Among the many absurdist opera stories in existence, nothing is more preposterous than the happy ending generally used for Giacomo Puccini's final opera "Turandot," in which Princess Turandot suddenly accepts Prince Calaf's wooing right after the suicide of Liu, a slave, as if her death was nothing.
It was a wonder for me why this opera, in which a cruel princess puts her suitors to death if they fail to answer three riddles, was chosen to be staged at the Summer Festival Opera 2019-20 Japan-Tokyo-World event, ahead of next year's Olympics.
It is often said that Puccini was not able to find a satisfactory ending for his unfinished masterpiece, "Turandot," which features cacophonous sound, exotic Chinese elements and sonorous chanting.