The story is by the dramatist Carlo Gozzi and dates from 1762, telling of the Chinese princess Turandot, who sets her suitors three riddles in order to marry her. Only the suitor who solves the riddle may ask for her hand in marriage, otherwise death awaits.
In the aftermath of the Trojan war, a series of unrequited loves threatens to destabilise the fragile peace. But for a spurned Spartan princess, there are only two options left: forgiveness and murder. The most ambitious and innovative of all Rossini’s operas, Ermione was a calamitous failure on...
