Fairy-tale endings, where would we be without them?
This week we stay with things theatrical and listen to and look at the finales of those operas and ballets where, after trial and tribulation, the prince marries the princess and from then on in all’s right with the world.
Here are a few famous examples:
…a little dignity – the aged Stravinsky conducts the celebratory end of his ballet, The Firebird:
… in Mozart’s final Singspiel, The Magic Flute, Princess Pamina and Prince Tamino tie the knot:
… while, back in Seville, in the composer’s Marriage of Figaro, Figaro & Susanna, together with Figaro’s parents, Marcellina & Dr. Bartolo, have a double wedding (though the couple’s troubles will have to wait until the end of the opera for a final solution):
… meanwhile, back in fairy-tale land, Sleeping Beauty and her prince have a rather colourful guestlist for their wedding:
00:00 Pas de quatre by Gold, Silver, Sapphire and
Diamond Spirits
05:02 Pas de deux by Blue Bird and Princess Florina
12:57 Pas de Caractère by Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
14:33 Pas de Caractère by Puss in Boots and the White Cat
17:31 Pas de Caractère by Cinderella and Prince Fortune
… a fugue to finish off with. But it’s anything but one of those dry academic numbers. Nannetta & Fenton are to be married and the entire cast’s of Verdi’s last opera are going back to Falstaff’s for supper. All the world’s a joke!
Pontarddulais!
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The Art of Listening 