Weekend Passport: ‘Turandot’

Janai Brugger, winner of the Metropolitan Opera 2012 National Council Auditions and opera singer Susan Graham are seen during the opening night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday May 12, 2012.
Janai Brugger, winner of the Metropolitan Opera 2012 National Council Auditions and opera singer Susan Graham are seen during the opening night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday May 12, 2012. Joe Kohen/AP Images for LA Opera
Janai Brugger, winner of the Metropolitan Opera 2012 National Council Auditions and opera singer Susan Graham are seen during the opening night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday May 12, 2012.
Janai Brugger, winner of the Metropolitan Opera 2012 National Council Auditions and opera singer Susan Graham are seen during the opening night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday May 12, 2012. Joe Kohen/AP Images for LA Opera

Weekend Passport: ‘Turandot’

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Weekend Passport is Worldview’s regular Friday segment which takes you around the world without leaving Chicago. Our next destination is Iran, with a few stops in China and Italy.

Global citizen Nari Safavi just returned from Iran, the country of his birth. One of his favorite operas is based on an ancient Persian epic, and he’s made it home just in time to catch one of the final Chicago performances at Lyric Opera.

Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot tells the story of a prince who falls in love with a powerful princess named Turandot. Before he can marry her, he must answer three riddles correctly or face death. One character, Liu, is played by Chicago-area native Janai Brugger. She joins Worldview to discuss the opera and what it’s like to sing in Chicago’s legendary Civic Opera House. Safavi also shares other suggestions for an international good time this weekend.