A four-act opera with a prologue by Sergey Prokofiev Libretto by Sergey Prokofiev, based on Carlo Gozzi’s comedy of the same name World premire on December 30, 1921 at Auditorium Theatre Premiere at the Estonian National Opera on January 28, 2010
Music Director and Conductor: Arvo Volmer Conductors: Mihhail Gerts, Risto Joost Stage Director: Dmitri Bertman (Helikon-Opera, Moscow) Set Designer: Igor Nezhnyi (Helikon-Opera, Moscow) Costume Designer: Tatyana Tulubeva (Helikon-Opera, Moscow) Lighting Designer: Neeme Jõe
Performed in Estonian, subtitles in Estonian and English. Approx running time 2 h 15 min
The Opera The Love for Three Oranges is an Italian style commedia dell’arte or improvised masque comedy through the perception of the 20th century Russian composer. Prokofiev wrote the libretto himself on the basis of the Russian adaptation of Carlo Gozzi’s eponymous comedy (1761) by Vsevolod Meierhold, Konstantin Vogak and Vladimir Solovyov. The play mocks the writings of Gozzi’s contemporary Carlo Goldoni whose sombre and superficial naturalistic melodramas were, in Gozzi’s opinion, the reason for the decline of the Italian theatre. Gozzi’s surreal and fantasy-laden play inspired Prokofiev to create a masterpiece that mixes magic, comedy and satire. The Love for Three Oranges is a multi-layered play – it can be viewed as a play in a play, witty critique of the opera traditions of the 20th century or as a dispute on acute political problems by means of commedia dell’arte. The multitude of interpretation possibilities of both the opera and the play has made it a real treat for stage directors and artists. After the premiere in the US, the opera was a huge success in Russia. The Love for Three Orangesis brought to the stage by Dmitri Bertman, a stage director with an unlimited imagination, whose vision of Wallenberg earned several awards.
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