Love for three oranges Prokofiev. Prokofiev's opera Love for Three Oranges

“A frisky girl who wormed her way into the midst of adults, serious people,” director Sergei Radlov described The Love for Three Oranges in this way, comparing it with other operas. By the time of its creation, the composer was already the author of four works in this genre - two children's operas ("The Giant" and "On the Deserted Shores") and the completely serious "Maddalena" and "The Gambler" created by an adult author, but the young composer applied for the first time.

The literary primary source of the opera “The Love for Three Oranges” was not the Italian folk tale of the same name as such, but the work created on its basis by Carlo Gozzi, an 18th-century Italian playwright, in whose work in general and in this play in particular one can see some similarities with S. S. Prokofiev. This composer went down in history as a "musical hooligan", a subverter of traditions - but Carlo Gozzi also wrote his fiaba (this is the name of the genre he created, combining the buffoonery of traditional Italian commedia dell'arte with a tragicomic plot), parodying the clichés of the high comedy of classicism - in particular, K. Goldoni.

However, Sergei Prokofiev's idea for the opera did not come under the direct influence of C. Gozzi. The fiaba of the Italian playwright interested Vsevolod Meyerhold, and the director, in collaboration with Konstantin Vogak and Vladimir Solovyov, created a free version of it, intending to stage it. It was not possible to realize this idea, but Vsevolod Meyerhold published the play in this form in the first issue of the magazine that he began to publish; in honor of the play, the magazine even got the name "Love for three oranges." It was this magazine publication that served as a source of inspiration for Sergei Prokofiev.

V. Meyerhold himself persuaded the composer to read the play, whom S. Prokofiev met back in 1916, while working on the production of the opera The Gambler, which was never completed. V. Meyerhold, who at that time was carried away by the Italian comedy of masks, advised the composer to create an opera that ridiculed the outdated canons of the theater and stage clichés. Fiaba C. Gozzi was ideal for this - after all, the playwright created it in his time with the same goal. On the advice of V. Meyerhold, S. Prokofiev read the play in a magazine on his way to America, and it made the most favorable impression on the composer. Subsequently, he wrote about this: "The play really occupied me with a mixture of fairy tales, jokes and satire, and most importantly - with its theatricality."

That "theatricality" that S. Prokofiev spoke about was very unusual. The characters in the play are divided into three categories. Among them are fabulous, but quite "earthly" heroes: the King of Clubs - the ruler of a fictional state, his son the Prince and niece Princess Clarice, the ministers Leander and Pantalon, the jester Truffaldino and others. The “real” characters are patronized by wizards who control their actions: the King is the good magician Chelius, and the minister Leandro is the evil witch Fata Morgana, accompanied by the devils. The third category of actors is the most unusual: these are Tragedians, Comedians, Lyricists, Emptyheads and Eccentrics. It is they who are the bearers of the idea of ​​theatrical parody, which attracted both V. Meyerhold and S. Prokofiev. In the prologue, a real battle unfolds between these characters: Tragedians demand "high tragedies, philosophical decisions, sorrow, lamentations", Comedians - "invigorating, invigorating laughter", Lyricists - "romantic love, the moon, tender kisses", Empty Heads - "farces, ambiguous witticisms, nonsense. The brawl is stopped by the Freaks, who offer a play that has it all. In the future, they are present, observing what is happening from the side (as if reminding that this is a performance), but at the same time intervening in the action, commenting on it in their own way and helping other heroes.

Already at the first acquaintance with the play, S. Prokofiev had an idea for the future opera, its musical character and the order of the scenes clearly crystallized. The opportunity to implement this plan presented itself in the USA: S. Prokofiev's concerts made an impression on the American public, and in the wake of this success, the Chicago Opera House commissioned him an opera. It was then that the composer set about creating “Love for Three Oranges”. The libretto was written by him.

The opera "Love for Three Oranges" has become one of the most cheerful and cheerful works of Sergei Prokofiev. She immediately captures the viewer with a dizzying change of boldly outlined episodes, the element of buffoonery reigns in the music; many comedy techniques are associated with both the construction of melodies and orchestration. One of the symphonic episodes of the opera - an energetic, cheerful and at the same time grotesque march that sounds in the second act - is often performed as an independent concert number.

S. S. Prokofiev finished the opera The Love for Three Oranges in 1919, but it was not staged right away - the theater postponed the premiere. Its first performance took place only two years later - on December 30, 1921 - at the Chicago Opera House, and in French. S. S. Prokofiev himself conducted this performance. The new work was a relative success, and the theater ventured to present it on tour in New York, but the opera failed there. Only a few years later - under the influence of the fame of other works of the composer - various theaters of the world became interested in her.

Of course, most of all, Sergei Prokofiev would like the opera to be staged in his homeland, in Russian. The composer's dream came true in 1926. The initiators were his conservatory comrades - chief conductor of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater (former Mariinsky) Vladimir Dranishnikov and repertoire consultant Boris Asafiev. The reason was not only a personal acquaintance with S. S. Prokofiev - they sought to include new works in the theater repertoire. The composer, for his part, did everything to make this happen: he got Koussevitzky's publishing house to provide the score at a significant discount, agreed to pay a fee for two years.

The Russian premiere took place on December 18, 1926. Director S. Radlov relied on the characteristic features of music inherent in Prokofiev's opera - on its lightness, transparency, cheerfulness. This fully corresponded to the ideas that the director himself was passionate about: buffoonery, improvisation, continuous movement. The comic extravaganza was filled with comedic moments and witty finds. The author visited the performance the following year and was delighted with the production, which corresponded to his idea. It was supposed to show the opera in Paris, but, unfortunately, the planned French tour of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater did not take place.

S. Prokofiev said about his opera: “We tried to establish who I am laughing at: the audience, Gozzi, the operatic form, or those who do not know how to laugh. They found in "Oranges" both a laugh, and a challenge, and a grotesque, while I simply composed a cheerful performance. Since the premiere, this cheerful opera has again and again given a reason to laugh, having firmly won a place in the repertoire and recognition of the public.

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (1891-1953)

LOVE FOR THREE ORANGE

Opera in four acts (ten scenes) with a prologue

PROKOFIEV

Composer's libretto

(according to CARLO GOZZI)

The plot goes back to the scenario of the fairy tale by K. Gozzi, revised by V. Meyerhold, V. Solovyov and K. Vogak for a dramatic performance in 1915.

