, with the theatre resplendent and overcrowded.
The opera was unfinished at Puccini's death, with only the finale remaining incomplete. Franco Alfano, a friend of Puccini, accepted the task of finishing the work according to the composer's indications and individual style. Puccini had written to his librettist, saying: 'I have put all my soul into this opera. We shall see if my vibrations synchronise with those of the public.'
The performance was marked by repeated outbursts of applause and demands for encores. At the conclusion, the opera ended where Puccini had left it unfinished, as he had instructed Toscanini: 'If I am unable to finish it, let someone come before the curtain at this point to announce that the composer had carried it thus far and then – died.'
The libretto, by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, was praised for its adaptation of Carlo Gozzi's 17th-century play. The cast included soprano Rosa Raisa as Turandot, Maria Zamboni as Liu, and tenor Miguel Fleta as the unknown prince. The scenery was painted by Florentine artist Galileo Chini, who had previously decorated a palace for the King of Siam.
Turandot was proclaimed one of Puccini's greatest successes, displaying all his finest qualities. On future occasions, the opera would be performed with Alfano's completion of the finale.
