The Adventures of Pinocchio (opera)
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 2007 opera
in two acts by Jonathan Dove
with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton
based on the novel by Carlo Collodi
. It tells of the creation of the wooden puppet 'Pinocchio' and some of his adventures on the way to becoming a real boy.
The opera was commissioned by Opera North
with Sadler's Wells Theatre
, and the original production opened at the Grand Theatre
in Leeds
on December 21, 2007. It starred Victoria Simmonds as Pinocchio
, Mary Plazas as the Blue Fairy
and Jonathan Summers
as Mister Geppetto
. It was directed by Martin Duncan, conducted by David Parry
, designed by Francis O'Connor and choreographed by Nick Winston
. The production included some ingenious technical stage effects, and used a full symphony orchestra including two accordions (which appear briefly on stage), a piano, and assorted percussion. The opera received its North American premiere by the Minnesota Opera
at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
on February 28, 2009, with mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala in in the title role.
The work was recorded live at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, on 29 February & 1 March 2008, and was released on the Opus Arte label on Feb.1, 2009 in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in two acts by Jonathan Dove
Jonathan Dove
Jonathan Dove is a British composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera , including in 1990 a famous 18-player two-evening adaptation of Wagner's Der Ring des...
with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton
Alasdair Middleton
Alasdair Middleton is a British playwright and opera librettist. He also teaches the Junior Classes at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.- Opera libretti :*Everything Money Can Buy *Out Of The Ordinary...
based on the novel by Carlo Collodi
Carlo Collodi
Carlo Lorenzini , better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was an Italian children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.-Biography:...
. It tells of the creation of the wooden puppet 'Pinocchio' and some of his adventures on the way to becoming a real boy.
The opera was commissioned by Opera North
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle...
with Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
, and the original production opened at the Grand Theatre
Grand Theatre Leeds
The Grand Theatre is a theatre and Opera house in the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was designed by James Robinson Watson, chief assistant in the office of Leeds-based architect George Corson, and opened on 18 November 1878...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
on December 21, 2007. It starred Victoria Simmonds as Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
, Mary Plazas as the Blue Fairy
Blue Fairy
The Fairy With Turquoise Hair is a fictional character in Carlo Collodi's book The Adventures of Pinocchio. She repeatedly appears at critical moments in Pinocchio's wanderings to admonish the little wooden puppet to avoid bad or risky behavior...
and Jonathan Summers
Jonathan Summers
Jonathan Summers is an Australian operatic baritone. He notably sang the role of Captain Balstrode in the 1980 recording of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes which won a Grammy award for Best Opera recording.- Early life :...
as Mister Geppetto
Mister Geppetto
Mister Geppetto is a fictional character in the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator of Pinocchio...
. It was directed by Martin Duncan, conducted by David Parry
David Parry (conductor)
David Parry is an English conductor who is particularly known for his work within the field of opera. Described as "a man of the theatre with whom directors love to work; he is good with singers; he knows the British opera world like the back of his hand...
, designed by Francis O'Connor and choreographed by Nick Winston
Nick Winston
Nick Winston is an English director and choreographer working in Theatre, Opera and Film- As Director/Choreographer :Theatre credits include: "Cinderella" ; "Can You Keep A Secret" ; "Another Kind Of Magic" ; "Tomorrow Morning" ; Grease The Musical ;...
. The production included some ingenious technical stage effects, and used a full symphony orchestra including two accordions (which appear briefly on stage), a piano, and assorted percussion. The opera received its North American premiere by the Minnesota Opera
Minnesota Opera
The Minnesota Opera is a performance organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was founded in 1963 by the Walker Art Center, and is known for premiering such diverse works as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Frankenstein by Libby Larsen...
at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is located in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota and hosts a variety of performing arts, such as touring Broadway musicals, orchestra, opera, and cultural performers. It serves as a home to several local arts organizations, including the Minnesota Opera, The Saint...
on February 28, 2009, with mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala in in the title role.
The work was recorded live at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, on 29 February & 1 March 2008, and was released on the Opus Arte label on Feb.1, 2009 in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats.
Roles
- Pinocchio (mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
) - Geppetto (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) - Cricket / Parrot (sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) - Cat (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) - Fox / Coachman (counter-tenor)
- The Blue Fairy (sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) - Fire-eater / Ape-Judge / Big Green Fisherman / Ringmaster / Farmer (bass)
- Pigeon / Snail (contraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
) - Barker
- Arlecchino, Rosaura, Pantalone
- Owl Doctor, Crow Doctor, Beetle Doctor
- Coal Merchant, Bricklayer
- Lampwick
- Drum-maker
- Dancers, puppet operators, acrobats, prisoners (non-singing)
- Puppet show audience, puppet policemen, fantasy rich people, lawyers, labourers, pupils, teachers, Funland vendors, circus troupe, Echoes, villagers, townsfolk (chorus)
Act One
- Scene 1: The wood
In which Geppetto finds a log. - Scene 2: Geppetto's hut
In which Pinocchio is made and Geppetto suffers some of the misfortunes of parenthood; Pinocchio learns about school and the consequences of falling asleep in front of an open fire; a cricket learns the result of giving unwanted advice to small boys; and Geppetto buys Pinocchio a schoolbook. - Scene 3: A street
In which Pinocchio sets off to school but is distracted. - Scene 4: The puppet theatre
In which Pinocchio meets some old friends; escapes death; is very brave; is rewarded and sent on his way. - Scene 5: A street
In which Pinocchio meets a Cat and a Fox and learns about the Field of Miracles. - Scene 6: The wood
In which Pinocchio ignores a warning from a ghostly Cricket; is pursued by Assassins; meets a dead girl with blue hair; is hanged and pecked down by some friendly birds. - Scene 7: The Blue Fairy's cottage
In which Pinocchio is cured and discovers the consequences of lying to girls with blue hair, promises to be good and sets off to meet Geppetto and live happily ever after. - Scene 8: The wood
In which Pinocchio meets the Cat and the Fox again; is tricked out of his money and is mocked by a parrot. - Scene 9: The court and jail
In which Pinocchio discovers the meaning of Justice and Freedom. - Scene 10: The wood
In which Pinocchio goes looking for the Blue Fairy but finds a grave and goes for a ride on a Pigeon. - Scene 11: A beach
In which Pinocchio attempts to help Geppetto.
Act Two
- Scene 1: Drudgeland
In which Pinocchio learns about work, meets a lady with blue hair and does quite well at school. - Scene 2: The seashore
In which Pinocchio proves indigestible. - Scene 3: Outside the Blue Fairy's house
In which Pinocchio knocks at a door, gets frustrated with a Snail and is promised a party. - Scene 4: A street
In which Pinocchio, at the urging of his friend Lampwick, sets off for Funland. - Scene 5: Funland
In which Pinocchio visits Funland and is transformed by the experience. - Scene 6: The circus
In which Pinocchio joins the circus, recognizes a member of the audience and is sold to a Drum-maker. - Scene 7: The seashore
In which Pinocchio becomes his old self again and is swallowed by a big fish. - Scene 8: Inside the big fish
In which father and son are reunited and escape together. - Scene 9: The village by the sea
In which Pinocchio works hard for his father; meets his old acquaintances and finally gets his reward.