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Arts & Culture

Opera Gets The David Hockney Treatment

Soprano Lise Lindstrom as Princess Turandot in the San Diego Opera production of "Turandot."
Soprano Lise Lindstrom as Princess Turandot in the San Diego Opera production of "Turandot."
Opera Gets The David Hockney Treatment

The San Diego Opera opens their 2011 season on Saturday with Puccini's "Turandot." This tale of love and heroism in Imperial China has amazing sets.

They are designed by contemporary artist David Hockney. I went to the Civic Theater a day after the sets arrived to chart the progress of putting them together. I also talked to some folks along the way. Check out my story above.

There's a lot of great info about "Turandot" and its history on the San Diego Opera website. For fun, check out the Opera blog "Aria Serious?" You can see drawings by a cartoonist who visited a recent "Turandot" rehearsal.