The opera premiered in Chicago (1921). One of the most repertory operas by S. Prokofiev. First production in Russia at the Mariinsky Theater in 1926 (directed by Dranishnikov). Among the productions of recent years is the performance of the Bolshoi Theatre, directed by P. Ustinov (1997).

Characters:

KING Clubs,

the king of a fictional state whose clothes are like playing cards - bass

PRINCE, his son - tenor

PRINCESS Clarice, the King's niece - contralto

LEANDRE, First Minister, dressed as King Spade - baritone

TRUFFALDINO., a man who knows how to make laugh - tenor

PANTALON, close to the King - baritone

Mage Cheliy, patronizes the King - bass

FATA MORGANA, witch patronizes Leandro – soprano

princesses in oranges

Lynetta - contralto

Nicoletta - mezzo-soprano

Nanette - soprano

Cook - hoarse bass

Farfarollo, the devil - bass

Smeraldina, arapka - mezzo-soprano

Master of Ceremonies - tenor

Herald - bass

Trumpeter - bass, bass trombone

Ten Freaks - 5 tenors, 5 basses

Tragedians - basses

comedians - tenors

Lyrics – tenor soprano

EMPTY HEADS - altos and baritones

IMPs - basses

Medics - tenors and baritones

Courtiers - the whole choir

Freaks, Drunkards, Gluttons, Guards,

Servants, Four soldiers - no singing

The curtain is down. Large proscenium. On the sides of the proscenium are two towers with railings and balconies. The Tragedians run out of the right wings with their heads down, furiously waving their umbrellas.

Tragedy! Tragedy! High tragedies! Philosophical solutions to world problems!

(The Comedians burst into the proscenium from the left wings, brandishing their whips.)

When reading vocal text located in two (or more) columns, it should be taken into account that the text located at the same vertical level in adjacent columns sounds simultaneously.

Comedy! Comedy! Invigorating laughter!

Sorrow! Kills! Suffering fathers!

comedians. Healing laughter!

TRAGIC (attacking the Comedians) Enough laughs!

comedians. Quite tragic!

TRAGICS. Give deep!

The Tragedians wave their umbrellas and push the Comedians to the left, the Comedians retreat to the left wings. Lyrics with green branches appear from the right wings. Without attacking anyone, they occupy the middle of the proscenium. Following them, Hollowheads with walking sticks appear from the right wings and immediately attack the lyricists. The weight of four groups are talking at the same time.

comedians. Give joyful!

Tragedians. Zuboskaly!

comedians. Torturers!

COMEDICS (fighting off the left wings). The killers!

TRAGICS. Tragic! Hopeless! Transcendental!

comedians. Down with! Down with! Down with! Down with!

LYRICS. Dram, lyrical dramas! Romantic love! Colors! Moon! Tender kisses! Love yearning!

EMPTY HEADS. Farces! Farces! Entertaining nonsense! Ambiguous jokes!

(Having dispersed the Lyricists, they collide with the Tragedians.) Elegant toilets!

TRAGICS (attacking the Hollowheads).

EMPTY HEADS (to Tragedians).

Out melancholic! Get out stupid nerds! We want not to think and laugh and laugh and laugh! Give us healthy laughter! Give us sharp layers and sharp positions! Comedy! Comedy! Give, give, give, give, give us comedy!

TRAGICS. Tragedies, give us tragedies!

LYRICS. Soft, dreamy lyrics!

EMPTY HEADS. Farces! Farces!

Having parted the curtain in the middle, ten Eccentrics run out into the proscenium and rake the fighting with giant shovels.

FUCKERS. Quiet! Quiet!

Tragedians Tragedies!

EMPTY HEADS. Farces!

FUCKERS. Disperse!

comedians. Comedy!

FUCKERS. Step into the hall!

LYRICS. Love!

Step into the gallery! (The quarreling people are raked with shovels in both backstage.)

We will present to you! We will show you. This is real! This is incomparable!

(In ecstasy.) Love for three oranges! Love for three oranges

Having dispersed the crowd, the Eccentrics climb into the towers, the tenors into one, the basses into another.

Listen!

Look!

Look!

Listen!

(Screaming from the tower towards the stage.)

A curtain! Let's curtain!

The curtain in the middle parted a little and let in the Herald with the Trumpeter. A trumpeter blows a bass trombone.

Herald (impressively).

The King of Clubs is in despair because his son, the Crown Prince, is ill with a hypochondriacal disease.

(Both leave.)

CRANKS (with joyful excitement).

It starts!

It starts!

It starts!

(All together.) It's starting!

STEP ONE

Picture one

Royal Palace. King. Next to him is Pantaloon. Before them are doctors with medical instruments.

KING (with feeling). Poor son! (To the doctors.) Well, talk, talk...

MEDICAL (reporting).

Pain in the liver, pain in the night, pain in the back of the head, pain in the temples, spillage of bile, indigestion, severe belching, painful cough, lack of sleep, lack of appetite, palpitations, dizziness ...

KING (horrified). Enough! Enough!

Frequent fainting spells, gloomy thoughts, bad forebodings, indifference to life, complete apathy, acute melancholy, dangerous melancholy, black melancholy...

KING (plugging his ears). Enough! Enough!

MEDICINES (weighty, making a conclusion). An irresistible hypochondriacal phenomenon.

KING. How? How?

MEDICAL. An irresistible hypochondriacal phenomenon.

KING. And what??

MEDICAL. Hopelessly.

(The King dismisses the medics with a tragic movement of his hand, who leave with their instruments.)

KING (in despair). Poor Prince!

PANTALON. Poor Prince!

KING. Poor, poor son!

PANTALON. Poor Prince!

PANTALON, KING (with horror they repeat the verdict of doctors).

An irresistible... hypochondriacal... phenomenon...

The king falls into a chair and mournfully lists his son's illnesses.

And I'm old. To whom will my kingdom pass? Really niece Clarice? Eccentric? Violent woman? (With sobs.) Oh, poor me!

PANTALON. Poor!

KING. Oh poor son!

PANTALON. Poor!

KING. Poor kingdom! (Sobs.)

PANTALONE. Poor!

Pantaloon sobs, clinging to the royal robes. The eccentrics watch the King with excitement, fearing that the King will disgrace himself in front of the public.

FUCKERS. He forgets his greatness! Forget greatness!

PANTALON (calming the King). Don't... Don't...

KING (calming down, dreamily).

One day the doctors said that only laughter might cure him...

PANTALON (with conviction). So it is necessary that he laughed!

KING. Hopelessly.

PANTALON (more and more animated).

