The opera Turan Dokht (Daughter of Turan) corrects a historical misunderstanding. With their 'intercultural rewriting' of Puccini's beloved opera Turandot (1924), composer Aftab Darvishi and director Miranda Lakerveld bring the title character back to her Persian birthplace. In Puccini's story she is a cruel Chinese princess who has all her suitors beheaded. Mystical Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141-1209) wrote that she was a queen of Turan. With this epic story and Puccini's music in mind, Aftab Darvishi and Miranda Lakerveld wrote a new opera, with music that incorporates authentic Iranian elements. Nilper Orchestra, the only chamber orchestra for newly composed music in Iran, and with mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Levental and tenor Arash Roozbehi in the leading roles, show Turan's daughter as you have never heard or seen her before. Turan Dokht premiered in 2019 in the iconic Azadi Tower in Tehran.
