The Idea
Opera for Children
by Gustav Holst
May 2013
Konzerthaus Berlin
Conductor:
Ruben Fischer
Soloists:
Musikschule Pankow
teacher: Michael Engelke
Löwenchor Berlin
teacher:
Jan Olberg and Norienne Olberg
Set and costumes:
Claus Althaus
Francisca Villela
Project Manager:
Thomas Böttcher
“Vivocchio”
In a kingdom far away from here, somewhere close to the banana republic life is good. The inhabitants enjoy their lifes, but things have to be changed, says the Prime Minister. He orders a strange reform that should bring order to the country. Soon the population seems to despair. Chaos begins. Only the King is up is enjoying his life and seems to follow curious plans…
There is no limit to the imagination of children – that is the experience I have made in this production.
In the realization of this children’s opera, which took a school year, the children did everything. Not only have they played, sung and acted, but they have also made the stage design, the props and their own costumes. The drawings of her ideas have been put on the stage by the costume designer Francisca Villela and the stage designer Claus Althaus.
It was important to make the children being aware of the fact that an opera production consists of many parts and that we can just manage with team work.
In the end, together with the artist and illustrator Carine Kuntz we wrote a fairy tale book about the operetta (print and layout: Sandra Hanschitz).