S. Prokofiev opera "Love for Three Oranges"
The opera Love for Three Oranges by Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev was the debut work that the composer staged on stage. The production was a resounding success, the audience from different cities and countries gave a standing ovation and asked the actors for an encore.
This comic opera Prokofiev stood out among the rest with its cheerful mood, incredible energy and fun - the composer masterfully managed to convey the whole atmosphere of the radiant poetry of the Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi. With his creation, Prokofiev not only paid tribute to European traditions, but also built a plot that was ideal for Russian art.
A summary of Prokofiev's opera "" and many interesting facts about this work, read on our page.
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Characters |
Description |
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| King of Clubs | bass | head of the fairy kingdom |
| Prince | tenor | son of the King of Clubs |
| Princess Clarice | contralto | young relative of His Majesty |
| Leander | baritone | First Minister, appears dressed as the King of Spades |
| Truffaldino | tenor | court jester |
| pantalon | baritone | close associate of His Majesty |
| Mage Cheliy | bass | good wizard supporting the King |
| Fata Morgana | soprano | an evil sorceress who is on Leander's side |
| Ninette | soprano | orange girls |
| Nicoletta | mezzo-soprano | |
| Lynetta | contralto | |
| Arapka Smeraldina | mezzo-soprano | maid |
| Farfarello | bass | devil |
| Cook | husky bass | giantess guarding oranges |
Summary of "Love for Three Oranges"
In an unknown card country, the wise King of Clubs ruled. His state grew and prospered, but a real grief happened in the family of the ruler. His only heir fell ill with a terrible disease - hypochondria. A serious illness so exhausted the young man that he completely stopped smiling, enjoying life and did not see anything in the future but pitch darkness and pain. The famous doctors shrugged their shoulders and prepared the father for the imminent death of his beloved son, but the loving parental heart believed that everything could be fixed. As soon as the rays of the sun rose over the card kingdom, the King was already thinking of another way to cheer up his child. But all his efforts did not help - the desperate Prince could not find peace in his soul.
Meanwhile, the royal enemies have prepared another cunning plan to win a place on the throne. Minister Jack of the Cross Leander sleeps and sees himself as the ruler of a fairy-tale kingdom. He is supported by a relative of the king, Clarice, whom the cunning official promises to make the most beautiful card queen.
The evil sorcerers Chelius and Morgana use magical powers to overthrow the king from the throne. However, it was thanks to them that the sad Prince laughed for the first time - the sorceress fell very funny and ridiculously, and the young man simply could not help smiling. The witch was so angry that with the help of strong spells she awakened in him love feelings for three oranges that belonged to the giant sorceress Creonte. Under the influence of magic, the young man thought about the desired fruits day and night, and, in the end, went to the fairy garden to steal them from the giantess. The jester Truffaldino volunteered to help him in this.
The magician Cheliy gives instructions to travelers - you can open the plucked fruits only near the water, after which he hands them a magic bow that will help them distract the guard guarding the oranges. The plan works, and the prince and the jester carry away the oranges. Only now the road home through the desert exhausted the heroes - the prince fell asleep, and Truffaldino decided to quench his thirst and eat juicy fruits. He opens two oranges, two of the most beautiful girls appear from them and ask him for a drink. Without receiving the desired water, the beauties die. The prince himself opens the last fruit, and a girl also appears from it - Ninetta. But she miraculously manages to avoid death, and she, along with the Prince, goes to a fairy-tale castle to his loving father. But the evil magician turns Ninetta into a quivering dove, and instead sends the dark-skinned servant Smeraldina to the prince. But still, the fairy tale has a good ending - all the enemies got what they deserved, and the young prince and his chosen one got married and ruled the card kingdom for many years.
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Interesting Facts
- The libretto for the opera was written by Sal Prokofiev , and was translated into French for the Chicago premiere. The English composer had to be abandoned, because he had a very poor command of it. But he did not have the courage to stage a performance in his native language - the American audience was then not ready to listen to Russian-language opera.
