Fatima, or The Brave Children

One of the most charming contemporary operas to come out of Europe is Johanna Doderer’s 2015 fantasy-adventure created for the Vienna State Opera. Although conceived as a children’s opera and comparatively short, this inventive creation will also be enjoyed by adults. Siblings Hassan and Fatima are dealing with an acute food shortage and an ailing mother. Hassan learns of a castle that is hiring children for manual labor, but the overbearing lord has a peculiar employment contract: he will pay one gold coin per week for wages, but will take away the money and steal the dreams of the juvenile workers if they get angry. Hassan’s cheery optimism is no match for the noble’s deviousness, and it is up to plucky sister Fatima to teach the man a long-overdue lesson and liberate the children’s dreams that are kept locked in dungeon cages. While casting adult performers Carlos Osuna and Andrea Carroll as the young siblings might initially seem disconcerting—especially when they are surrounded by child performers—each beautifully exhibits the complex reactions of youngsters who find themselves challenged by extraordinary physical and emotional circumstances. Sorin Coliban’s castle lord is the ideal villain one loves to hate, luxuriating in his wickedness with gusto. Jan Meier’s costumes and set design effectively create extremes in rapture and terror with minimalist flair. And Doderer’s music, which is innovative and rather mature for a children’s opera, is ably played by the orchestra under the baton of Benjamin Bayl. Presented in stereo, this is highly recommended. (P. Hall)