He needs to laugh! Why is our yard in sorrow? Why is everyone walking like they're in the water? After all, so is our PRINCE. never laugh. It needs to be fun all around.

PANTALON (remembering the right name). Truffaldino! Truffaldino! Truffaldino!

KING. Games? Performances? (Waving his hand.) It won't help...

PANTALON. Whether it helps or not, we have to try. (Screams backstage.) Truffaldino!

Truffaldino runs in recklessly, and straight to Pantalon.

TROFFALDINO. Why do you need me?

PANTALON (important). The king needs you.

TROFFALDINO. rushes to the King, and straight to his knees.

KING (thoughtfully).

Here's the thing, Trufaldino: I want to throw a party and try to make our Prince laugh.

TROFFALDINO (patter). Everything will be done. The happiest holidays.

Truffaldino runs away. The king, outraged by his behavior, stamps his foot.

KING. Well, what is it?

PANTALON (pleased). Truffaldino is good! (To himself.) That's good.

The king claps his hands. Servants enter.

KING. Invite Leander, our first minister, to join us.

PANTALON (quietly and angrily).

Oh, Leander... he wants evil... He wants the death of the Prince...

Leander enters and makes a low etiquette bow.

Leander. Announce immediately fun games and holidays, cunning performances, elegant masquerades.

The eccentrics, very pleased with the King's order, repeat after him.

FUCKERS. Games! Holidays! Performances! Masquerades, masquerades, masquerades are few.

LEANDR. Oh, King, our patient will not laugh.

LEANDR. All this cannot help.

PANTALON (angrily). Oh!

Still, we need to try. (Ordering.) Games, holidays (emphasizing) and bacchanalia!

CRANKS (pleased). A!

LEANDRE (hiding his anger with difficulty). Noise will damage his health!

KING (unquestioningly). Holidays and orgy! (Exits.)

PANTALON (to Leandro, furiously). Traitor!! (Follows the King.)

LEANDR. Buffoon!

Picture two

It is getting dark, the cabalistic curtain is falling, which leaves only a small part of the scene for action. The whole picture takes place in the dark. Fire and smoke erupt from the ground. From below, with thunder and lightning, the Magician Chelius appears.

ODDIES (amazed). Mage Chelius!

Fire and smoke in another place, next to Mage Cheliy. With thunder and lightning - Fata Morgana.

Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev

Prologue. With the curtain down, a kind of “battle” is played out on a large proscenium between representatives of various literary and theatrical tastes. Gloomy Tragedians, furiously waving their umbrellas, demand lofty tragedies, cheerful Comedians - invigorating, healing laughter, admirers-Lyrics - romantic love, flowers and the moon. Then a company of Hollow Heads bursts in, who do not recognize anything but thoughtless far ¬sov. The brawl becomes general, and only the intervention of ten Eccentrics, who disperse everyone, urging the audience to listen to the new play "The Love for Three Oranges", puts an end to it. The Eccentrics take their place in two towers with balconies located at the edges of the stage and demand to raise the curtain. In response to their call, a trumpeter appears with a herald. The trumpeter blows the bass trombone, and the herald majestically proclaims: "The King of Clubs is in despair, because his son, the crown prince, is ill with a hypochondriacal disease!"

Act one

Picture one. A crowd of doctors, having examined the sick Prince, came with a report to the King of Clubs. In chorus they list the incredible number of illnesses found in the unfortunate Prince, concluding their speech with a grim conclusion: "An irresistible hypochondriacal phenomenon."
The doctors leave. The king and his attendant Panta-lon mourn. The eccentrics on the towers are worried that the weeping King will lose his prestige before the public. Suddenly the King remembers that doctors once said that laughter could help the Prince. Pantalon energetically gets down to business: it is necessary to arrange holidays, games, masquerades at the court, it is necessary to amuse the Prince at all costs. He calls Truffaldino - a man who knows how to make laugh - and orders him to arrange a merry holiday. The king gives a similar order to his first minister, Leander. He accepts him with hidden hostility - after all, he is not interested in the recovery of the Prince.
Picture two. In the darkness in front of the cabalistic curtain, a fantastic scene is played out. The magician Chelius and the witch Fata Morgana, surrounded by howling imps, are playing cards. Chelius, who patronizes the King of Clubs and his son, loses three times. To the roar of the imps, Fata Morgana collapses, embracing the radiant image of King Peak (Leander).
Picture three. In the royal palace. Leander is gloomy. Princess Clarice reminds him that in the event of the death of the Prince, she will be heir to the throne and, by marrying Leander, will make him king. - "So what are you doing for the health of the Prince?" she asks ominously. “I feed him with tragic prose, I feed him with Martelian verse,” replies Leandre, who believes that such food will work more truly than any poison.
At this moment, a crowd of Tragedians runs onto the stage, demanding: “High tragedies! Sorrow! Moaning! Kills! The freaks have a hard time kicking them off the stage.
Princess Clarice finds Leander's method too slow. "The prince needs opium or a bullet," she cynically declares. Pass Truffaldino and servants with festive props. The eccentrics rejoice at the Prince's eventual healing. But this thought horrifies the conspirators. Clariche continues to insist on an immediate murder. Suddenly, Leander discovers Smeraldina, who was hiding and eavesdropping on the conversation. Enraged, Clarice wants to execute the black woman, but she reveals that she is a servant of Fata Morgana, who patronizes Leandra and will come to the holiday herself to prevent the Prince from recovering. Three conspirators conjure a witch to help them.

Action two.

