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This content downloaded from 128.226.37.5 on Tue, 05 Jan 2016 08:29:59 UTC
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Pollicino:an operaforchildren Hans WernerHenze's children's opera 'Pollicino
or New Adventuresof Tom Thumb' firstheard
last summerat theMontepulcianoFestival, is to
be given at Covent Garden on 16-20 December,
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- an excellentmusicianwho worksat the Fenice in can actuallysingandplaythesenewsoundswithout much
Venice,and,likeLatham-Koenig, a friendoftheCantiere difficulty:theyarenotawareofthedifficulties adultsseek
sincethefirstyear - came to teachthiscastof20 musical- out and findin contemporary music.In fact,it was more
lycompletely innocent childrenhow to singin timeandin forthemusicaldirectors
difficult toteachthemusictothe
tune,howtolookat theconductor, andhowtosingin har- fouradultswho are neededin the play(theywerelocal
monywiththeothers.At thesame time,FournierFacio amateur actors and/orsingers). I put two Tuscan
was teachingthe musicto his pupils in the Concentus, folksongs intothescore:Raccogliamo frasche is one (in the
which had much improvedin qualityand in number originalitis in themajormode;I putitintotheminorfor
(therewere about 30 now). But the newcomersneeded dramaticreasons),andthefinalRoundis theother- itis
basic trainingfirst,of course,againand again. So it was therethatthemoraloftheplayis stated.Someoftheother
He taughteachchilditspart,notebynote.Both
difficult. tunesthatmightbe takenforfolkonesaremine,although
he and Locke workedfrommorningto night;they,and theyareall, ofcourse,influenced bytheTuscanlanguage
Jan Latham-Koenig,have made possible what,in the and landscapeand by thewaytheTuscanssing.
preparatoryphase, often seemed impossible, even I wrotea pianopartanda soloviolinpartintothescore.
hopelessat times.On theopeningnightthethreeofthem These are supposedto be played by professionals; in
were endlesslycheeredby the verychildrentheyhad school performances theywould be taken by teachers.
taughthowto singand to play:thismusthavebeentheir Theyhavea doublefunction: to helptheyoungplayersto
greatestreward.For myself, 2 August1980was oneofthe keepin tuneandin time,andto relaxtheear,fromtimeto
happiestdaysin mylife. time,fromthesoundoftherecorders. Theyalso havethe
The scoreis designedto containall sortsof basic and task of tellingthe story:the violinis the voice of the
moreadvancedmusicaltrainingmaterialforbeginners. Grandmother, who narratesof and moralizesabout
You could saythatPollicinois an intensivemusiccourse. Pollicino and his brothers,about Clotilde,the Ogre,
And whilethechildrenact and playand sing,theymake winterand spring.The otherinstruments too belongto
and hearsoundsthattheywill encounteragainlater,in the dramatispersonae:the recorders, theirtendervoices
concerthalls (and one hopes even in opera houses!): full of anguish,representof course the souls of the
soundsofourtime.Playingandsinging, theylearntotake children,and theirweepingand trembling represent their
whatothersmightcallunusualsoundsas a naturally given sorrows, sobs and The
sufferings. harmonium represents
fact,as partof our reality(as indeedtheyare). Children adultbigotry. The guitarmusicis closelyconnectedwith
The
Lighting:David Hersey.
Twofairytalesin musicforyoungpeople:
Pollicino or New Adventures of Tom Thumb
Royal
(Hans WernerHenze)
BritishPremiere-inEnglish
16-20 Decemberat 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Producer:RichardGregson PeterCourtier
Designer:
Conductor: David Syrus Bill Besant.
Lighting:
withJohnDobson/ThomasMcAlister,ElizabethBainbridge/Karen Shelby,Eric Garrett/Richard
Opera
Sikora
Hazell, Diana Montague/Elizabeth
Cinderella
Maxwell
(Peter Davies)
London Premiere
30December- 3 January
at2 p.m.and5 p.m.
RichardGregson
Producer: Designer:Ian Spurling
Covent Garden Conductor:PhillipGilbert
withtheBuxton
A co-production Festival
Bill Besant
Lighting:
767
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thegoodthingsin thecountry- peace,warmth andwell- The Montepulciano production was donewiththehelp
being;it is closeto thesoil,to musicplayedin thefields. of the CologneOpera House who sentus the producer,
Tuttiviolins(threeor moreareneeded),celloand double WillyDecker,thecostumedesigner, MarionGerretz, and
bass (singleor morenumerous)haveto helptherecorder PeterNagel, a youngrealistpainterfromthenorthwho
musicto projectitself;whereasthepercussionrepresents madethe set in close collaborationwitha groupof local
lightnessand shadow,lightand heavy,sinisterand evil youngsterswhosedesignswereused (andexhibited in the
things,and also functions forthebrass.It is
as substitutes foyeroftheTeatroPoliziano).The setand costumeshave
possible,incidentally, to workout othercastingsof in- remainedin Montepulciano, buttheshowcan andwillbe
struments,professionalpercussion,for example, or done again - it has alreadybeen presentedin Rome,at
modernwindinstruments, as thecharacterand themean- theAccademiaFilarmonica, and in theTeatroOlimpico,
ingof themusicwillnotsuffer too much. at the end of October 1980, conductedagain by Jan
Forthcoming productionsare mostlybeing organized Latham-Koenig to whosekindnessand energywe owethe
withthehelpofoperahouseswhooffertheirfacilities to astonishing resultforwhichhe struggled
final duringlong
schoolsorto children's groups;butI think(andhope)that and troublesome weeksunderatrociousrehearsing condi-
Pollicinowill also workin collegesand artisticallyorien- tions.I shall neverforgetthededicationof all involved;
tatedprimary schools.The scoreis organizedlikea boxof but thegreatest thingin thisoperationwas thecontribu-
children'sbricks,so itis possibletoextract
variousgroups tionofthechildrenthemselves. Theywereall marvellous,
of singlepieces fromit: it includesa violinand piano and I was veryproudof them.They are all musicians
sonatina,a setofguitarpieces,interludes forchildren's
or- now: musichas come intotheirsweetand fragilelives,
chestras,and somepianopiecesas well. theywon'tlet go ofheragain,theirmostfaithful ally.
Purcell's'StairreCase Overture'
AlanBrowning
768
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