Turandot is an opera written by
Giacomo Puccini.
He died in 1924 before the completion of the final act.
Many endings were offerred.
The published ending was written by Franco Alfano.
The opera premiered in 1926.
Following is my (judgemental) synopsis, completed with a (sensible) climactic ending.
In Beijing, Princess Turandot vows never to marry. Rather than simply declining suitors, she offers them a sporting chance: solve three riddles and she will marry you; fail, and she will have you executed.
Prince Calaf, having just reunited with his long-lost blind father, the exiled King Timur -- who is accompanied by his devoted slave Liu -- falls in love with the cruel, misandrist Turandot at first sight, purely on account of her beauty. Ignoring the pleas of his father, Liu, and anyone with common sense, Calaf recklessly accepts the challenge.
Miraculously, the intelligent Calaf solves all three riddles. Turandot, however, is visibly horrified at the prospect of marrying him. Sensing her reluctance, Calaf does what every nice man would do: he offers her an escape route. If Turandot can discover his name before dawn, she will not have to marry him -- and, to satisfy her bloodthirsty tendencies, she may execute him as well. (Apparently, Turandot’s administration neglected to record the suitor’s name.)
Turandot promptly mobilises the entire state apparatus to uncover this vital information. Liu is captured and tortured. To protect Calaf, whom she secretly loves, Liu kills herself.
Blindly infatuated with a woman he has known for barely a day, Calaf remains eager to die for Turandot and voluntarily reveals his name to her. Despite having executed numerous previous suitors, the psychologically impaired princess is uncharacteristically moved and agrees to marry him.
The end?
... Not quite.
Puccini died before completing the final act, and many have since attempted to finish the story. Here is my version:
After everything he has endured, Calaf finally realises that Turandot is not a suitable wife: she is cruel, capricious, and psychologically unstable. He leaves her. With Liu dead, he assumes responsibility for caring for his unfortunate father. Heartbroken and humiliated, Turandot kills herself.
[End]
