Central to this performance is Montserrat Caballe's Turandot, a characterisation of striking subtlety and beauty. As the icy, but alluring princess she confronts the Calaf of Jose Carreras - heroic, seductive and irresistibly appealing to the slave girl Liu, sung here by Mirella Freni, a supreme interpreter of Puccini's tragic heroines. Alain Lombard conducts the spectacular score to mesmerising effect. |