- Before the performance, the composer was very nervous. Prokofiev was afraid of being misunderstood, because he created a very optimistic work on a careless plot in the difficult revolutionary years.
- The Russian audience saw "Love for Three Oranges" only in 1926 at the request of the Soviet government.
- During the years of Leonid Brezhnev's rule, there were two unacceptable operatic works in the Soviet Union. This " The Tale of the Golden Cockerel » N. Rimsky-Korsakov and "Love for Three Oranges" by S. Prokofiev. And all because the elderly leaders were afraid of parallels with the narrow-minded old rulers from these works.
- In the creative heritage of Prokofiev there is another work called "Love for Three Oranges". This is a small orchestral suite created on the basis of music from the opera of the same name. It consists of six parts: "Eccentrics", "Infernal Scene", "March", "Scherzo", "Prince and Princess" and "Escape".
- Before the premiere of the opera, Prokofiev received an offer from the owner of an orange plantation to advertise his products.
- After the first production, Prokofiev asked his close friend, composer M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, for an opinion on his work. He did not say anything, and the next morning Sergei Sergeevich received a note in which his friend admitted that he only loves oranges in pictures.
- The scores for the premiere of the play were published by the oldest music publishing house Breitkopf&Hartel.
- The Leningrad Opera House planned to go on a grand tour to Paris with Oranges, but this idea was not destined to come true.
- Director Sergei Radlov compared "Oranges" with a frisky girl who fell into an environment of serious and adult people.
- The opera "Love for Three Oranges" was the first work of Sergei Sergeevich in the comic genre.
- One of the most unusual productions of "Oranges" is Dmitry Bertman's performance, presented at the "Helikon-Opera". The director's vision of the main characters is very modern - the Prince is an avid computer gamer, and the King is an entrepreneur with a briefcase full of currency.
Popular arias and numbers from the opera "The Love for Three Oranges"
Medical Choir (listen)
March (listen)
Duet of Prince and Ninetta (listen)
Music
The opera Love for Three Oranges is considered the first Russian comic opera to be released after the revolution. This comedy performance combines the features of the most different genres : opera buffa with its abundance of amusing scenes, opera extravaganza with developed fantastic episodes, pantomime or even ballet performances with extended orchestral numbers. In the opera, all comedic principles are deliberately sharpened, and the grotesque and hyperbolization dominates all this. Prokofiev not only distorts the images and feelings of all the characters, but also maximally exaggerates the emotions and importance of the simple events that have arisen. All this determines the use by the composer of certain musical means in his work.
For example, in act I, where the news of the depression of the young Prince is reported, the music is filled with elements of the deepest sorrow - funeral rhythms, "groaning" intonations and "limp" sighs. But the party of the royal heir himself, suffering from hypochondria, in addition to passive and plaintive intonations, is saturated with ostinato rhythms - this is what Prokofiev wanted to convey the impression of "tediousness" and "deadly hopelessness" in the scenes with this hero. In a similar vein, the musical characteristics of all the characters in the opera are given - they are all shown with irony and significant distortion.
The history of the creation of "Love for Three Oranges"
Director V.E. advised Prokofiev to write an opera based on the popular Venetian play. Meyerhold, who already had a similar experience. He was one of the co-authors of a free adaptation of this work, published in the theatrical publication "Love for Three Oranges", the editor-in-chief of which was Vsevolod Emilievich.
In 1916, Meyerhold staged at the stage of the Mariinsky Theater Prokofiev's opera "The Gambler" , where the legendary director and talented composer met. Vsevolod Emilievich, who was very fond of Italian folk art, convinced Sergei Sergeevich of the need to create a fresh and innovative work. According to the author's idea, the opera was to be radically different from the usual boring stage productions.
