| The Little Prince | |
|---|---|
| Opera byRachel Portman | |
| Librettist | Nicholas Wright |
| Language | English |
| Based on | The Little Prince byAntoine de Saint-Exupéry |
| Premiere | |
The Little Prince, subtitledA Magical Opera, is anopera in two acts byRachel Portman to an Englishlibretto byNicholas Wright, based on the 1943book of the same name byAntoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first performed atHouston Grand Opera[1] on 31 May 2003.[2]
The Little Prince was commissioned by Kathryn and David Berg in memory of their friend, Larry Pfeffer.[3]
The original production was jointly produced and co-financed by several opera companies, including theHouston Grand Opera, theNew York City Opera, theBoston Lyric Opera,Tulsa Opera, and theSkylight Opera Theatre.[4] The opera premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in May 2003 with Nate Irvin as The Little Prince andTeddy Tahu Rhodes as the Pilot.[5]
It was then performed by the Skylight Opera Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Boston Lyric Opera with Jeffrey Walter as the Little Prince. Houston Grand Opera had a return engagement in December 2004 with Jeffrey Walter as the Little Prince and Jeffrey Allison. It was then performed at theUniversity of Kentucky opera (April 2005), the New York City Opera (November 2005), Tulsa Opera, and theSanta Fe Opera. TheSan Francisco Opera andCal Performances did a joint production atZellerbach Hall in May 2008.Ithaca College Opera presented a production in February and March 2010.[6]
In the United Kingdom, it was filmed by theBBC following a nationwide talent search for children to play the roles of the Prince, the Rose and a chorus of thirty-six vocalists. Over 25,000 children applied, with over 6,500 taking part in auditions. The television showBlue Peter documented the search for the singers, and filmed their training and rehearsals.The Little Prince was broadcast onBBC Two on 27 November 2004.
In May 2025Pacific Opera Victoria presented the Canadian première in a new production directed by Brenda Corner.[7] Andrew Love[8] was the Pilot, and Callum Spivack[9] and Jake Apricity Hetherington[10] performed the role of the Little Prince.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 31 May 2003 Conductor:Patrick Summers |
|---|---|---|
| The Little Prince | boy soprano | Nathaniel Irvin |
| The Pilot | baritone | Teddy Tahu Rhodes |
| The Fox | mezzo-soprano | Marie Lenormand |
| The Rose | soprano | Kristin Reiersen |
| The Water | soprano | Laquita Mitchell |
| The Snake/Vain Man | tenor | Robert Mack |
| Lamplighter/Drunkard[a] | tenor | Scott Scully |
| Businessman[a] | baritone | Aaron Judisch |
| Geographer[a] | baritone | Ethan Watermeier |
| The King[a] | bass | Joshua Winograde |
| Children's choir (Stars and Birds) | ||
| Director | Francesca Zambello | |
| Costume and production design | Maria Björnson | |
The opera requires 2flutes (2nd doublingpiccolo), 1oboe (doublingEnglish horn), 2clarinets (2nd doublingbass clarinet), 1bassoon (doublingcontrabassoon), 1trumpet, 1horn, 1trombone, 2percussionists,celesta,harp,string section. A performance lasts for about 1 hour 35 minutes.
Following the television broadcast,BBC in conjunction withSony Classical released a double-CD and DVD of the complete production ofThe Little Prince in November 2004. Upon release, the CD set entered the classical charts.[citation needed]; the publication includes the 74-page libretto, containing photographs from the opera and illustrations from the original book. It was recorded atAbbey Road Studios.
Charles Ward of theHouston Chronicle termed the production "unfailingly attractive—simple, communicative, touching" with the production "tantalizingly close to a major operatic success".Bernard Holland of theNew York Times wrote, "Charming as Maria Bjornson's sets and costumes are and as nicely handled as Francesca Zambello's direction is, they depend on Nicholas Wright's inventive rhyming to give them life. Lighting (by Rick Fisher) becomes as important as Rachel Portman's music. It is hard to say whose opera this is; it is perhaps collective: modest parts exceeded by their sum." T. J. Medrek of theBoston Herald found the musical setting of the opera "full of warmth, wisdom and generous lyric beauty. But the production by director Francesca Zambello and designer Maria Bjornson is so thoroughly enchanting that, given the choice, there's no question that you should opt for the DVD version."[11][12]
