18.10.2010, Berlin | On October 24, 2010, the Große Bühne (Big Stage) of the Komische Oper Berlin once again opens its doors to children: The premiere of the fairy-tale opera “The Snow Queen” takes children from the age of 6 on a long and arduous yet exciting journey with little Gerda who sets out to find her best friend Kay. At an artistically high level, it gets children excited about musical theater and introduces them to contemporary classical music: The Komische Oper Berlin commissioned composer Pierangelo Valtinoni and librettist Paolo Madron to create a new composition.

The music composed by Pierangelo Valtinoni is as colorful and varied as Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale: Fascinated by a track of ice crystals – people frozen to ice after they wandered into the empire of the mysterious Snow Queen – Little Kay disappears. His friend Gerda goes looking for him. Along the way, she meets helpful and not so helpful people, talking animals, and all kinds of strange creatures, and gets herself into both nice and scary situations until she manages to rescue Kay from the power of the Snow Queen. Thoroughly tonal and distinguished by much melodic creativity, Valtinoni’s composition has both touching effects and humorous ideas that emphasize the macabre and bizarre situations. In a suspenseful yet entertaining manner, the piece thus reflects on the difficulties, fears, and insecurities that children and young people confront during their development.

By supporting “The Snow Queen,” the Schering Stiftung recognizes the long-standing commitment of the Komische Oper Berlin to help children and youth gain a deeper understanding of contemporary musical theater through the means of experimental music drama. Most of the funding went into the development of the new composition. The Komische Oper’s program of about 250 workshops and a new children’s production a year as well as its children’s choir, which promotes young talents, have become important and strong pillars of arts education in Berlin. Like with its other productions, the Opera offers school groups free introductory workshops on the children’s opera “The Snow Queen.” After the premiere, educational material is available for download from the website of the Komische Oper Berlin or can be obtained upon request. 

The Snow Queen
Fairy-Tale Opera in Two Acts by Pierangelo Valtinoni
Libretto by Paolo Madron
A work commissioned by the Komische Oper Berlin

Premiere: October 24, 2010, at 4 p.m.

Komische Oper Berlin
Behrenstr. 55 | 10117 Berlin

Additional Performances:
October 31 and November 21, at 4 p.m.
November 1, 8, 22 and December 2, 7, 15, 21, 25, at 11 a.m.
December 3, at 6 p.m.

Tickets (from €8 to €18) can be ordered by phone by calling the ticket office of the Komische Oper Berlin (Phone: +49.30.47 99 74 00; Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday and holidays, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.) or by sending an email to karten@komische-oper-berlin.de.

Further information is available at:
www.komische-oper-berlin.de

Photos:

1. Elisabeth Starzinger (The Flower Woman/Woman from Lapland), Children’s Choir of the Komische Oper Berlin, Photographer: Iko Freese

2. Anna Borchers (Gerda), Photographer: Iko Freese