In 1918, Prokofiev went on a tour of the United States, and on the way he decided to read Carlo Gozzi's play The Love for Three Oranges. The laid-back magical story captivated him so much that he immediately decided on the dramaturgy of the future work, the arrangement of the scenes and the musical direction. In addition, Prokofiev and Meyerhold constantly corresponded and discussed all their creative ideas.
The American public received the composer from Russia very well, and the Chicago theater commissioned him to create a new performance. Prokofiev did not shelve the matter and began to work diligently on the opera.
In the process of work, the author slightly modified the content of the tale, for example, the giant Creon was replaced by a cook, the number of characters decreased several times. The composer came up with new characters (eccentrics, comedians, lyricists, imps, etc.), who appear by chance, but contribute to the main characters - they discuss precedents, argue about art, touch on important spiritual topics.
In the autumn of 1919, the composition was completed and prepared for a theatrical production.
Production history
The Chicago theater immediately accepted the finished score, but the premiere took place two long years later - the performance was presented to the public on December 30, 1921. Just a couple of months after the premiere, the performance took place in New York, and after such a stunning success, the opera instantly appeared in the repertoire of all world theaters.
Influential members of the USSR party, having heard about the achievements of Sergei Sergeyevich, after much deliberation, came to the conclusion that the Soviet audience must see the opera. In 1925, a respected worker of the theater community, I.V. Ekskuzovich, who successfully negotiated with Prokofiev. On February 18, 1926, the premiere of the performance took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in Leningrad. The composer personally attended the performance and was extremely pleased with the result. A year later, the opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater in the capital.
Successful foreign productions include performances in Berlin at the Komische Oper (1968), Milan at La Scala (1974) and Munich (1991).
Prokofiev's "Three Oranges" was destined to a happy and long life. The performance was so loved by the audience that its productions are relevant at the present time. Directors continue their experiments on this creation of Prokofiev. In recent years, the production of Alexander Titel has been very popular. At the end of 2013, his work was presented at the Latvian National Opera, since 2016 it has been staged in Russia with minor changes. The director of the performance was able to create a bright modern performance with a lively, amazing and full of humor action. True, instead of the characters prescribed in the libretto - comedians, empty-headed, tragedians and lyricists, he actively involved policemen, firefighters, doctors and press representatives. Prokofiev believed that a sense of humor and self-irony are the most important qualities for a person. That is why directors and actors allowed themselves such "tomfoolery" on stage.
» S. Prokofieva is considered one of the most cheerful and cheerful opera creations of the 20th century. This big is perceived in one breath - it is so dynamic and exciting. The composer spoke about his innovative and bright creation: “We tried to understand who I am laughing at: at the audience, at the author of a fairy tale, or people without a sense of humor. They found in the opera both chuckles, and a challenge, and exaggerations, but I just created a fun performance.
Sergei Prokofiev "Love for Three Oranges"
Love for Three Oranges
Silvio, King of Clubs, is extremely agitated and extremely depressed by the illness of his only son, Prince Tartaglia. The best doctors determined the illness of the crown prince as the result of the deepest hypochondria and amicably retreated from the unfortunate. There was only one last resort to prevent Tartaglia in the prime of life from descending into the coffin - to make him laugh.
A devoted servant and friend of the king, Pantalone, offers Silvio a plan to save the patient: first, it is necessary to arrange fun games, a masquerade and bacchanalia at the court; secondly, to admit to the prince the recently appeared in the city of Truffaldino, a man well-deserved in the art of laughter. Heeding the advice of Pantalone, the king calls on the Jack of Clubs Leandro, his first minister, and entrusts him with the organization of the festival. Leandro was trying to object in the sense that extra turmoil would only hurt Tartaglia, but the king insists on his own.
Leandro objected to the king for a reason.
After all, he is in cahoots with Princess Clarice, Silvio's niece. The villains want to destroy the prince, get married and, after the death of Silvio, jointly rule the country. Leandro and Clarice in their plans are patronized by the fairy Morgana, who lost a lot of money by betting on the portrait of the king, and partly recouped by betting on the card with the image of Leandro. She promises to be at the festival and with her spells to prevent the healing of Tartaglia.
