Temple University Opera Theater will present Le Rossignol by Igor Stravinsky and L’enfant et les Sortilèges composed by Maurice Ravel on Friday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec., 1, at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m., in Tomlinson Theater, 1301 Norris St., on Temple’s Main Campus.

Le Rossignol (The Nightingale) and L’enfant et les Sortilèges (The Bewitched Child) are rarely staged together. One story takes place in an ancient Chinese empire while the other is based in 18th century Europe. However, the two operas include challenging orchestral and vocal arrangements, making them a perfect fit for the award-winning Opera Theater, musical director John Douglas said.

“I wanted to do something unusual this year, something with a 20th century leaning,” he said. “The Stravinsky appealed to me right away; the part of the nightingale is a very demanding part and I knew we had strong vocalist who could manage the part very well.

“I also had access to an unusually large orchestra this term, which both pieces require,” he continued.

Based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale Le Rossignol tells the story of a Chinese emperor who becomes infatuated with the song of a nightingale and orders his servants to capture the bird for his entertainment. Soon after her capture, the emperor is presented with a mechanical bird and loses interest in the real nightingale, which escapes from his kingdom. When emperor becomes ill, the real nightingale returns to his palace to help return him to health.

L’enfant gave stage director Laura Johnson the opportunity to step away from the conventional rules of opera staging and try something different.

Set in an old-fashioned country home, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges tells the story of a disobedient youngster who, after being scolded by his mother, throws a temper tantrum and destroys his room. His toys, furniture and other belongs come to life and reprimand the child for his naughtiness.

“For the Ravel, the demands of the piece are such that you have to approach the direction differently,” Johnson said. “There are inanimate objects that come to life and a character that is called fire, so we’ve had to get creative.”

“What ties these tales together is that they are cautionary tales with a bit of a moral, but scenically they are two totally different operas,” Johnson added.

Both pieces are less than an hour long and use elements of multimedia. The combined cast for both shows includes more than 100 students.

TICKET INFO
Tickets are $20 general admission, $12.50 for students and senior citizens
Free for Temple University Students with and OWLcard
Night/Day of Performance Sales for all theater events will be available at the Tomlinson Theater Box Office at least 1 hour before curtain.
Tomlinson Theater is located at 1301 W. Norris Street; Randall Theater is located at 2020