Act One
Peking, in a far-off, magical time. A mandarin proclaims the law to the people: Princess Turandot will only marry the man who is able to solve her three riddles. If he cannot, he will be executed. This has already been the fate of so many, and is now also about to befall the Prince of Persia. The people are thirsty for the bloody spectacle of the execution, and guards move against the agitated crowds. Calaf, the banished son of Timur, the deposed Tartar king, is staying incognito in Peking. In the confusion, he recognises his father, whom he had believed dead. Timur is accompanied by the slave Liù, who has long been in love with Calaf “because of a smile.”
The crowd waits for the moon to rise: the sign for the execution. However, when the doomed Prince appears, the people are moved to compassion. The Princess appears. Unflinchingly, she insists that the execution be carried out. Calaf is dazzled by her appearance, and he too wants to fathom her secret. Timur and Liù attempt unsuccessfully to hold him back. The ministers Ping, Pang and Pong also warn the reckless suitor; long weary of the bloody ritual, they try to discourage him with threats and mockery, but Calaf rushes, as if intoxicated, to the gong: with three strokes he gives the signal that he intends to rise to the challenge of the Princess’s riddles.
Act Two
Scene 1
Ping, Pang and Pong are resting from their work. They remember China’s good old days with great nostalgia and wish that Turandot would finally marry in order to usher in an era of peace and stability for the country. A fanfare of trumpets wakes them from their daydreams: Calaf’s hour of trial approaches.
Scene 2
The court and people of Peking gather for the riddle ceremony. Emperor Altoum, who has long tired of his daughter’s bloody inclinations, attempts in vain to dissuade the unknown prince from his fatal venture. Calaf, however, refuses to abandon his purpose. Turandot justifies her refusal to submit to a man with the story of an ancestress who was raped and killed by foreign invaders. She asks her three questions – Calaf succeeds in answering them all: the key words are “hope,” “blood,” and “Turandot.” The people are jubilant, but Turandot is desolate. She begs her father not to give her to the stranger, whereupon Calaf, for his part, sets her a riddle: if she finds out his name by the next morning, he is willing to die.
Act Three
Scene 1
Peking is in a state of turmoil: the watchword “No man shall sleep” has been proclaimed, for the name of the prince must be revealed before dawn. The three ministers urge Calaf to flee, but neither their promises nor the people’s threats can change his mind. At that moment, Timur and Liù are dragged in. Having seen them with the unknown prince, the crowd attempts to pry his name from them. Turandot herself appears. In order to protect Timur, Liù declares that she alone knows the prince’s name, but does not betray it, even under torture. Love, she avows to Turandot, will give her the strength to make any sacrifice. Just as she is to be handed over to the executioner, she kills herself. Old Timur prophesies the city’s demise.
Scene 2
Calaf and the Princess are left alone. She counters the accusation of cruelty by admitting her own weakness, and ultimately confesses her love: from the very beginning, she has not only feared, but also loved Calaf. For his part, Calaf now also places himself in her hands and reveals his name and the secret of his ancestry at sunrise. However, Turandot does not exploit her victory. The new name that she gives Calaf is intended to establish a different future: “Amore.”