The funny Truffaldino - and he was sent to the palace by the magician Celio, who loved the king and did not tolerate Leandro for the same reason that determined Morgana's sympathies and antipathies - no matter how hard he tries, he cannot even cause a shadow on Tartaglia's face ....
LOVE FOR THREE ORANGE
Dramatic performance divided into three acts
Parsing from memory
(Translated by M. Lozinsky)
Let my boat float away
Until the shaft overturns it:
My dream, my imagination
I would like to please everyone;
But there is no limit to change in the world:
Who counted the difference in faces and manners?
That one is faithful to the lily, and this one to the rose,
Everyone has their own taste, in poetry and prose.
Yes, as blink, with your club
I may have worked too hard.
But where there are enough judges,
They'll decide sooner or later.
In addition, the mutilation in the mind of things,
When you have a giant as an enemy;
And I took the sword, but the sword is not fighting:
The game of blind man's buff was a fun fight.
Pulci, Morgante, Canto 27
The Love for Three Oranges, a children's story that I turned into a theatrical performance with which I began to support the Sacchi troupe, was only a buffoonish exaggerated parody of the works of Signors Chiari and Goldoni, which were in circulation at the time of its birth.
The only purpose that I pursued with this play was to find out how receptive the character of the public is to such a childish fairy-tale genre on the stage. From my exact analysis from recollection, the reader will be convinced that this performance was so bold that it even bordered on impudence. The truth should never be hidden. Never before has a performance been seen on the stage completely devoid of serious roles and entirely woven from the common buffoonery of all the characters, as was the case in this stage sketch. The play was presented by Sacchi's company on January 25, 1761, at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice, with the prologue below before analysis.
Furious adherents of both poets did everything possible to ensure its failure, but the amiable public supported her as many as seven performances during the carnival, which was already drawing to a close.
In subsequent years, the play was invariably repeated, but without an exaggerated parody of the aforementioned poets, because time had already passed for it and it would have appeared inopportunely. From my analysis it will be clear what it was when it appeared.
THE BOY THE MESSENGER
(to the audience)
We, your servants, old actors,
Filled with embarrassment and shame.
The whole troupe is standing there, looking down,
And their faces are as dark as ever.
After all, in the public what conversations:
These gentlemen feed us nonsense,
Solid rot, stale comedy.
Fraudsters, scoffers, ignoramuses!
I swear by the nature that created us:
To return the favor of the audience,
Any of them will pull out a tooth and an eye.
Yes, that is their firm decision!
But, good people, at least this time
Hold back your anger for a moment
Let me say two words - and there
I will give myself to your will.
We are confused: what attracts you?
How to please you with our craft?
Today the audience greets with a whistle
The fact that yesterday was crowned with triumph.
An unfathomable wind governs
Public taste wheel.
One thing we know: the fuller the fees,
The better the actors drink and eat.
Now the law is to make the scene every moment
Boiled with such a plentiful waterfall
Characters, accidents, intrigues
And incidents, pouring hail,
That involuntary fear penetrated our souls
And we will test each other with a look.
But since you need something to chew,
We torture you with old rubbish again.
What could explain the loss
Affection in your, viewers, hearts
To your humble servants that once
Were so honored within these same walls?
Poetry, aren't you to blame?
Let be! Doesn't matter! Everything in this world is dust
We are ready to endure all blows.
But your coldness is worse than any punishment.
We will do everything on our part,
We are even ready to become poets.
To turn back the successes of antiquity,
We decided to look for a laurel crown.
We'll trade our pants for ink,
For ten papers we will lay a new cloak,
That there is no talent, it does not matter:
If only you were happy, gentlemen.
Great, not seen by the world,
We will start presenting comedies.
Where, how, when we found them - about this
Do not ask, and what is it to you!
After all, if it rains in a hot summer,
You call him new rain.
