MEDIUM RARE

Undoubtedly THE cultural event of the year, the staging of Puccini’s great opera, Turandot, a lavish production that raises the bar and audience expectations from now on.

For the 700 pupils that VP and Education Secretary Sara Duterte brought with her to the dress rehearsal one day before the actual show, it was a monumental treat — their first time to step into the main theater of CCP, their first time to see, hear, and discover opera as drama married to music.

For the adults who watched the real thing on Dec. 9, the event was no less an eye-opener, a re-acquaintance with CCP (before it will be shut down for three years for retrofitting), a remembrance of CCP seasons past before Covid-19. Every music lover of every stripe was there that night: the social elite mingling with devotees of “serious” music, the big guns (or their representatives) of corporate business who could not resist Nedy Tantoco’s sweet persuasions to co-sponsor the event with the embassy of Italy – Grazie, Ambassador Marco Clemente — and the diplomatic corps as well as celebrities recognized by their real and brand names.

All the way from New York City, my friend who gave up her lower-box seat for me was curious to know how the show went. What I told her I repeat here, with this caveat: I’m not a music critic and I’m not necessarily an opera fan (though I admit, I find Puccini more melodious than Verdi). This is not a review but an eyewitness account, then. The show was fabulous and nearly flawless, with expensive costumes in bright colors, elaborate props and sets, and a cast of more than a hundred — sopranos and baritones, tenors, bass, plus dancers, a marvelous chorus and children’s choir whose voices sounded endearingly sweet, like a host of angels.

The singers, directors, orchestra and conductor, designers, technicians and production team came from West and East, including our own. To them our gratitude for a night like no other, though not a sleepless one, as in “Nessun dorma.”

How much did this awesome production cost? Nedy’s assistant, Nancy Sones, kept a tight lip but admitted they had but five months to put the show together. “Vincero!”