Once again, the Rustan's Group of Companies, The Philippine Italian Association, and The Cultural Center of the Philippines have combined their formidable creative forces to bring to the Philippines a long-awaited production of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot, which will feature an all-star cast led by Allessandro Liberatore as Calaf, soprano Lilla Lee as Princess Turandot, and bass Jinsu Lee as Timur, the exiled Tartar king.

The return of the opera as a live performance after two years of its absence from Philippine theater scene due to the pandemic "more than signals the resurgence of the performing arts, as it affirms as well the significant and long-lasting bond between the Philippines and Italy, two countries that have proven true friends and partners in cultural diplomacy, trade and development of their creative industries," Zenaida Tantoco, chairperson and CEO of the Rustan Commercial Corporation and president of the PIA, said.

Furthermore, Tantoco noted "the potential positive impact of the staging of Turandot on the promotion of Italian arts and culture in the Philippines, while enhancing the exposure, experience, and education of our own Filipino musical and operatic artists and audience. This takes on a double significance as both countries are commemorating the 75th year of their diplomatic relations and the 60th year of the Philippine Italian Association."

Tantoco shared that Italian Ambassador Marco Clemente "was the one who encouraged me to produce and mount Turandot. In so doing he has added significantly to the long list of artistic and cultural collaborations initiated by the Italian Embassy through the years in partnership with various Philippine companies and cultural institutions."

Ambassador Clemente, for his part, revealed that the Italian Embassy "will provide substantial financial contribution to the project." Citing the prime place Opera occupies in Italian cultural history, having been "created by a group of Renaissance intellectuals in Florence more than four centuries ago it is inevitable that the general public still tends to associate the very concept of opera to Italy and to the Italian language. For that reason, it is important for an Italian Ambassador to strongly support live performances of Italian operas especially after the long closure of theaters due the pandemic."

With the Rustan's Group taking the lead, giving as much credence and invaluable support to Turandot are culture movers Governor Chavit Singson of LCS Group of Companies, Dr. Jaime Laya of Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation, Alice Eduardo of Sta. Elena Construction and Development Corporation, TG Limcaoco of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, Kevin Tan of Hilton Manila, and art patron Danny Dolor.

"Without our partners' generous support, for which we feel very grateful and fortunate," Tantoco pointed out, "the challenges of the production, especially its gargantuan budget, would have been insurmountable given the splendid costumes and sets, as well as the talent fees of the artists."

The involvement of Dr. Laya and Dolor fortifies the importance of the production, as both are exponents of cultural development in the country. Prime advocates and benefactors of the opera, both are leading lights of the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc. which, earlier in January 2020, co-sponsored with Tantoco and the CCP the successful Philippine presentation of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

This collaboration of the best talents of the East and West, with the much-anticipated participation of soprano Rachelle Gerodias as Liu, Byeong In Park as Ping the Grand Chancellor, along with tenor Ivan Nery as Pong, the Grand Intendant. tenor Nomher Nival as Emperor Altoum and baritone Greg de Leon as Mandarino thus upholds the commitment of the Cultural Center of the Philippines to creating an international space for world-class artists and their performances.

Sharing stellar billing are director, Italian Maestro Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini; set and costume designer Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini; assistant director Prince Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong; guest conductor Maestro Valentino Favoino; and lighting designer Giovanni Pirandello.

CCP president Margie Moran, who has been very vocal about Turandot being a favorite of hers, has lent her total support to this two-day gala night and matinee spectacle, which will highlight as well Filipino virtuosity exemplified by the renowned Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Viva Voce Voice Lab, and the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines.

Moran, who first became enamored with the opera because of an early exposure to this art form along with her daughters, expressed her belief that "the presentation will help improve opera appreciation in the country. An opera like Turandot is most powerful because It combines music, voice, dance, drama, theater, storytelling and uses massive sets and costumes. It evokes vivid emotions ranging from joy, love, life, loss, death, anger, and sadness that often leads to tragedy."

Dr. Laya, on the other hand, expressed his delight over the partnership that the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation has forged with PIA and CCP "to bring this rarely staged Puccini opera to Manila, while allowing us the opportunity to admire Korean and Filipino singers showing their remarkable talents on the same stage."

Dolor, who has consistently promoted traditional Filipino music for decades through his Tribung Pilipino Cultural Foundation, underscored "the need for Filipino musical artists to be exposed to the creations of world masters, and this December's staging of Puccini's Turandot reinforces the universality of music as an expression of human values that transcend race, belief and ideology."

The audience can look forward to an impressive staging of Turandot, a grand opera with a scale and spectacle that is genuinely dazzling. It will be an opportunity for Manila's audience to watch the pomp and pageantry in ancient China as imagined by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. Finally, Manila's opera lovers can expect to be enthralled by the rendition of the famous tenor aria, Nessun Dorma, which, in Italian, means "None shall sleep."

This line eloquently speaks of Turandot performances all over the world, where the audiences are awestruck by the impressive collaboration, as it were, of the composer, the librettist, the director, and the artists, making Turandot one of the greatest and most popular operas of all time.

Indeed, Manila's audiences can expect to be enthralled.