Little Red Riding Hood (opera) facts for kids
Little Red Riding Hood (Russian: Красная шапочка, romanized: Krasnaja šapočka, lit. 'little red cap') is a special kind of opera called a fairy-tale opera. It was written for children by a composer named César Cui in 1911. The story, or libretto, was created by Marina Stanislavona Pol'. It is based on the famous Charles Perrault fairy tale.
The printed music for the opera came out in 1912. It was dedicated to Crown Prince Alexey of Imperial Russia. A Crown Prince is the son of a king or emperor who is next in line to rule.
We don't know the exact date of the very first performance of this opera. However, it was performed in 1921 in Gomel (which is now in Belarus). Students from a music school (People's City Conservatory) and a technical school put on the show.
Contents
About the Opera: Little Red Riding Hood
Who are the Characters?
This opera has several characters who sing different parts:
- The Grandmother: Sings in a low voice (an alto).
- The Mother: Sings in a medium-high voice (a mezzo-soprano).
- Little Red Riding-Hood: Sings in a high voice (a soprano).
- The Wolf: Sings in a low voice (an alto).
- A Hunter: Sings in a high voice (a soprano).
- A Woodcutter: Sings in a medium-high voice (a mezzo-soprano).
- There are also groups of Hunters and Woodcutters.
- A Narrating Chorus: This group sings to help tell the story.
What is the Story About?
The story of this opera is based on the classic Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. But, it has a special happy ending!
Act I, Scene 1: The Start of the Journey
The chorus begins by introducing the story. The scene is at the edge of a forest, near Little Red Riding Hood's house. Little Red Riding Hood is getting ready to take a basket of fresh cakes to her sick Grandmother. Her Mother tells her to be careful. She warns her not to waste time in the woods or talk to anyone she doesn't know.
Act I, Scene 2: The Spooky Forest
The scenery quickly changes to a spooky forest. You can hear woodcutters chopping wood nearby. Little Red Riding Hood comes out from behind some bushes. She stops for a moment to pick some pretty flowers. That's when the Wolf sees her! He stops her on the path and makes up a story. He tells her there's a shortcut to Grandmother's house. The Wolf challenges her to a race to see who can get there first. Little Red Riding Hood agrees, and they both run off in different directions. The woodcutters continue their work.
Act II: The Happy Ending
The chorus appears again to explain what happened. The Wolf hadn't eaten for three days, so he was very fast. He got to Grandmother's house first. We then see inside Grandmother's small cottage. The Wolf pretends to be Little Red Riding Hood. He manages to trick Grandmother and swallows her whole! Then, he gets into Grandmother's bed to wait.
Soon, Little Red Riding Hood arrives. She asks several questions because Grandmother looks so different. Finally, the Wolf swallows her too!
Luckily, some hunters and woodcutters have been tracking the Wolf. They come by and enter the house. They find the Wolf asleep and open his belly. Out come Grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood! After they sew the Wolf up again, he says he is sorry. He promises to be good from now on. Because he promises to change, he is allowed to live in the forest.
More About the Opera
- Cui, César. Красная шапочка: детская опера-сказка [Little Red Riding-Hood: opera-fairytale for children]. Москва: Печатник, 1912. (This is the original music book for piano and voices)
- Neef, Sigrid. Handbuch der russischen und sowjetischen Oper. 1st ed. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1989, c1985, p. 148.
