Turandot was left unfinished when Giacomo Puccini died in 1924.
Puccini was working on the opera when he died in Brussels on 29 November 1924. He had completed most of the score but had not finished the final scene, which follows the death of the character Liù and the transformation of the relationship between Calaf and Turandot.
The conductor Arturo Toscanini selected Franco Alfano to complete the opera using Puccini’s sketches. Turandot received its first performance at Milan’s La Scala on 25 April 1926, conducted by Toscanini. At that premiere, Toscanini stopped after the point reached by Puccini’s completed music; later performances included Alfano’s completion.
The opera is set in a legendary version of ancient China. Its best-known aria, “Nessun dorma,” is sung by Calaf. The work’s unfinished history is sometimes confused with the fact that several different completions and performing versions have existed.