Picture one. In a bedroom reminiscent of a pharmacy, Truffaldino dances and amuses the sick Prince, who sits in an armchair with a compress on his head and continuously takes all kinds of medicines. Sick and does not look at the merry fellow; he cries, groans, coughs, spits. Truffaldino claims that the spittoon smells of old, rotten and smelly rhymes (“Martelian verses!” exclaim the Eccentrics). Truffaldino begins to persuade the Prince to go to the party, and then restless Comedians run onto the stage, again demanding "healing laughter." The eccentrics manage to drive them backstage with shovels.
The celebration begins in the palace. The sounds of a cheerful march are heard. Out of patience, Truffaldino takes the Prince onto his back and, despite desperate resistance, takes him to the feast.
Picture two. There is a performance in the grand palace of the king's castle. On the terrace sit the King, Clarice and the Prince, wrapped in fur coats; numerous balconies are occupied by courtiers. Truffaldino announces the number of comic divertissement. There is a fight of freaks on clubs; everyone laughs, but the Prince pays no attention to the freaks.
Suddenly, Leander notices an ugly beggar old woman and wants to drive her away, but recognizes her as Fata Morgana, who has come to prevent the Prince from laughing.
The second number of the program: fountains of oil and wine begin to beat, to which a crowd of drunkards and gluttons rushes, but their ridiculous fuss also does not interest the Prince at all. Frustrated Truffaldino notices an unknown old woman and angrily drives her away. She gets angry, kicks and absurdly falls to the ground.
And suddenly - the Prince's laughter is heard, at first as if insecure, quiet, then more and more cheerful and, finally, ringing -
cue, joyful, unstoppable. It is transmitted to all those present, except for Leander and Clarice. It turns out that the old woman who fell to the ground laughed at the Prince. From joy, everyone starts dancing.
But then the enraged Fata Morgana rises and, surrounded by imps, steps on the Prince with the words of the spell: “Fall in love with three oranges! Run, run to the three oranges!” The courtiers flee in terror. The spell takes effect immediately, and the Prince, with an unprecedented surge of energy, sets off on his journey, taking the faithful Truffaldino with him. The Devil Farfarello blows on their backs, accelerating their movement towards destruction.

Act Three

Picture one. In the gloomy desert, the magician Chelius calls Farfarello and tries to help the Prince and Truffaldino, but to no avail: the devil reminds that Chelius lost them at cards, and disappears with a laugh.
On the way to the castle of the evil sorceress Creonta, where there are three oranges, the Prince and Truffaldino are walking. Che ¬liy tries to reason with them, talking about the terrible Cook, who will kill them in the castle with a huge copper spoon, but the Prince does not listen to him. Then Chelius gives Truffaldino a magic bow: if the terrible Cook likes this bow, they may be able to escape. The magician warns travelers that three oranges can only be opened near water.
Farfarello jumps out again and blows at the backs of the Prince and Truffaldino, who fly away like an arrow towards the castle of Creonta.
Picture two. The Prince and Truffaldino fly into the courtyard of Creonte's castle. They look around fearfully, sneak up to the kitchen and hide when the giant Cook appears with a giant soup spoon. The cook finds the hidden Truffaldino and shakes him menacingly by the collar, but suddenly notices a magic bow and begins to examine it with the interest of an old coquette. Meanwhile, the Prince sneaks into the kitchen and takes away three oranges. Truffaldino gives the bow to the completely softened Cook, and he runs away after the Prince.
Picture three. Desert again. Tired Prince and Truffaldino are dragging three strongly grown oranges. From fatigue, the Prince tends to sleep, and Truffaldino languishes from thirst.
The prince falls asleep. Truffaldino decides to cut one of the oranges, forgetting the magician's warning. But instead of orange juice, a girl in a white dress, Princess Lynette, appears and, turning to Truffaldino, who was dumbfounded with amazement, asks for a drink. Seeing how she is weakening from thirst, Truffaldino opens the second orange. From there, the second girl in white, Princess Nicoletta, comes out and also asks for a drink. Both of them reach out with a prayer to their liberator, who can do nothing to help them. The princesses die and Truffaldino flees in terror.
The Prince wakes up. He instructs the passing soldiers to bury the dead girls, and he decides to cut the last orange: “I know that my happiness is hidden in it!”
Princess Ninetta appears, and the admiring Prince swears his love to her on his knees. Ninetta tenderly assures that she has been waiting for him for a long time. But suddenly she turns pale and begs the Prince to give her a drink, otherwise she will die of thirst. The prince is powerless to help her, Nitetta is getting weaker by the minute."
Here the Eccentrics intervene in the course of events. Taking pity on the girl, they take out a bucket of water, from which the Prince waters his chosen one. And in response to the mutual confessions of happy lovers, the voices of the Lyricists are heard, who have slowly penetrated the stage, but the Eccentrics convince them to leave and not interfere.
The prince solemnly invites Ninetta to follow him to the palace, but Ninetta asks him to warn the King and bring her the royal attire. The Prince is leaving, and this was all that Fatya Morgana and Smeraldina needed, who sneak up on the defenseless Princess, immersed in bright dreams. Smeraldina sticks a magic pin in Ninetta's head, and she turns into a rat. To the indignant cries of the Eccentrics, the rat runs away, and Smeraldina takes the place of the Princess. Fata Morgana is in hiding.
March sounds are heard. A solemn procession with torches appears. The prince brought with him the King, Clarice, Leander, Pantalon, and the rest of the courtiers. But instead of the snow-white Ninetta, in front of him is the black Smeraldina. In addition, she declares that she is a Princess and that the Prince promised to marry her. The prince is horrified, and the King says that the royal word given to him is immutable and he must marry a black woman. The procession heads to the palace

act four

Picture one. Fata Morgana and the magician Chelius, hated by each other, meet again before the cabalistic curtain. Each of them accuses the other of unworthy witchcraft methods: some kind of bows, pins ... Is this what real wizards do? The scandal threatens to turn into a fight. At this time, the Eccentrics surround Fata Morgana, promising to tell her something important, and, suddenly pushing her into one of the towers, they lock her tightly. “Well, now hurry up and save your pets!” they shout to Chelia.
“Remember, witch, how formidable the magician Cheliy is!” - proclaims the latter, threatening her from afar.
Picture two. In the throne room, everything is ready for the marriage. To the sounds of the march, a solemn procession appears. But when the velvet canopy is raised, on the throne intended for the Princess, everyone sees a huge rat. The courtiers back away in fear. The emerging magician Chelius conjures a rat to turn into Ninetta, but this transformation does not come from his spells, but from a volley of court guards.
Everyone is in awe of Ninetta's beauty. The prince rushes to his bride, and Truffaldino, who appears from nowhere, exposes Smeraldina.
The King of Clubs sentences Leander, Clarice and Smeraldina to be hanged, but the villains take flight. Guards and courtiers rush to pursue them. Suddenly, Fata Morgana, having broken the door of the tower, appears and saves his accomplices from execution, falling into the underworld with them. Fire and smoke rise from the hatch.
All praise the King, Prince and Princess Ninetta

S. Prokofiev opera "Love for Three Oranges"

The opera Love for Three Oranges by Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev was the debut work that the composer staged on stage. The production was a resounding success, the audience from different cities and countries gave a standing ovation and asked the actors for an encore.

This comic opera Prokofiev stood out among the rest with its cheerful mood, incredible energy and fun - the composer masterfully managed to convey the whole atmosphere of the radiant poetry of the Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi. With his creation, Prokofiev not only paid tribute to European traditions, but also built a plot that was ideal for Russian art.

