Washington National Opera Working Rehearsal
Deborah F. Rutter President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
Michael L. Mael Executive Director
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT… Author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a pilot whose plane disappeared during a 1944 war mission. Why do you think he chose a pilot as his narrator? n
Though the prince very rarely joins adults in song, he does sing a duet with the lamplighter. Why do you think the composer chose to have them sing together? n
The flute often plays alongside the prince’s voice. Why do you think the composer chose this instrument to accompany the Little Prince? (Hint: Think light, soft sounds.) n
WHAT TO WATCH AND LISTEN FOR… How the musical melodies may rise and fall along with the characters’ feelings. For example, the voice of the well water keeps getting higher and higher as the prince and pilot enjoy a happy scene. n
The scary music for the baobab trees. Listen for the low-sounding instruments and the forceful drums that represent these destructive plants. What do the sounds remind you of? Also watch for baobabs’ slimy, slinky-like costumes. n
How the prince and the pilot occasionally sing in short, choppy bursts with very little instruments, but also sing longer, soaring phrases with the whole orchestra joining in. Why do you think the composer uses these different styles? n
Francesca Zambello Artistic Director
Rachel Portman’s
The Little Prince Libretto by Nicholas Wright
Directed by Francesca Zambello
Conducted by Nicole Paiement
With members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and the WNO Children’s Chorus
General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of WNO’s 2014-2015 Season. WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey. The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
Take a trip through space and time with a mysterious little prince as he gives a lonely pilot some valuable lessons in life, love, and laughter. But keep an eye out for some silly characters and creepy creatures—and be sure to steer clear of baobab trees.
Additional funding for the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is provided by Judy and Billy Cox. Events for Students is made possible by Kaplan, Inc.; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education. Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program. Education and related artistic programs are made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center.
Learn more about education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. © 2014 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Performance Guide
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Cuesheet
The Little Prince searches for his planet in the night sky.
Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars. David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO.
About Rachel Portman’s
The Little Prince Inspired by the French book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (ahn-TWAN duh santeg-zu-pey-REE), The Little Prince was written by English composer Rachel Portman and librettist Nicholas Wright in 2003. The opera draws on the World War II novel’s themes of innocence, experience, happiness, and loss, all while exploring the different ways in which children and adults view the world. The Little Prince was written for only 14 musicians (as opposed to a full orchestra) and also features many child soloists and a children’s chorus.
The prince tries desperately to make his rose happy.
ACT I A young pilot introduces himself to the audience. He explains how grown-ups never really understood him and that now, as an adult, he earns a living soaring through the sky. The stars sing to him as he glides through the air, but he suddenly loses control of his plane and crashes into an African desert. The pilot looks over the damage and begins trying to fix the plane. But just as he grabs his tools, he’s interrupted by a small boy who curiously asks the pilot to draw a sheep. Though confused at first, the pilot comes to know the boy as “the Little Prince” and, slowly, the prince reveals his unusual story. We learn the prince was once the proud owner of a tiny asteroid, where he cared for a lovely rose whom he adored but who was very difficult to please. She challenged him to leave his home and gain more wisdom, and so he set out to visit the neighboring planets. During his travels he met several strange adults including a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a businessman, and a lamplighter. The audience then discovers that, after meeting these men, the Little Prince decided to journey to planet Earth.
ACT II The prince continues his story. On Earth, the prince says, he met a slithering snake who claimed that his deadly poison could “ease” all the prince’s worries. The Little Prince then encountered a garden full of roses and cried at the thought that perhaps his own rose was merely one of a million other common flowers. Yet soon after, the prince was comforted by a friendly fox. The fox, who begged the prince to tame her and make her his own, gently explained that everything worthwhile is invisible; they cannot be touched, only felt by the heart. She also told him that the bonds of love are what make all things—including ordinary flowers— uniquely special. The pilot then rudely interrupts the prince’s tale, saying that they need water if they are to survive in the desert. Exhausted, the two travel to the spot directly beneath the prince’s planet and discover a well. As they gather water, the pilot realizes his friendly affection for the prince and begins to understand the fox’s message. Still, the prince longs to return to his rose as he has promised. Will the tired and weary Little Prince make it home and will the pilot be able to keep the prince’s lessons in his heart?
What is Opera? An “opera” is a story told through music. Instead of speaking, the characters sing through their thoughts and emotions. Sometimes the characters sing by themselves (this is called an “aria,” pronounced AR-ee-yah), and sometimes they sing in groups of two or more. There’s also an orchestra that plays with the singers and uses different combinations of instruments at different times.
About Washington National Opera Originally founded in 1956, Washington National Opera (WNO) ranks as one of today’s largest American opera companies. As an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO presents several operas each year at the Kennedy Center Opera House and performs throughout the city, offering training and enrichment programs year-round. In the past decade, WNO has reached worldwide audiences through international broadcasts.
