About the work
“Les Enfants terribles” is a danced chamber opera by Philip Glass for four voices and three pianos, based on Jean Cocteau's 1929 novel of the same name and also drawing on Jean-Pierre Melville's 1950 film. Glass wrote the French-language libretto together with the American choreographer Susan Marshall. Commissioned by the “Steps” dance festival of the Migros Culture Percentage, the work premiered on 18 May 1996 at the Theater Casino in Zug; the singers share the stage with eight dancers.
Plot
The siblings Paul and Elisabeth lose their parents and withdraw into a closed world of games in their Paris apartment that only they understand. When Elisabeth comes into money and the two move house, Paul falls in love with Agathe, who resembles Dargelos, a schoolmate he once idolised. Elisabeth sees their bond threatened and intervenes with fatal consequences, so that Paul never escapes the world of his childhood.
Cultural significance
The work completes Glass's Cocteau trilogy after “Orphée” (1993) and “La Belle et la Bête” (1994). Instead of an orchestra, three pianos accompany the action, and singing and dance take turns in telling the story; a studio recording with the premiere cast was released by Orange Mountain Music in 2005.