Puccini: Turandot (San Francisco Opera)

Turandot's eternal theme of love triumphant over barbaric cruelty, combined with the opulent beauty of Puccini's music, makes the composer's final masterpiece one of the best-loved works in operatic repertoire. Eva Marton, one of today's greatest Turandots, takes the central, highly demanding title role, with sensational young American tenor Michael Sylvester as Calaf. But it is the sets and costumes, designed by the noted British artist David Hockney and his collaborator, Ian Falconer, which make this Turandot particularly special for this production by the San Francisco Opera.