The Love for Three Oranges

Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges (1919) is very different from his two earlier operas, Maddalena and The Gambler, which both deal with the darkest passions. Granted, the premise—the son and heir of the King of Clubs is dying of depression—has plenty of potential for pathos, but the efforts of those who try to cure him, and of the evil forces who try to thwart them, are high, fantastical comedy. Under a spell, the Prince falls in love with three oranges, which turn out to contain three princesses, one of whom is the woman whose love will redeem him, but not before she has been transformed into a giant rat. The music for the evil characters shows Prokofiev the devilishly brilliant modernist at his best, but writing for the Prince and his helpers allowed him to draw on both the playful elegance of the “Classical” Symphony and the atmospheric magic of the First Violin Concerto. The Love of Three Oranges was an instant success, and it has remained Prokofiev’s most popular opera.