In the meantime, I'll tell you a secret:
Water is rain, rain has always been water.
Everything moves, everything is a series of transformations.
The final becomes the original.
Another from the portrait of the old outfit
Today it is becoming fashionable again.
Taste, passion, modern look -
Everything is cute and excellent.
And I swear: the oldest theatergoer
Never seen comedy like this.
We have plots in our hands,
That they will turn old people into babies.
Of course, all parents are honest
They will bring their chicks here to us.
We will be despised only by unearthly talents,
But it doesn't matter - coppers
We do not regard the sense of smell:
What they give away - ignorance or knowledge.
Unexpected incidents are a long line
We will deploy before you in a motley shift.
Miracles will amaze you today
Which no one has seen on stage.
Gate, bird, dog will speak
Poems worthy of praise.
Of course, Martellian verse
You will like it more than anyone else.
The actors are waiting, and, like a prologue to the pictures,
I must briefly outline the plot.
But I'm afraid: snake hissing
And a loud cry will be your answer.
So, it goes: "Love for three Oranges."
I spoke. I have no retreat.
Now, my friends, imagine
That you and your grandmother are sitting by the fire.
The satire of this prologue, directed against the poets who oppressed the troupe of actors of Sacchi's impromptu comedy, which I wanted to support, is too obvious, and my intention to stage a number of my children's fairy tales on the stage is too obvious for me to have to comment on individual thoughts scattered in the prologue itself.
“A frisky girl who wormed her way into the midst of adults, serious people,” director Sergei Radlov described The Love for Three Oranges in this way, comparing it with other operas. By the time of its creation, the composer was already the author of four works in this genre - two children's operas ("The Giant" and "On the Deserted Shores") and the completely serious "Maddalena" and "The Gambler" created by an adult author, but the young composer applied for the first time.
The literary primary source of the opera “The Love for Three Oranges” was not the Italian folk tale of the same name as such, but the work created on its basis by Carlo Gozzi, an 18th-century Italian playwright, in whose work in general and in this play in particular one can see some similarities with S. S. Prokofiev. This composer went down in history as a "musical hooligan", a subverter of traditions - but Carlo Gozzi also wrote his fiaba (this is the name of the genre he created, combining the buffoonery of traditional Italian commedia dell'arte with a tragicomic plot), parodying the clichés of the high comedy of classicism - in particular, K. Goldoni.
However, Sergei Prokofiev's idea for the opera did not come under the direct influence of C. Gozzi. The fiaba of the Italian playwright interested Vsevolod Meyerhold, and the director, in collaboration with Konstantin Vogak and Vladimir Solovyov, created a free version of it, intending to stage it. It was not possible to realize this idea, but Vsevolod Meyerhold published the play in this form in the first issue of the magazine that he began to publish; in honor of the play, the magazine even got the name "Love for three oranges." It was this magazine publication that served as a source of inspiration for Sergei Prokofiev.
V. Meyerhold himself persuaded the composer to read the play, whom S. Prokofiev met back in 1916, while working on the production of the opera The Gambler, which was never completed. V. Meyerhold, who at that time was carried away by the Italian comedy of masks, advised the composer to create an opera that ridiculed the outdated canons of the theater and stage clichés. Fiaba C. Gozzi was ideal for this - after all, the playwright created it in his time with the same goal. On the advice of V. Meyerhold, S. Prokofiev read the play in a magazine on his way to America, and it made the most favorable impression on the composer. Subsequently, he wrote about this: "The play really occupied me with a mixture of fairy tales, jokes and satire, and most importantly - with its theatricality."
