L'Amour des Trois Oranges (The Love for Three Oranges)
This opera, premiered in Chicago in 1921, is a farce about a morose, hypochondriacal Prince in the land of the King of Clubs. His father tries to make him laugh with the help of the wizard, Tchelio, while Princess Clarice and the Prime Minister want him to die so they can take over the kingdom, and are aided by the witch, Fata Morgana. Commedia dell'arte figures help, hinder and comment. Morgana dooms the Prince to fall in love with three oranges; after confrontations with a huge cook, a rat, and a lovely princess, all eventually turns out well. Besides the famous "March," there are no real tunes in the opera, but Prokofiev's colorful, witty score is loved by aficionados. The just-about-perfect production from the Netherlands Opera, designed and directed by Laurent Kelly, is playful, brilliantly colorful, and fun to watch. Huge playing cards make up the scenery and props and sets whirl in and around. The Prince, in his pajamas throughout, may be dreaming, and there are special effects galore. The cast could not be better; conductor Stephane Deneve has the exact pulse of this odd work and is a good sport when the action of the opera spills over into the orchestra pit at times. If you're a Prokofiev fan, this is for you--you'll probably never see a better performance of this wacky work.--Robert Levine