A summary of Prokofiev's opera "" and many interesting facts about this work, read on our page.

Characters		Description
King of Clubs	bass	head of the fairy kingdom
Prince	tenor	son of the King of Clubs
Princess Clarice	contralto	young relative of His Majesty
Leander	baritone	First Minister, appears dressed as the King of Spades
Truffaldino	tenor	court jester
pantalon	baritone	close associate of His Majesty
Mage Cheliy	bass	good wizard supporting the King
Fata Morgana	soprano	an evil sorceress who is on Leander's side
Ninette	soprano	orange girls
Nicoletta	mezzo-soprano
Lynetta	contralto
Arapka Smeraldina	mezzo-soprano	maid
Farfarello	bass	devil
Cook	husky bass	giantess guarding oranges

Summary of "Love for Three Oranges"

In an unknown card country, the wise King of Clubs ruled. His state grew and prospered, but a real grief happened in the family of the ruler. His only heir fell ill with a terrible disease - hypochondria. A serious illness so exhausted the young man that he completely stopped smiling, enjoying life and did not see anything in the future but pitch darkness and pain. The famous doctors shrugged their shoulders and prepared the father for the imminent death of his beloved son, but the loving parental heart believed that everything could be fixed. As soon as the rays of the sun rose over the card kingdom, the King was already thinking of another way to cheer up his child. But all his efforts did not help - the desperate Prince could not find peace in his soul.

Meanwhile, the royal enemies have prepared another cunning plan to win a place on the throne. Minister Jack of the Cross Leander sleeps and sees himself as the ruler of a fairy-tale kingdom. He is supported by a relative of the king, Clarice, whom the cunning official promises to make the most beautiful card queen.

The evil sorcerers Chelius and Morgana use magical powers to overthrow the king from the throne. However, it was thanks to them that the sad Prince laughed for the first time - the sorceress fell very funny and ridiculously, and the young man simply could not help smiling. The witch was so angry that with the help of strong spells she awakened in him love feelings for three oranges that belonged to the giant sorceress Creonte. Under the influence of magic, the young man thought about the desired fruits day and night, and, in the end, went to the fairy garden to steal them from the giantess. The jester Truffaldino volunteered to help him in this.

The magician Cheliy gives instructions to travelers - you can open the plucked fruits only near the water, after which he hands them a magic bow that will help them distract the guard guarding the oranges. The plan works, and the prince and the jester carry away the oranges. Only now the road home through the desert exhausted the heroes - the prince fell asleep, and Truffaldino decided to quench his thirst and eat juicy fruits. He opens two oranges, two of the most beautiful girls appear from them and ask him for a drink. Without receiving the desired water, the beauties die. The prince himself opens the last fruit, and a girl also appears from it - Ninetta. But she miraculously manages to avoid death, and she, along with the Prince, goes to a fairy-tale castle to his loving father. But the evil magician turns Ninetta into a quivering dove, and instead sends the dark-skinned servant Smeraldina to the prince. But still, the fairy tale has a good ending - all the enemies got what they deserved, and the young prince and his chosen one got married and ruled the card kingdom for many years.

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Interesting Facts

• The libretto for the opera was written by Sal Prokofiev , and was translated into French for the Chicago premiere. The English composer had to be abandoned, because he had a very poor command of it. But he did not have the courage to stage a performance in his native language - the American audience was then not ready to listen to Russian-language opera.
• Before the performance, the composer was very nervous. Prokofiev was afraid of being misunderstood, because he created a very optimistic work on a careless plot in the difficult revolutionary years.
• The Russian audience saw "Love for Three Oranges" only in 1926 at the request of the Soviet government.
• During the years of Leonid Brezhnev's rule, there were two unacceptable operatic works in the Soviet Union. This " The Tale of the Golden Cockerel » N. Rimsky-Korsakov and "Love for Three Oranges" by S. Prokofiev. And all because the elderly leaders were afraid of parallels with the narrow-minded old rulers from these works.

• In the creative heritage of Prokofiev there is another work called "Love for Three Oranges". This is a small orchestral suite created on the basis of music from the opera of the same name. It consists of six parts: "Eccentrics", "Infernal Scene", "March", "Scherzo", "Prince and Princess" and "Escape".
• Before the premiere of the opera, Prokofiev received an offer from the owner of an orange plantation to advertise his products.
• After the first production, Prokofiev asked his close friend, composer M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, for an opinion on his work. He did not say anything, and the next morning Sergei Sergeevich received a note in which his friend admitted that he only loves oranges in pictures.
• The scores for the premiere of the play were published by the oldest music publishing house Breitkopf&Hartel.
• The Leningrad Opera House planned to go on a grand tour to Paris with Oranges, but this idea was not destined to come true.
• Director Sergei Radlov compared "Oranges" with a frisky girl who fell into an environment of serious and adult people.
• The opera "Love for Three Oranges" was the first work of Sergei Sergeevich in the comic genre.
• One of the most unusual productions of "Oranges" is Dmitry Bertman's performance, presented at the "Helikon-Opera". The director's vision of the main characters is very modern - the Prince is an avid computer gamer, and the King is an entrepreneur with a briefcase full of currency.

Popular arias and numbers from the opera "The Love for Three Oranges"

Medical Choir (listen)

March (listen)

Duet of Prince and Ninetta (listen)

Music

The opera Love for Three Oranges is considered the first Russian comic opera to be released after the revolution. This comedy performance combines the features of the most different genres : opera buffa with its abundance of amusing scenes, opera extravaganza with developed fantastic episodes, pantomime or even ballet performances with extended orchestral numbers. In the opera, all comedic principles are deliberately sharpened, and the grotesque and hyperbolization dominates all this. Prokofiev not only distorts the images and feelings of all the characters, but also maximally exaggerates the emotions and importance of the simple events that have arisen. All this determines the use by the composer of certain musical means in his work.

For example, in act I, where the news of the depression of the young Prince is reported, the music is filled with elements of the deepest sorrow - funeral rhythms, "groaning" intonations and "limp" sighs. But the party of the royal heir himself, suffering from hypochondria, in addition to passive and plaintive intonations, is saturated with ostinato rhythms - this is what Prokofiev wanted to convey the impression of "tediousness" and "deadly hopelessness" in the scenes with this hero. In a similar vein, the musical characteristics of all the characters in the opera are given - they are all shown with irony and significant distortion.

