Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges

Set & Costumes by WILLIAM ORLANDI

The latest release in the Arthaus series of DVD recordings from the prestigious Opéra National de Paris is a production of Sergei Prokofiev’s wonderful surrealist fairy-tale opera The Love for Three Oranges. This is the opera that was played all over the world long before Prokofiev’s other mature works became well known. The opera’s fantastic story is particularly well loved, and the famous march, which exists in many arrangements and has been widely used as a symphonic concert piece.

Staged in the large Opéra Bastille, it is a colourful theatrical feast, directed by Gilbert Deflo. Carlo Gozzi’s original 18th Century play L’amore delle tre Melarance uses characters from the Commedia del Arte and incorporates fairy tale elements into the old theatre form to create popular theatre. This mixture attracted Prokofiev as it provided for a spectacle. He looked for stylised characters, pure entertainment, speed, rhythm and power, and he found melodic gestures and instrumental colours to match the characters or visual images. Deflo’s staging takes up this spirit. His production is pure theatre - his characters employ body language derived from the Commedia dell’arte and he uses elements of popular theatre. Conducted by 20th century specialist Sylvain Cambreling and sung in the original French version by superb singer-actors, this production presents a stage performance set in perfect harmony with Prokofiev’s inventive music.

BONUS: Documentary “How to fall in love with three oranges” - interviews with singers, conductor and director explain the music, the staging and their own approach to the roles.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.0, DTS 5.0

Picture Format: 16:9

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Subtitle Languages: FR, GB, DE, ES, IT

Running Time: 116 mins + 30 mins (Bonus)

FSK: 0

Note: This Blu-ray Disc (BD) is not compatible with standard DVD players.

Prokofiev’s enchantingly surreal commedia dell’arte masterwork is turned into a spectacular triumph of total theatre in this vital production from the Amsterdam Muziektheater. De Nederlandse Opera has chosen to use the more flexible French libretto of the 1921 premiere, a pertinent choice which has the advantage of accentuating the aesthetic common ground shared by Prokofiev and Les Six. Stéphane Denève’s brilliant musical direction inspires outstanding performances from the soloists and the superb Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, enhanced by the smart, blockbusting staging of Laurent Pelly and the exquisite sets of Chantal Thomas, which propel this feverish fable to great heights.

Bonus material/features:

Cast gallery & Illustrated synopsis

Introduction including interviews with main members of the cast and the artistic team

‘A wonderful spectacle… A masterful staging of Prokofiev’s Love for three oranges from DNO. … Seldom have we seen such a successful synthesis of music, image and wit on the operatic stage.’ Het Parool

Internationally-acclaimed, American illustrator and author of children’s books, Maurice Sendak, wrote the libretti and designed vivid and magical images for the fantasy operas Where The Wild Things Are and Higglety Pigglety Pop! to music by Oliver Knussen. He also created brilliant designs for Prokofiev’s quirky Love of Three Oranges, and for Ravel’s delightful double bill: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and L’Heure Espagnole.

Where The Wild Things Are and Higglety Pigglety Pop!

The antics of young Max (Karen Beardsley) and his journey to the Land of the Wild Things, and Jennie (Cynthia Buchan), the Sealyham terrier’s search for something more than everything, are set against beautifully intricate designs which adhere faithfully to Sendak’s illustrations in his own famous children’s books. Oliver Knussen conducts The London Sinfonietta.

L’Enfant et les Sortilèges

Ravel’s fantasy opera, ‘the bewitched child’, tells the tale of a boy (Cynthia Buchan) who is angry because he does not want to learn his lessons. He destroys his books and vandalises the room he is in. But the room comes to life – chairs, grandfather clock, teapot and teacup – and seeks revenge… Simon Rattle draws Ravishing sounds from The London Philharmonic.

L’Heure Espagnole

Ravel’s comic opera, his Spanish adventure, is set in a Toledo square, over which towers the baroque façade of the hall, where clockmaker Torquemada (Rémy Corazza) winds and minds the town clocks, at the same time every Thursday, thus leaving his wife Concepcion (Anna Steiger) alone in the house for an hour… Sian Edwards conducts The London Philharmonic.

The Love of Three Oranges

This sizzling visual extravaganza mixes fantasy, nightmare, romance and satire. The whole production is alive with acrobats, jugglers, body-builders, monsters, outrageous inflatable figures, colossal puppets and special animated sequences – creating a farcical, carnival atmosphere. Willard White powerfully portrays the King whose son (Ryland Davies), a doleful hypochondriac, can only be cured through laughter, and it is only when the wicked witch Fata Morgana (Nelly Morpurgo) accidently loses her skirt that the Prince breaks into hysterics. In revenge Morgana condemns the Prince to fall in love with three oranges which he pursues for three thousand miles. The exciting rhythms and brilliant orchestration of Prokofiev’s score are played by The London Philharmonic, conducted by Bernard Haitink.

Approx Duration: 98’ / 100’ / 115’

Picture format: NTSC 4:3

Region Code: 2,3,4,5

Audio: L-PCM Stereo

Subtitles: English