Dresden, 18 November 2024. With his most famous opera, The Love for Three Oranges, Sergej Prokofi-ev created a satirical and fantastical masterpiece for all the senses that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. First performed in Chicago in 1921, it is still regarded as one of the outstanding works of the modern era due to its unusual mixture of fairy tale magic, irony and trenchant humour.
A new staging of The Love for Three Oranges by director Evgeny Titov (here making his Dresden debut) will premiere at the Semperoper on Saturday, 7 December 2024, conducted by Erik Nielsen. The sets are by Austrian stage designer, director and theatre, film and television actor Wolfgang Menardi, who is also collaborating on a Semperoper production for the first time.
The audience at the premiere can look forward to great performances by a star-studded cast featuring Georg Zeppenfeld, Mauro Peter and Alexandros Stavrakakis, all making their role debuts, as well as Nadezhda Karyazina and Flurina Stucki, making their house debuts. They will be joined by new ensemble members Jasmin Delfs, Valerie Eickhoff, Neven Crnić and Danylo Matviienko.
Based on the Italian play of the same name by Carlo Gozzi, The Love for Three Oranges tells a whimsical story of a melancholy prince who is cursed to fall in love with three oranges in return for a mischievous laugh and who finally finds his true heart’s desire at the end of a journey full of dangers and surprising encounters.
The score, with its mixture of neoclassical features, satirical parodies and modern harmonies, also takes the audience on a bizarre sonic journey, with Prokofiev's composition characterised by sharp rhythms, lively instrumentation and a certain exaggeration in keeping with the ironic tone of the plot. With its satirical charm, the comedy The Love for Three Oranges appeals to both young and opera-loving audiences and remains fascinating and topical thanks to its originality and contemporary relevance.
The Love for Three Oranges by Sergej Prokofiev
Staged by Evgeny Titov
Premiere at 6 pm on Saturday, 7 December 2024, in the Semperoper
Additional performances on 11, 15, 18, 20 & 22 December 2024 as well as 2 & 3 January 2025
With Jasmin Delfs, Michal Doron, Valerie Eickhoff, Georgina Fürstenberg, Nadezhda Karyazina, Taras Shtonda, Flurina Stucki as well as Neven Crnić, Gerald Hupach, Danylo Matviienko, Aaron Pegram, Mauro Peter, Tilmann Rönnebeck, Alexandros Stavrakakis and Georg Zeppenfeld
The Staatskapelle Dresden will be conducted by Erik Nielsen. Also on stage: the Saxon State Opera Chorus.
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
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