MAIN CHARACTERS The Pilot The Little Prince The Rose A Fox A Snake The Voice of the Water Inhabitants of Nearby Planets
To learn more about opera visit www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge and click the tag “opera” All production photos by George Hixson
About Rachel Portman’s
The Little Prince Inspired by the French book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (ahn-TWAN duh santeg-zu-pey-REE), The Little Prince was written by English composer Rachel Portman and librettist Nicholas Wright in 2003. The opera draws on the World War II novel’s themes of innocence, experience, happiness, and loss, all while exploring the different ways in which children and adults view the world. The Little Prince was written for only 14 musicians (as opposed to a full orchestra) and also features many child soloists and a children’s chorus.
The prince tries desperately to make his rose happy.
ACT I A young pilot introduces himself to the audience. He explains how grown-ups never really understood him and that now, as an adult, he earns a living soaring through the sky. The stars sing to him as he glides through the air, but he suddenly loses control of his plane and crashes into an African desert. The pilot looks over the damage and begins trying to fix the plane. But just as he grabs his tools, he’s interrupted by a small boy who curiously asks the pilot to draw a sheep. Though confused at first, the pilot comes to know the boy as “the Little Prince” and, slowly, the prince reveals his unusual story. We learn the prince was once the proud owner of a tiny asteroid, where he cared for a lovely rose whom he adored but who was very difficult to please. She challenged him to leave his home and gain more wisdom, and so he set out to visit the neighboring planets. During his travels he met several strange adults including a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a businessman, and a lamplighter. The audience then discovers that, after meeting these men, the Little Prince decided to journey to planet Earth.
ACT II The prince continues his story. On Earth, the prince says, he met a slithering snake who claimed that his deadly poison could “ease” all the prince’s worries. The Little Prince then encountered a garden full of roses and cried at the thought that perhaps his own rose was merely one of a million other common flowers. Yet soon after, the prince was comforted by a friendly fox. The fox, who begged the prince to tame her and make her his own, gently explained that everything worthwhile is invisible; they cannot be touched, only felt by the heart. She also told him that the bonds of love are what make all things—including ordinary flowers— uniquely special. The pilot then rudely interrupts the prince’s tale, saying that they need water if they are to survive in the desert. Exhausted, the two travel to the spot directly beneath the prince’s planet and discover a well. As they gather water, the pilot realizes his friendly affection for the prince and begins to understand the fox’s message. Still, the prince longs to return to his rose as he has promised. Will the tired and weary Little Prince make it home and will the pilot be able to keep the prince’s lessons in his heart?
What is Opera? An “opera” is a story told through music. Instead of speaking, the characters sing through their thoughts and emotions. Sometimes the characters sing by themselves (this is called an “aria,” pronounced AR-ee-yah), and sometimes they sing in groups of two or more. There’s also an orchestra that plays with the singers and uses different combinations of instruments at different times.
About Washington National Opera Originally founded in 1956, Washington National Opera (WNO) ranks as one of today’s largest American opera companies. As an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO presents several operas each year at the Kennedy Center Opera House and performs throughout the city, offering training and enrichment programs year-round. In the past decade, WNO has reached worldwide audiences through international broadcasts.
MAIN CHARACTERS The Pilot The Little Prince The Rose A Fox A Snake The Voice of the Water Inhabitants of Nearby Planets
To learn more about opera visit www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge and click the tag “opera” All production photos by George Hixson
Washington National Opera Working Rehearsal
Deborah F. Rutter President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
Michael L. Mael Executive Director
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT… Author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a pilot whose plane disappeared during a 1944 war mission. Why do you think he chose a pilot as his narrator? n
Though the prince very rarely joins adults in song, he does sing a duet with the lamplighter. Why do you think the composer chose to have them sing together? n
The flute often plays alongside the prince’s voice. Why do you think the composer chose this instrument to accompany the Little Prince? (Hint: Think light, soft sounds.) n
WHAT TO WATCH AND LISTEN FOR… How the musical melodies may rise and fall along with the characters’ feelings. For example, the voice of the well water keeps getting higher and higher as the prince and pilot enjoy a happy scene. n
The scary music for the baobab trees. Listen for the low-sounding instruments and the forceful drums that represent these destructive plants. What do the sounds remind you of? Also watch for baobabs’ slimy, slinky-like costumes. n
How the prince and the pilot occasionally sing in short, choppy bursts with very little instruments, but also sing longer, soaring phrases with the whole orchestra joining in. Why do you think the composer uses these different styles? n
Francesca Zambello Artistic Director
Rachel Portman’s
The Little Prince Libretto by Nicholas Wright
Directed by Francesca Zambello
Conducted by Nicole Paiement
With members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and the WNO Children’s Chorus
General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of WNO’s 2014-2015 Season. WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey. The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
Take a trip through space and time with a mysterious little prince as he gives a lonely pilot some valuable lessons in life, love, and laughter. But keep an eye out for some silly characters and creepy creatures—and be sure to steer clear of baobab trees.
Additional funding for the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is provided by Judy and Billy Cox. Events for Students is made possible by Kaplan, Inc.; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education. Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program. Education and related artistic programs are made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center.
Learn more about education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. © 2014 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Performance Guide
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Cuesheet
The Little Prince searches for his planet in the night sky.
Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars. David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO.