Turandot (UK // or US //; Italian pronunciation: [turanˈdɔt]) is
an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, completed by Franco
Alfano set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato
Simoni. Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based
on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play,
his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot by
Carlo Gozzi. The original story based on the epic Turan-Dokht,
from the 12th century Persian poet Nizami, in his book, Haft-
Peykar. The opera story, set in China, involves Prince Calàf who
falls in love with the cold Princess Turandot. To obtain
permission to marry her, a suitor has to solve three riddles;
any false answer results in death. Calàf passes the test, but
Turandot still hesitates to marry him. He offers her a way out:
he agrees to die should she be able to guess his real name. The
opera was unfinished at the time of Puccini's death in 1924 and
was completed by Franco Alfano in 1926. The first performance
was held at the T