About the work
Sergei Prokofiev's satirical fairy-tale opera „The Love for Three Oranges" was premiered in Chicago in 1921 — in French („L'amour des trois oranges"). Prokofiev also wrote the libretto, based on the Italian fairy-tale comedy „Fiabe teatrali" (1761) by Carlo Gozzi. The opera is Prokofiev's ironic manifesto against the operatic conventions of his time.
Plot
Before the performance begins, different groups of figures appear — Tragedians, Comedians, Lyricists, Empty-Heads — and argue about what kind of opera it should be. The play itself: the King of Clubs is worried about his melancholic, perpetually sick son, the Prince. A fortune-teller predicts the prince will be cured if he laughs. The court fool Truffaldino organises a festive entertainment, but the prince remains unmoved — until the evil witch Fata Morgana falls and embarrasses herself: the prince laughs. Fata Morgana curses him: he must fall in love with three oranges and seek them in the desert. With his servant Truffaldino he sets out, reaches the desert of the fairy Créonta and steals three enormous oranges. In the desert they open two of them — from each a beautiful princess steps out, who immediately dies of thirst. From the third emerges Ninetta, whom the prince can still save. But the wicked slave Smeraldina turns Ninetta into a rat. In the finale all enchantments are lifted, the prince marries Ninetta, the people rejoice.
Cultural significance
The Love for Three Oranges is Prokofiev's most popular opera and contains in its famous „March" one of the best-known concert pieces of the twentieth century (also used as a TV theme). The ironic breaking of operatic tradition — the work constantly comments on itself — became style-forming for Stravinsky's „The Rake's Progress" and later postmodern operas. Boris Pokrovsky's Bolshoi production (1979) and Laurent Pelly's Lyon staging (2005) are reference performances.