That "theatricality" that S. Prokofiev spoke about was very unusual. The characters in the play are divided into three categories. Among them are fabulous, but quite "earthly" heroes: the King of Clubs - the ruler of a fictional state, his son the Prince and niece Princess Clarice, the ministers Leander and Pantalon, the jester Truffaldino and others. The “real” characters are patronized by wizards who control their actions: the King is the good magician Chelius, and the minister Leandro is the evil witch Fata Morgana, accompanied by the devils. The third category of actors is the most unusual: these are Tragedians, Comedians, Lyricists, Emptyheads and Eccentrics. It is they who are the bearers of the idea of theatrical parody, which attracted both V. Meyerhold and S. Prokofiev. In the prologue, a real battle unfolds between these characters: Tragedians demand "high tragedies, philosophical decisions, sorrow, lamentations", Comedians - "invigorating, invigorating laughter", Lyricists - "romantic love, the moon, tender kisses", Empty Heads - "farces, ambiguous witticisms, nonsense. The brawl is stopped by the Freaks, who offer a play that has it all. In the future, they are present, observing what is happening from the side (as if reminding that this is a performance), but at the same time intervening in the action, commenting on it in their own way and helping other heroes.
Already at the first acquaintance with the play, S. Prokofiev had an idea for the future opera, its musical character and the order of the scenes clearly crystallized. The opportunity to implement this plan presented itself in the USA: S. Prokofiev's concerts made an impression on the American public, and in the wake of this success, the Chicago Opera House commissioned him an opera. It was then that the composer set about creating “Love for Three Oranges”. The libretto was written by him.
The opera "Love for Three Oranges" has become one of the most cheerful and cheerful works of Sergei Prokofiev. She immediately captures the viewer with a dizzying change of boldly outlined episodes, the element of buffoonery reigns in the music; many comedy techniques are associated with both the construction of melodies and orchestration. One of the symphonic episodes of the opera - an energetic, cheerful and at the same time grotesque march that sounds in the second act - is often performed as an independent concert number.
S. S. Prokofiev finished the opera The Love for Three Oranges in 1919, but it was not staged right away - the theater postponed the premiere. Its first performance took place only two years later - on December 30, 1921 - at the Chicago Opera House, and in French. S. S. Prokofiev himself conducted this performance. The new work was a relative success, and the theater ventured to present it on tour in New York, but the opera failed there. Only a few years later - under the influence of the fame of other works of the composer - various theaters of the world became interested in her.
Of course, most of all, Sergei Prokofiev would like the opera to be staged in his homeland, in Russian. The composer's dream came true in 1926. The initiators were his conservatory comrades - chief conductor of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater (former Mariinsky) Vladimir Dranishnikov and repertoire consultant Boris Asafiev. The reason was not only a personal acquaintance with S. S. Prokofiev - they sought to include new works in the theater repertoire. The composer, for his part, did everything to make this happen: he got Koussevitzky's publishing house to provide the score at a significant discount, agreed to pay a fee for two years.
The Russian premiere took place on December 18, 1926. Director S. Radlov relied on the characteristic features of music inherent in Prokofiev's opera - on its lightness, transparency, cheerfulness. This fully corresponded to the ideas that the director himself was passionate about: buffoonery, improvisation, continuous movement. The comic extravaganza was filled with comedic moments and witty finds. The author visited the performance the following year and was delighted with the production, which corresponded to his idea. It was supposed to show the opera in Paris, but, unfortunately, the planned French tour of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater did not take place.
S. Prokofiev said about his opera: “We tried to establish who I am laughing at: the audience, Gozzi, the operatic form, or those who do not know how to laugh. They found in "Oranges" both a laugh, and a challenge, and a grotesque, while I simply composed a cheerful performance. Since the premiere, this cheerful opera has again and again given a reason to laugh, having firmly won a place in the repertoire and recognition of the public.
The action takes place in a fictional state.
Representatives of various theatrical genres fight on goose feathers. Tragedians demand "high tragedies, philosophical solutions, world problems"; comedians crave "invigorating, healthful laughter"; the lyrics dream of "romantic love, flowers, the moon, tender kisses"; empty-headed people want "farces, nonsense, ambiguous witticisms." Ten eccentrics use gigantic shovels to rake up the quarrel and announce the start of a "real, incomparable" show.
