The Love for Three Oranges

Sergei Prokofiev's 1921 comic opera The Love for Three Oranges is probably his best known, featuring a march that became famous as the theme for radio's Gangbusters in the 1930s. Apart from that small part of the score, however, the music isn't terribly melodic, instead favoring the spiky, gruff, slightly dissonant style characteristic of avant-garde composers of the time. And the libretto, adapted by Prokofiev from a parody of 17th-century commedia del arte by Carlo Gozzi, is equally off-putting: it's a wild farrago of fantasy and satire about a despondent prince whose father's attempt to cure his melancholia leads to a curse by the witch Fata Morgana dictating that the young man will fall in love, as the title says, with three oranges, which ultimately “hatch” three princesses. Unfortunately, it's hard to warm to the piece, which further distances itself from the audience by introducing a chorus of observers who comment on the action. This 2005 performance from the Nederlandse Opera features a virtual army of good (though not exceptional) singers, energetic playing by the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and opulent production design by Laurent Pelly. But while the staging is extremely busy, it's not very funny (having conductor Stéphane Denéve occasionally play the clown is a sure sign of desperation), and the result is a reading that seems dutiful rather than dazzling, anxious to enchant but lacking both zing and precision. Presented in the French translation Prokofiev prepared for the Chicago premiere, this version stumbles rather than soars, despite good camerawork and fine sound (with DTS surround and LCPM stereo options). DVD extras include a cast gallery, illustrated synopsis, and a “making-of” featurette. Optional. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)