The opera Love for Three Oranges, a brief summary of which will be presented in this article, was written by a Russian composer based on a tale by an Italian playwright. She goes to music theaters around the world.
About staging
This is an opera about adventures. It has four actions. The author of the music is S. S. Prokofiev. The composer himself wrote the libretto, "Love for Three Oranges." A brief summary of it will give an idea of the plot as a whole. The opera differs from the original text of the tale, changes were made to the work for the convenience of embodiment on stage.
The first show of the play took place in Chicago in 1921, as the opera was written by S. Prokofiev in the USA. The composer also performed as a conductor. In our country, the premiere took place in 1926 in Leningrad. A year later, the opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
The author of a fairy tale
Sergey Sergeevich wrote the libretto based on the tale of the Italian playwright and writer Carlo Gozzi, “Love for Three Oranges”. A summary of the work is easy to state. The action begins very usually: once there was one enchanted prince, there was a spell on him, which could be removed only with the help of three oranges. They were kept by an evil sorceress. And inside them were enchanted princesses.
Carlo Gozzi was a master of comedy and fairy tales. The writer was born in Venice in 1720 and lived for 86 years. He began to write satirical works at the age of 19. Almost immediately gained fame. The tale "Love for Three Oranges" Carlo wrote specifically for the theater troupe Antonio Sacchi.
The works of K. Gozzi were highly appreciated by A.N. Ostrovsky, Goethe, the Schlegel brothers and many others. The plays of this writer still go on all the world theatrical stages.
The most famous works of C. Gozzi:
- The King Deer.
- "Love for three oranges."
- Green Bird.
- Turandot.
- "Zobeida."
Composer
One of the most famous operas written by Sergei Prokofiev is Love for Three Oranges. A summary of all four of her actions will be presented in this article.
S. Prokofiev was not only a composer. He is a pianist, writer, teacher and conductor. In 1947, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR. During his life, Sergey Sergeevich wrote only eleven operas, seven symphonies, the same number of ballets, eight concerts, as well as oratorios, music for films and theatrical productions, vocal and instrumental works. S. Prokofiev was an innovator. His music had a peculiar style and recognizable rhythm. However, it was not always clear to the audience. Many critics spoke negatively of him.
The most famous works of Sergei Prokofiev:
- "Romeo and Juliet" (ballet).
- "Betrothal in a monastery" (opera).
- Symphonies No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7.
- "The Story of a Real Man" (opera).
- "Ala and Lolly" (suite).
- "Steel Lope" (ballet).
- "Semyon Kotko" (opera).
- "Peter and the Wolf" (fairy tale).
- Cinderella (ballet).
- "Alexander Nevsky" (cantata).
- "The Tale of a Stone Flower" (ballet).
- "War and Peace" (opera).
History of the Opera
Opera is very unusual for its genre, rarely found in the productions of this musical form of a fairy tale. You can evaluate the entire originality of the plot by reading its summary. Love for Three Oranges, the story of which is not a secret, was written almost on the train. Sergei Prokofiev was leaving for America and took a theater magazine on the road.
There he read a script written by W. Meyerhold, which had a fantastic plot and was filled with jokes and satire. He attracted the composer. As a result, in a very short time, literally during his train journeys, S. Prokofiev wrote a libretto according to this scenario. Very quickly Sergey Sergeyevich also created music. The plot inspired him so much that he worked tirelessly. The musical parts were very original.
Characters
Actors of the opera:
- King of Clubs.
- Prince.
- Clarice (Princess).
- Fata Morgana (evil witch).
- Truffaldino (King's buffoon).
- Lynette.
- Leander (Minister).
- Magician Chelius.
- Smeraldine.
- Ninette.
- Pantalon.
- Herald.
- Farfarello (the devil).
- Nicoletta.
And also: lyrics, trumpeters, cook, courtiers, comedians, cranks, soldiers, tragedians, servants, ceremonies, master, guard and others.
