Loyola Opera Theatre rings in the New Year with a double bill of French one-act works about children and the life lessons they need to learn. Debussy’s 1884 L’enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son) is a setting of the famous Bible parable. The beautiful and exotic score paints the picture of a young man who seeks a more extravagant lifestyle away from home, but is then joyfully reunited with his parents. Ravel’s fantasy opera L’enfant et les sortilèges (The Child and the Magic Spells) premiered in 1925 with a libretto by the brilliant French author Colette. A spoiled child erupts in a tantrum, refusing to do his homework and obey his mother. Confined to his room, he destroys everything in sight and menaces the animals. Then household objects come to life, characters emerge from his torn books and the animals begin to talk…teaching him to live in harmony with all creatures. This is Ravel at the height of his Impressionistic powers, plus added bits of cabaret and American jazz!
