Antonio Pappano’s traversal on disc of Puccini’s mature operas continues with a bracing account of Turandot that uniquely includes the original, extended version (before Toscanini’s meddling truncation) of the ending appended after the composer’s death by Franco Alfano.

Carrying itself with an orchestral and choral punch that brings the opera’s unsettling emotional candour and cruelty to the fore, it is a remarkable account, not least given that Pappano had never conducted the work before (he made his live debut with it at London’s Royal Opera House in March this year) and for having been recorded under COVID-imposed constraints of social distancing. 

Puccini Turandot

Puccini Turandot

Not that you would notice. Pappano blazes his way through the score with a sureness of design and execution that lends imposing imperiousness to the savagery of the music, exotic grandeur to the oriental pomp of Turandot’s court, and laces everything together with the alert, febrile emotional pulse and pull of quintessential Puccini.

In that he’s immeasurably aided by Santa Cecilia’s fiercely committed band and full-throated chorus. Together they breathe vivid life into a rich palette...