Plot
The opera Love for Three Oranges, the summary of which is very interesting, begins with the fact that in one fairy-tale kingdom, which actually does not exist, there was a prince. He was very ill, and only one cure could have cured him - laughter. Once his father-king gave a ball. An evil witch Morgan appeared on him. She cast a spell on the young prince, saying that he could become happy only if he could find three oranges that are in her possessions and are well guarded. The royal son comes to the aid of the magician Celius and the buffoon Truffaldino. But the prince has a sister - Princess Clarice. She seeks to occupy the throne and is trying hard to prevent the happiness of her brother. Despite the intrigues of the enemies, the prince manages to find magic oranges. Inside, three princesses are imprisoned. Only one of them is saved - Ninetta. The prince falls in love with her at first sight. Morgana turns Ninetta into a rat. Magus Chelius removes the spell.
First and second actions
What happens in the first action? What is its summary? "Love for Three Oranges" begins with a dispute between lyrics, comedians, hollow-headed and tragedies. The skirmish occurs when the curtain is closed. They argue about which theater genre is better. They fail to come to a consensus, and the fight begins. Eccentrics appear and separate the arguing.
The curtain opens. King Tref appears on stage with his adviser. He is very worried about the health of his offspring. Doctors make their verdict: the prince can be cured only with the help of laughter. The jester Truffaldino is tasked with organizing a grand celebration to amuse the heir to the throne.
The daughter of King Clarice hates his brother and wants to take the throne. She and her supporter, Minister Leander, in love with her, decide to kill the prince.
Second Act: Summary
Love for Three Oranges transfers its action to the Prince’s bedroom. Here the buffoon Truffaldino tries to make the royal son laugh and persuade him to go to the ball, which was organized in his honor. The prince does not want to go on holiday. Then the jester puts him on his shoulders and forcibly carries him to the celebration.
At the festival, the heir to the throne remains completely indifferent to everything that happens. The witch of Morgan comes to the ball in the form of an old woman to prevent the prince from recovering. She tries to get to the king’s son, but the buffoon pushes her away. The sorceress falls, legs lifted, and the prince begins to laugh. The witch is angry that he was healed. She cursed the heir - a love of three oranges. He was literally obsessed with finding them.
Third and fourth actions
Further events will reveal the third act. Here is a summary of it. "Love for three oranges" continues with the fact that the prince goes on a long journey. A faithful jester goes with him. Magician Chelius reports the whereabouts of the magic oranges, but makes a warning that they can only be opened where there is water. Truffaldino distracts the Cook, who guards them. Thus, the prince manages to steal oranges.
The heir and the clown are in the desert. The prince falls asleep, and Truffaldino, who is tormented by thirst, decides to open two oranges. Princesses come out of them. They are asking for a drink. But there is no water, and the girls die of thirst. Truffaldino is shocked by what happened. He runs away in fear. Waking up, the prince opens the third orange. Ninette comes out of it. The heir and the princess fall in love with each other. Eccentrics carry a bucket of water to give the girl a drink. The prince offers her a hand and a heart. Morgana turns Ninetta into a rat.
What ends the tale tells the fourth action. Consider its summary. Love for Three Oranges is a happy ending story. Magician Chelius bewitches Princess Ninetta. The prince will marry his lover. Clarice, Leandra and Morgan are sentenced to death. But they manage to escape.
Interesting Facts
The opera Love for Three Oranges is the first that the composer wrote in a comic genre. It was created by order of the Chicago Theater. When preparations were underway for the premiere in America, the owner of an orange plantation turned to the composer. He wanted to coincide with the screenings of the play an advertisement for his products.
Sergey Sergeyevich had a friend - composer M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. When the opera premiered, S. Prokofiev asked a friend about whether he liked his new work. Instead of an answer, M. Ippolitov-Ivanov sent Sergey Konchalovsky a still life in the morning to Sergey Sergeyevich. A note was attached to it, in which the composer said that he loves oranges in the form as in the picture.