The history of the creation of "Love for Three Oranges"

Director V.E. advised Prokofiev to write an opera based on the popular Venetian play. Meyerhold, who already had a similar experience. He was one of the co-authors of a free adaptation of this work, published in the theatrical publication "Love for Three Oranges", the editor-in-chief of which was Vsevolod Emilievich.

In 1916, Meyerhold staged at the stage of the Mariinsky Theater Prokofiev's opera "The Gambler" , where the legendary director and talented composer met. Vsevolod Emilievich, who was very fond of Italian folk art, convinced Sergei Sergeevich of the need to create a fresh and innovative work. According to the author's idea, the opera was to be radically different from the usual boring stage productions.

In 1918, Prokofiev went on a tour of the United States, and on the way he decided to read Carlo Gozzi's play The Love for Three Oranges. The laid-back magical story captivated him so much that he immediately decided on the dramaturgy of the future work, the arrangement of the scenes and the musical direction. In addition, Prokofiev and Meyerhold constantly corresponded and discussed all their creative ideas.

The American public received the composer from Russia very well, and the Chicago theater commissioned him to create a new performance. Prokofiev did not shelve the matter and began to work diligently on the opera.

In the process of work, the author slightly modified the content of the tale, for example, the giant Creon was replaced by a cook, the number of characters decreased several times. The composer came up with new characters (eccentrics, comedians, lyricists, imps, etc.), who appear by chance, but contribute to the main characters - they discuss precedents, argue about art, touch on important spiritual topics.

In the autumn of 1919, the composition was completed and prepared for a theatrical production.

Production history

The Chicago theater immediately accepted the finished score, but the premiere took place two long years later - the performance was presented to the public on December 30, 1921. Just a couple of months after the premiere, the performance took place in New York, and after such a stunning success, the opera instantly appeared in the repertoire of all world theaters.

Influential members of the USSR party, having heard about the achievements of Sergei Sergeyevich, after much deliberation, came to the conclusion that the Soviet audience must see the opera. In 1925, a respected worker of the theater community, I.V. Ekskuzovich, who successfully negotiated with Prokofiev. On February 18, 1926, the premiere of the performance took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in Leningrad. The composer personally attended the performance and was extremely pleased with the result. A year later, the opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater in the capital.

Successful foreign productions include performances in Berlin at the Komische Oper (1968), Milan at La Scala (1974) and Munich (1991).

Prokofiev's "Three Oranges" was destined to a happy and long life. The performance was so loved by the audience that its productions are relevant at the present time. Directors continue their experiments on this creation of Prokofiev. In recent years, the production of Alexander Titel has been very popular. At the end of 2013, his work was presented at the Latvian National Opera, since 2016 it has been staged in Russia with minor changes. The director of the performance was able to create a bright modern performance with a lively, amazing and full of humor action. True, instead of the characters prescribed in the libretto - comedians, empty-headed, tragedians and lyricists, he actively involved policemen, firefighters, doctors and press representatives. Prokofiev believed that a sense of humor and self-irony are the most important qualities for a person. That is why directors and actors allowed themselves such "tomfoolery" on stage.

» S. Prokofieva is considered one of the most cheerful and cheerful opera creations of the 20th century. This big is perceived in one breath - it is so dynamic and exciting. The composer spoke about his innovative and bright creation: “We tried to understand who I am laughing at: at the audience, at the author of a fairy tale, or people without a sense of humor. They found in the opera both chuckles, and a challenge, and exaggerations, but I just created a fun performance.

Sergei Prokofiev "Love for Three Oranges"

Opera in four acts (ten scenes) with a prologue; libretto by the composer based on the dramatic tale of the same name by Carlo Gozzi.
First production: Chicago, December 30, 1921 (in French), February 18, 1926 performed in Leningrad, at the Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Characters:

King of Clubs, king of a fictitious state, whose clothes are like playing cards (bass), Prince, his son (tenor), Princess Clarice, niece of the king (contralto), Leander, first minister, dressed as King Spade (tenor), Pantalon, close to the king ( baritone), Mage Chelius, patronizes the king (bass), Fata Morgana, the witch, patronizes Leandro (soprano), Linetta (contralto), Nicoletta (mezzo-soprano), Ninetta (soprano), Cook (husky bass), Farfarello, devil ( bass), Smeraldina, arapka (mezzo-soprano), Master of Ceremonies (tenor), Gerold (bass), Trumpeter (bass trombone), Ten Eccentrics (5 tenors, 5 basses), Tragedians (basses), Comedians (tenors), Lyricists ( soprano and tenor), Hollowheads (altos and baritones), Devils (basses), Medics (tenors and baritones), Courtiers (entire choir), Freaks, Drunkards, Gluttons, Guards, Servants, Four Soldiers (no words).

The action takes place in a fictional state.

Prologue

With the curtain down, a kind of "battle" between representatives of various literary and theatrical tastes is played out on a large stage. Gloomy Tragedians, furiously waving their umbrellas, demand high tragedies, cheerful Comedians - invigorating, healing laughter, admirers of Lyrics - romantic love, flowers and the moon. Then a bunch of Hollowheads rush in, acknowledging nothing but mindless farces. The brawl becomes general, and only the intervention of ten Eccentrics, who disperse everyone, urging the audience to listen to the new play "The Love for Three Oranges", puts an end to it. The eccentrics take their places in two towers with balconies, located at the edges of the stage, and demand that the curtain be raised. In response to their call, trumpeters appear with a herald. The trumpeter blows the bass trombone, and the herald majestically proclaims: "The King of Clubs is in despair, because his son, the crown prince, is ill with hypochondria!"

Action one. Picture one

A crowd of Medics, having examined the sick Prince, came with a report to the King of Clubs. In chorus they list the incredible number of illnesses found in the unfortunate Prince, concluding their speech with a grim conclusion: "An irresistible hypochondriacal phenomenon."

The doctors leave. The king and his attendant Pantaloon are grieving. The eccentrics on the towers are worried that the weeping King will lose his prestige before the public. Suddenly the King remembers that the doctors once said that laughter could help the Prince. Pantalon energetically gets down to business: it is necessary to arrange holidays, games, masquerades at the court, it is necessary to amuse the Prince at all costs. He calls Truffaldino - a man who knows how to make laugh - and orders him to arrange a fun holiday. The king gives a similar order to his first minister, Leander. He accepts him with hidden hostility - after all, he is not interested in the recovery of the prince.

Picture two

In the darkness in front of the cabalistic curtain, a fantastic scene is played out. The magician Chelius and the witch Fata Morgana, surrounded by howling imps, are playing cards. Chelius, who patronizes the King of Clubs and his son, loses three times. To the roar of the imps, Fata Morgana falls, embracing the shining image of King Spade (Leander).

