When Giacomo Puccini started writing his last opera, Turandot, in 1920, he had never even heard of the world's newest musical instrument. The steelpan, after all, was still in its embryonic stage and was yet to make a significant note on the musical scene.

Eighty years later, however, it is the steelpan that will bring the composer's music to life as the Lydian Singers stage the Caribbean premiere of the opera at the Trinidad Country Club on July 16.

The result is a distinctly local flavour that takes nothing away from the integrity of Puccini's work - a new sound for the court officials Ping, Pong and Pang (characters from the opera).

The Lydians are staging Turandot, their most ambitious production to date, in celebration of their 20^th anniversary this year.

Musical director Pat Bishop said the choir would be doing a great disservice to "our country, our music and ourselves" if the national instrument were to be excluded from the production. Bishop's long-standing relationship with the steelband movement has been well documented and the Lydians have had close relationships with the Witco Desperadoes, the Samaroo Jets and several other steelbands.

The choir now has its own steelpan orchestra, the Lydian Steel, which made history in 1995 as the first steelband to accompany an entire opera - Delius's Koanga.

Ben Jackson, who directs the orchestra, said the players were ready to take on the Turandot challenge. "It can be a little difficult trying to adapt the Chinese music for the steelpan, but we are ready," he said at the opera's official media launch on Wednesday.

Jackson, who also conducts the Success/Laventille Steelband Orchestra, said the advantage was that all members of the Lydian Steel could read music. In fact, the Lydian Steel was the first group of pan players to do so. "If we went to one of the bigger bands, it would be three to four years before we can do this. We started four months ago because we just had to get the music and sit down and discuss who would play the parts written for violin, oboe, and so on."

Set in ancient China, Turandot is the story of a cold-hearted but beautiful princess who sets out to take revenge on men because, in the distant past, a royal ancestor was slain by a barbarian invader. She will wed the suitor who can solve three extremely difficult riddles, the penalty for failure being execution in front of bloodthirsty mobs.

Her latest suitor, the gentle Calaf, intoxicated by her beauty, is determined to solve her riddles. The warnings of Ping, Pong and Pang, who remain cheerful and merry despite circumstance, fail to dissuade him. Calaf solves the riddles, but, not wanting an unwilling bride, offers his life if Turandot can discover his name before dawn.

Bishop said she wanted "to meet the audience halfway" so the opera will be performed in English, instead of the original Italian. "People will appreciate the story and the production more," she reasoned.

Top artist and masman Carlisle Chang has designed the set and costumes which capture the splendour of ancient China. Chang said he did exhaustive research, as he was anxious to recreate the authentic style of the Tang Dynasty of 1200 years ago. But, in doing so, he has still managed to add a local touch, with various costume designs carrying names like Maraval, Sea Lots, Goodwood Park and St Ann's.

"I was having fu," he said about the names. "And I wanted to be sure that the people making the costumes would understand the thinking behind each piece - what is for a middle-class person, a worker, a member of the royal court and so on."

Bishop said that with Claudia Applewhaite directing the production, patrons should expect a Turandot that is different from any that has been staged previously.

"We Trinis are naturally operatic. Our gestures and our expressions are all larger than life, and that's what opera, what drama is about," she said.

"And whereas other directors have the chorus in the pit singing, Claudia has ours all over the stage - performing, rolling on the ground, doing work, and singing at the same time. It will all be very vigorous and dramatic."

Some 140 choristers and musicians, including the principal singers - Edward Cumberbatch, Andre Alexander, Glenis Yearwood, Joanne Pyle, Randal Robinson, Miriam Richardson and Germaine Wilson - will participate in the opera, along with dancers from the Metamorphosis Dance Company.

Lydian fans will already be familiar with Cumberbatch's sterling renditions of Nessun' dorma (No one shall sleep) from the opera, which went to the UK singles charts after Luciano Pavarotti sang it as the theme for the 1990 World Cup.

Turandot, which is being staged under the patronage of Chinese Ambassador Zhang Songxian, will run over three weekends, with performances from July 16 to 19; July 22 to 25 and July 28 to August 1. There will also be two performances at Presentation College, Chaguanas, on September 3 and 4. All shows begin promptly at 8:15 p.m., except for those on Sundays, which will start at 6:30 p.m.

There will be three gala benefit performances on July 17, July 24 and July 31 for the Bishop Anstey High School, Beryl McBurnie and Artists Against Aids, respectively.

Tickets cost $50 for the regular performances and $100 for the special galas and are available at Signature Collection, Long Circular Mall; Aquarius, Hotel Normandie; Trinidad Country Club; and choir members.

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