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1964 production photo from L'enfant et les sortilèges

L'enfant et les sortilèges 1964

July 22 - August 8, 1964

A delightful fantasy…

…based on Ravel’s fascination with musical toys…

(presented as a double-bill with Gianni Schicchi)

Music By
Maurice Ravel
Poem By
Colette

Synopsis

Part I

Late in the afternoon a young boy is lazily sitting at his lessons in a fit of laziness. He can only think of things that he is not allowed to do. His mother brings him tea and is vexed to see that he has done nothing. His punishment is dry bread and tea without sugar, as well as being left alone until supper.

The boy flies into a fury. He pulls the cat’s tail, tears the wallpaper, smashes the grandfather clock and pokes at the fire. Exhausted after his orgy of destruction, he begins to sink into an armchair, but it walks away from him, bows gravely to a small boudoir chair and leads her in a grotesque dance. The clock, bemoaning its broken pendulum, and all of the other battered objects in the room, give vent to their anger.

The Chinese cup and the Wedgewood teapot threaten the boy. As the sun sets, the terrified child approaches the warm fire. The flames leap out. and the fire chases the boy about the room until it is overcome by ashes. The shepherds and shepherdesses of the torn wallpaper leave the room to seek new pastures. The Fairy Princess rises from the torn pages of the story book. The child had never finished reading the Princess’ story and now will never know how it ends. As the Princess is pulled back into the torn pages, the boy searches vainly for the conclusion to the tale, but he finds only Father Arithmetic, a little old man who confuses him with fantastic sums.

The moon rises and the boy’s black tom cat is joined by a white pussy cat and they sing an amorous duet.

Part II

The cats lead the boy into the garden. He listens to the music of the frogs, insects, nightingales, and trees. As he leans against a tree, it moans and complains of the wound the boy inflicted with his knife yesterday. A dragonfly calls for its lost mate who is pinned to the wall in the child’s room. A bat laments the lost mother of its little ones. Frogs emerge from the pool.

The child feels lonely amid the nocturnal love in the garden and calls for his mother. Several animals spring at their tormentor. In the confusion a squirrel is injured and limps toward the child. As the child bandages the injured squirrel’s foot, the. other animals look on in silent astonishment. Their animosity turns to friendliness when they perceive the good in the child. The animals try to call for his mother, as he has called to her, thinking they are helping him. As the, animals lead him towards his house, they sing that he is really a good and a kind child.

Artists

Claire Brooks

Soprano

L'Enfant

Batyah Godfrey

Contralto

Maman

William Metcalf

Baritone

Le Fauteuil/ Le Chat

Rosalind Hupp

Mezzo-soprano

La bergère/ L'Ecureil

Adib Fazah

Baritone

L'Horloge

Paul Franke

Tenor

Le Théière/ La Rainette

Elaine Bonazzi

Elaine Bonazzi

Mezzo-soprano

La Tasse Chinoise/ La Chatte/ Le Libellule

Nadja Witkowska

Soprano

Le Feu

Thomas Enckell

Dancer

Le Cendre/ Dance of Numbers

Ellen Jayne Miller

Mezzo-soprano

Un Pâtre

Mary Alexander

Mezzo-soprano

Une Pastourelle

Catherine Christensen

Soprano

La Princesse

Stanley Kolk

Tenor

Le Petit Vieillard

Rodney Godshall

Bass

Un Arbre

Katherine Kaufman

Soprano

Le Rossignol

Sylvia Davis

Soprano

La Chauve-Souris

Cynthia Barnett

Soprano

La Chouette

Durine Dieters

Dancer

Dance of Numbers

Katharyn Horne

Dancer

Dance of Numbers

Bud Heidebur

Dancer

Dance of Numbers

Vincent Warren

Dancer

Dance of Frogs

Barry Edson

Dancer

Dance of Frogs

Robert Baustian

Conductor

Bliss Hebert

Director

Henry Heymann

Designer

Scenic Designer

Constance Mellen

Costume Designer

Georg Schreiber

Lighting Designer

Ron Sequoio

Choreographer

John Moriarty

Chorus Master