Event programme

An Operatic Adventure for Younger and Older Children and Families

A Magical Operatic Adventure begins the moment children enter the hall, as the two opera singers are already “backstage”, preparing for the performance – arranging their hair, applying make-up, getting dressed and warming up their voices. When they realise they are being watched, they introduce themselves and, after a brief conversation with the children, transform into the allied sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, performing the first duet from Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte. The adventure becomes especially lively and entertaining when the playful fairy-tale characters Hansel and Gretel appear on stage and invite the children to join in a counting rhyme, followed by a duet from Humperdinck’s opera of the same name. This is followed by a shared moment of “magic” leading into the charming aria of the Witch from the same opera. Here, children discover that composers often assign boys’ roles and dramatic arias to mezzo-sopranos. Together, we also try rhythmic “rowing” in the style of Venetian gondoliers, accompanied by Offenbach’s famous Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann. What roles, then, do composers assign to sopranos? Children discover this through one of the most famous soprano arias, sung by the gentle and tender Lauretta in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, marking the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death this year. The performance concludes with a humorous “musical quarrel” between Susanna and Marcellina from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, with an educational message about the importance of respectful communication. Together with the singers, the children revisit the programme poster, which serves as a guiding thread throughout the performance, and, if they wish, choose one of the previously heard scenes for an encore.