Picture three. In the royal palace. Leander is gloomy. Princess Clarice reminds him that in the event of the death of the Prince, she will be heir to the throne and, by marrying Leander, will make him king. "So what are you doing for the Prince's health?" she asks ominously. “I feed him with tragic prose, I feed him with Martelian verse,” replies Leandre, who believes that such food will work more truly than any poison. At this moment, a crowd of Tragedians runs onto the stage, demanding: “High tragedies! Sorrow! Moaning! Kills! The weirdos have a hard time kicking them off the stage.

Princess Clarice finds Leander's method too slow. "The prince needs opium or a bullet," she cynically declares. Pass Truffaldino And servants with props props. The eccentrics rejoice at the Prince's eventual healing. But this thought horrifies the conspirators. Clarice continues to insist on an immediate assassination. Suddenly, Leander discovers Smeraldina hiding, who was eavesdropping on the conversation. Enraged, Clarice wants to execute the black woman, but she reveals that she is a servant of Fata Morgana, who patronizes Leandra and will come to the holiday herself to prevent the Prince from recovering. Three conspirators conjure a witch to help them.

Action two. Picture one

In a bedroom reminiscent of a pharmacy, Truffaldino dances and amuses the sick Prince, who sits in a chair with a compress on his head and continuously takes all kinds of medicines. Sick and does not look at the merry fellow; he cries, groans, coughs, spits. Truffaldino claims that the spittoon smells of old, hyil and stinking rhymes ("Martelian verses!" exclaim the Eccentrics). Truffaldino begins to persuade the Prince to go to the party, and then restless Comedians run out onto the stage, again demanding "healing laughter." The eccentrics manage to drive them backstage with shovels. The celebration begins. The sounds of a merry march are heard. Out of patience, Truffaldino puts the Prince on his back and, despite desperate resistance, takes him to the feast.

Picture two

There is a performance going on in the grand front yard of the royal castle. On the terrace sit the King, Clarice and the Prince, wrapped in fur coats; numerous balconies are occupied by courtiers. Truffaldino announces the numbers of the comic divertissement. There is a fight of freaks on clubs; everyone laughs, but the Prince pays no attention to the freaks. Suddenly, Leander notices an ugly beggar woman and wants to drive her away, but recognizes her as Fata Morgana, who has come to prevent the Prince from laughing. The second number of the program: fountains of oil and wine begin to beat, to which a crowd of drunkards and gluttons rushes, but their ridiculous fuss also does not interest the Prince at all. A frustrated Truffaldino notices an unknown old woman and angrily drives her away. She gets angry, kicks and absurdly falls to the ground. And suddenly - the Prince's laughter is heard, at first as if uncertain, quiet, then more and more cheerful and, finally, sonorous, joyful, irresistible. It is passed on to everyone present, except for Leander and Clarice. It turns out that the old woman who fell to the ground laughed at the Prince. Everyone dances for joy.

But then the enraged Fata Morgana rises and, surrounded by imps, steps on the Prince with the words of the spell: “Fall in love with three oranges! Run, run to the three oranges!” The courtiers flee in terror. The spell takes effect immediately, and the Prince sets off with an unprecedented burst of energy, taking the faithful Truffaldino with him. Devil Farfarelpo blows them in the back, accelerating their movement towards death.

Action three. Picture one

In the gloomy desert, the magician Chelius calls Farfareplo and tries to help the Prince and Truffaldino, but the devil reminds that Chelius lost them at cards, and disappears with a laugh. On the way to the castle of the evil sorceress Creonta, where there are three oranges, the Prince and Truffaldino are walking. Chelius tries to reason with them, talking about the terrible Cook, who will kill them in the castle with a huge copper spoon, but the Prince does not listen to him. Then Chelius gives Truffaldino a magic bow: if the terrible Cook likes this bow, they may be able to escape. The magician warns the travelers that three oranges can only be covered near water. Farfarello jumps out again and blows at the backs of the Prince and Truffaldino, who fly away like an arrow towards the castle of Creonta.

Picture two

The Prince and Truffaldino fly into the courtyard of Creonte's castle. They look around fearfully, sneak up to the kitchen and hide when the giantess Cook appears with a giant soup spoon. The cook finds Truffaldino who is hiding and shakes him menacingly by the collar, but suddenly notices a magic bow and begins to examine it with the interest of an old coquette. Meanwhile, the Prince sneaks into the kitchen and takes away three oranges. Truffal!schino gives a bow to the softened Cook, and he runs away after the Prince.

Picture three

Desert again. The weary Prince and Truf Faldino are dragging three overgrown oranges. From fatigue, the Prince tends to sleep, and Truffaldino languishes from thirst. The prince falls asleep. Truffaldino decides to cut one orange, forgetting the magician's warning. But instead of orange juice, a girl in a white dress appears - Princess Linetta, and, turning to Truffaldino, dumbfounded with amazement, ask for a drink. Seeing how she is weakening from thirst, Truffaldino opens the second orange. From there, the second girl in white, Princess Nicoletta, comes out and also asks for a drink. Both of them reach out with a prayer to their liberator, who can do nothing to help them. The princesses die and Truffaldino flees in terror. The Prince wakes up. He instructs the passing soldiers to bury the dead girls, and he decides to cut the last orange: “I know that my happiness is hidden in it!” Princess Ninetra appears, and the admiring Prince swears his love to her on his knees. Ninetta gently assures that she has been waiting for him for a long time. But suddenly she turns pale and begs the Prince to give her a drink, otherwise she will die of thirst. The prince is powerless to help her, Ninetra is weakening every minute...

Here the Eccentrics intervene in the course of events. Taking pity on the girl, they take out a bucket of water, from which the Prince waters his chosen one. And in response to the mutual confessions of the happy lovers, the voices of the Lyricists are heard, who slowly penetrated the stage, but the Eccentrics convince them to leave and not interfere ...

The Prince solemnly invites Ninetta to follow him to the palace, but Ninetta asks him to warn the King and bring her the royal robe. The Prince is leaving, and this was all that Fatya Morgana and Smeraldina needed, who sneak up on the defenseless Princess, immersed in bright dreams. Smeraldina sticks a magic pin in Ninetta's head, and she turns into a rat. Under the indignant cries of the Eccentrics, the rat runs away, and Smeraldina takes the Place of the Princess. Fata Morgana is in hiding. March sounds are heard. A solemn procession with torches appears. The prince brought with him the King, Clarice, Leander, Pantalon and the rest of the courtiers. But instead of the snow-white Ninetta in front of him is the black Smeraldina. In addition, she declares that she is a Princess and that the Prince promised to marry her. The prince is horrified, but the King says that the royal word given to him is immutable and he must marry a black woman. The procession heads to the palace.

