I was in the mood for some full-on opera. That was what led me to Turandot in Japan’s MET Live in HD “Encore Screenings 2026.”
My idea of “full-on opera” involves lavish sets and costumes, at least one famous aria, and at least one person dying 😂 I already knew the outline of this story, and this time I went to see it at Namba Parks Cinema, a first for me.
Getting a Little Lost on My First Visit to Namba Parks Cinema
I don’t go to Namba very often, and between the sprawling underground passages and the crowds, I got properly lost. Finding the sign telling me to take the elevator to the eighth floor finally brought a sigh of relief. Just getting to the cinema was a bit of an undertaking…
With my ticket safely in hand, I had a look around before the doors opened. The Cinema Kabuki and MET flyer corner even had a flyer for Danjuro at the Minamiza. Even when I come for opera, kabuki-related things still catch my eye. Then I spotted Kabuki Nyantaro on a standee—there you are! It’s reassuring to find you here, too. There was a Chiikawa movie standee as well. So cute ❤️
After showing my ticket, I went up another escalator to Screen 9, where all the seats are premium seats. The back row is slightly offset from the others, and I felt as though I was looking down at the screen a little. Honestly, the seat itself wasn’t all that comfortable. But there was space beside it for a bag, so I thought I probably wouldn’t feel crowded even with someone sitting next to me.
The screening lasted about three hours and 25 minutes, with two intermissions. There are restrooms in the area beyond the entrance to Screen 9, too. Those two breaks are a small thing I really appreciate 🥺 Between going to the restroom and rereading the printed timetable, they passed in no time.
The Splendor I Came For, and the Excitement of the Finale Ahead
This was the 2019–20 season recording of Turandot, directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
The sets and costumes were just—dazzling! Lavish almost beyond belief, and beautiful whichever part you looked at. Add the big screen and the sheer volume of the sound, and it was quite an experience. Now this is why I came to the cinema. I was very happy.
What moved me most was, of course, “Nessun dorma.” It wasn’t simply the pleasure of hearing a familiar tune. There was that excitement and nervous anticipation: “Here we go—the rush toward the finale is about to begin!” Hearing the aria after following the story up to that point brought all those feelings together.
Moved by Their Love, but Still Thinking About Liù
There are spoilers for the ending from here.
To me, Turandot seemed like a princess shut inside an incredibly hard shell. She wouldn’t let any stranger near her, but perhaps she desperately wanted to come out. She wanted to be loved, and to love, but the fear of betrayal kept her from making a move. Maybe she was that frightened—that was my own reading, anyway. Still, that change of heart happened so quickly… Had she fallen for him at first sight all along? 😂
Calàf, coming toward her, struck me as “a man of love.” During that back-and-forth over whether his name would be revealed, I looooved the moment when he offers to tell her himself. I can’t quite explain why, but it felt like the beginning of their love.
And yet, watching the two of them, I keep thinking about Liù. If Calàf is happy, then she is happy. That was probably how she felt. Even so, if he had shown a little more tenderness toward Liù after she died, I would have been happier, too…
An Unexpected Name Leads to the Next Opera I Want to See
There was another unexpected discovery during this visit: I spotted William Kentridge’s name in a screening preview.
Whaaat?!
I love Kentridge, and I had no idea he directed opera, too… The clip was so short that it ended while I was still reacting, before I could get any sense of the production itself.
I first encountered his work at a solo exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London. His animations tell their stories through charcoal drawings that are erased and drawn again. I love their atmosphere and style.
The works themselves deal with very heavy subjects, including apartheid in South Africa, but I find it fascinating to think about those themes alongside his way of making them. It’s difficult to put into words: the present keeps moving forward, drawing over the past, but the past never completely disappears. In the traces left in the drawings, I feel the layers of time in history and in our own lives. That’s another thing I love about them.
What sort of world does Kentridge create in opera? I want to see it—to experience his artistic world on stage! 😭
On the way home, the yellow and red hibiscus flowers at the entrance to Namba Parks were so beautiful and lovely 🌺 A day of enjoying full-on opera had also brought something new to look forward to.
MET Live in HD in Japan is currently holding a 20th-anniversary “Choose Your Best Opera” vote. You can choose three from 181 productions, so I voted for Kentridge’s The Nose, Lulu, and Wozzeck! I’m kicking myself for not knowing about them sooner, but I hope I’ll get to see them in the 2027 encore screenings.
Official information on the 20th-anniversary opera vote (Japanese)