The King of Clubs is in despair. His son, the Crown Prince, is suffering from hypochondria. Doctors consider the patient hopeless. But the King remembers the miraculous power of laughter. At the court, the beginning of merry holidays is announced.
Wizards show a burning interest in the fate of the heroes: the good Mage Chelius and the evil Fata Morgana. Behind the cabalistic curtain there is a symbolic game of cards; Chely loses.
The King's niece, Clarice, dreams of inheriting the throne. It is at her behest that the first minister of the kingdom, Leander, carries out a heinous treason, preparing for the slow death of the Prince. Leander feeds the royal offspring with tragic prose, bakes malicious verses into food. Upon learning that the merry fellow Truffaldino appeared at the court, Clarice demands decisive action from Leander. In his opinion, the Prince needs opium or a bullet.
Meanwhile, Truffaldino tries in vain to make the patient laugh. He does not want to hear about any entertainment. Even the comical dance of Truffaldino cannot distract the heir from thoughts about illness and medicines. Having lost patience, Truffaldino heaps the resisting Prince on his shoulders and goes with him to the feast.
Funny performances follow one after another. Freaks with huge heads fight on clubs. Drunkards and gluttons, pushing and overtaking each other, rush to the fountains with food and wine. The prince remains indifferent. By chance, a brawl between Truffaldino and Fata Morgana, dressed as a pitiful old woman, caught his attention. The prince lets out an uncertain "Ha, ha, ha!" Gradually, his laughter becomes louder, booming, more joyful. All the courtiers, looking at the Prince, shudder with violent laughter. Fata Morgana rises in anger and conjures the Prince to fall in love with three oranges. The prince comes into indescribable excitement. He is seized by the desire to immediately go in search of oranges. As a companion, he takes Truffaldino with him. The devil Farfarello, armed with furs, blows them in the back. The magician Chelius is anxiously watching the implementation of the Prince's reckless enterprise. The good wizard tries in vain to frighten him with the upcoming trials. The prince is relentless. Cheliy gives him a magic bow and warns him that oranges can only be opened near the water.
Overcoming fear and timidity, travelers rush to the kitchen of the evil giantess Creonta. They are blocked by a formidable cook. Truffaldino manages to get her interested in the magic bow, while the Prince steals three oranges.
In the hot desert, the Prince and Truffaldino are exhausted - the oranges have grown and become very heavy.
The prince falls asleep, and Truffaldino decides to feast on orange juice. One by one he cuts two oranges. White girls appear from them, who, in front of the bewildered entertainer, die of thirst. Truffaldino flees in terror.
The Prince wakes up. He can't wait to find out what the orange contains. The third girl comes out. She confesses to the Prince that she has loved him for a long time and is waiting for his release. Like her sisters, Ninetta begs for a drink. The freaks are rescued. They put a bucket of water on the stage. The princess is saved. The prince goes to the palace to warn the king. Meanwhile, the black woman Smeraldina, with the help of a magic pin, turns the princess into a rat.
Behind the cabalistic curtain, the Magician Chelius and Fata Morgana argue bitterly about the fate of their heroes. The dispute turns into a fight. It is difficult to predict who will win it. Again, the eccentrics have to intervene. They lure Fata Morgana into a tall tower and lock her up. Now Mage Cheliy can help out his favorites.
In the throne room of the royal palace, everything is ready for the engagement. Suddenly, the courtiers notice a huge rat. Chelius conjures her to turn back into Princess Ninetta. The betrayal of Clarice, Leander and the African Smeraldina is revealed. The king decides to execute the traitors. They try to flee and end up in the underworld of Fata Morgana. The courtiers praise the King and the happy lovers - the Prince and Princess.
The premiere took place on December 30, 1921 in Chicago. On February 18, 1926, Love for Three Oranges was staged by the Leningrad Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre; in 1927 - the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR in Moscow.
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