Fourth action. Picture one

Fata Morgana and the magician Chelius, hated by each other, meet again before the cabalistic curtain. each of them accuses the other of unworthy methods of witchcraft: some kind of bows, pins ... Is this what real wizards do? The scandal threatens to turn into a fight. At this time, the Eccentrics surround Fata Morgana, promising to tell her something important, and, suddenly pushing her into one of the towers, they lock her up. “Well, now hurry up and save your pets!” they shout to Chelia. “Remember, witch, how formidable the magician Cheliy is!” - proclaims the latter, threatening her from afar.

Picture two

In the throne room, everything is ready for the wedding. To the sounds of the march, a solemn procession moves. But when the velvet canopy is raised, everyone sees a huge rat on the throne intended for the Princess. The courtiers back away in fear. The magician Chelius, who arrived in time, conjures a rat to turn into Ninetta, but this transformation does not come from his spells, but from a volley of court guards. Everyone is in awe of Ninetta's beauty. The prince rushes to his bride, and Truffaldino, who appears out of nowhere, exposes Smeraldina. The King of Clubs sentences Leander, Clarice and Smeralyzhin to be hanged, but the villains take to flight. Guards and courtiers rush to pursue them. Suddenly, Fata Morgana, having broken the door of the tower, appears and saves the accomplices from execution, falling into the underworld with them. Fire and smoke rise from the hatch. Everyone praises the King, the Prince and Princess Ninetta.

V. Pankratova, L. Polyakova

History of creation

Prokofiev's first comic opera was created in 1919, during the composer's stay abroad. But its idea is connected with the theatrical impressions of pre-revolutionary Russia, where, in search of new bright forms of performance, attempts were made to revive the art of the old Italian comedy of masks. In 1914-1915 Vs. Meyerhold published the magazine Love for Three Oranges. Its name was borrowed from the well-known fairy tale by Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806), created in the tradition of folk theater masks. In the first issue of this journal, K. Vogak, Sun. Meyerhold and V. Solovyov published a free stage adaptation of this tale. The young composer was attracted by the poetry of fiction, the life-affirming basis of folk fiction, the witty mixture of fairy tales, jokes, and satire. The stage part was unusual, combining three different plans of action. The first is fairy-tale characters: Prince, Truffaldino. The second is the underground forces on which they depend: Magician Chelius, Fata Morgana. And finally - the Eccentrics, commenting on the development of intrigue.

Prokofiev himself developed the opera's libretto. Her score was completed by October 1919. The premiere took place on December 30, 1921 in Chicago. On February 18, 1926, Love for Three Oranges was staged by the Leningrad Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre; in 1927 - the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR in Moscow.

Music

"The Love for Three Oranges" is one of the most cheerful and cheerful operas of the 20th century. The rapid succession of episodes that are diverse and at the same time boldly outlined creates an uninterrupted current of music, a captivating rhythm of the performance.

A ringing fanfare heralds the beginning of a merry performance. At a rapid pace, a discordant chorus of tragedians, comedians, lyricists, empty-headed people sweeps by. In the orchestra, the same sound is comically repeated, calling for everyone's attention.

Solemnly and mournfully, although not without irony, the theme of royal greatness sounds, depicting the dejected state of the ruler. The choir-patter of physicians fussing and interrupting each other ends with a cruel sentence: "An irresistible hypochondriacal phenomenon." In response, the wailing of the King is heard, which is echoed by Pantalone. An elegant scherzo theme accompanies Truffaldino as he hops out. Hidden in the basses, Leander's theme wriggles, vividly conveying his insinuating feline habit.

The frightening sounds of low wind instruments, like the howls of hellish whirlwinds, open up a second picture. Deafening chords accompany the appearance of Maga Chelius and Fata Morgana. The piercing howl of the devils enhances the fantastic flavor.

In the third scene of the first act, the image of the extravagant Clarice, sharp in her movements, appears, giving impatient orders to Leander. Marching rhythms permeate her diatribe "To act with such phlegm." Frightened Leander, as if twitching from a nervous tic, answers her with the arioso "I feed him."

The extended symphonic episodes determine the dynamic development of the second act. Truffaldino's initial dance is comical. But in response, only the groans of the Prince are heard. From afar comes a cheerful, full of indomitable energy march, which has gained great fame as an independent concert number; his resilient tread becomes more and more distinct, the impudent trumpet, the rolling drum beat draw the approach of the festive procession. The march seems to call for an end to whining and apathy, to turn to an active and joyful acceptance of life.

In the second picture, the composer skillfully paints the comedic battle scene of clumsy freaks at the royal festival. An episode of general laughter is built on the repeated repetition of the same "running" motive. The joy of the courtiers pours out in a temperamental dance, which famously sounds on brass instruments. A sharp contrast is the spell of Fata Morgana, designed to frighten with unusual harmonies, deafening orchestral effects. From a state of fascination, the Prince moves on to decisive action: in the arioso "My Armament" his arrogant militancy is parodied (accompanied by a jump rhythm). The complete confusion of the King is expressed by the excited remarks “You raise your hand against your father.”

The tremolo of the bass instruments sounds mysteriously at the beginning of the third act, characterizing the magical whirling of Chelius, calling Farfarello. In the rhythm of the tarantella, a swift flight scherzo sweeps ahead, anticipating the second picture; colorful orchestral timbres, light jerky sounds give the music of the Prince's daring campaign an elusive ghostly tone.

The main place in the third picture is occupied by lyrical episodes. They captivate with spirituality, subtle poetry, shading the atmosphere of jokes, cheerful eccentricities that prevails in the opera. Lyrical episodes are associated with the appearance of princesses - "white girls" who were in oranges. Their mournful phrases “Give me a drink”, expressing prayer and suffering, are becoming shorter and more abrupt, which achieves the effect of a gradual extinction of life. The Prince's confession "Princess, Princess, I'm looking for you" is filled with an enthusiastic feeling. An excited impetuous character has his aria “There was no strength to keep”.

In the fourth act, the scene of the squabble between Celia and Fata Morgana is marked with fantastic color. The chorus of eccentrics has a playful connotation. An orchestral episode of chasing villains and a toast in honor of the King and the newlyweds complete the opera.