Turandot

Serviceable but not outstanding, this 2012 Opera Australia production of Puccini's ever-popular classic—about an ice-cold Chinese princess who dooms all her suitors by demanding that they answer her riddles or suffer execution, until a stranger calling himself Calaf beats her at her own game—was filmed at Melbourne's Arts Centre, which proves to be a fine venue with good acoustics. Andrea Licata conducts the Orchestra Victoria with an appropriate sense of sweep, richness, and power, while both Susan Foster as the princess Turandot and Rosario La Spina as Calaf exhibit strong voices. The supporting singing is similarly dependable, with Hyeseoung Kwon cutting an especially sympathetic figure as Liù, the slave girl tragically in love with Calaf. In visual terms the staging by Graeme Murphy is extremely traditional, featuring set and costume designs that date back to 1990 but still look pristine. Other versions with starrier casts and more opulent productions are available, but anyone looking for a current mounting that might not reach the heights but is without serious flaws won't go wrong with this one. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo, extras include a cast gallery. Recommended. (F. Swietek)