Piccolo principe by Pierangelo Valtinoni and Paolo Madron was commissioned by Teatro alla Scala and created in 2022. It is now being staged for the first time in Venice as part of the Fenice Education programme and narrates the protagonist’s initiatory journey in search of himself, avoiding both any didactic and moralistic excess. This initiation leads him, among other things, to experience the pain of detachment and adolescent love, of which the Rose is a metaphor and to which the Little Prince dedicates all his care on asteroid B-612. Made up of a prologue, seven scenes and an epilogue, all of which form a continuum, the work is written in a simple and immediate musical language, basically tonal, which – thanks to the lightness of the orchestration – leaves in the foreground a fluent recitation against which few melodic interventions stand out. Thematic and timbre recurrences are associated with the individual characters: a delicate melopoeia – which constitutes the main theme – reflects the adolescent protagonist, played by a light soprano (or a white voice); a similar vocal register characterises the Rose, which presents itself with a fascinating musical sequence; a deep bass is given the role of the Pilot, who being a dreamer sometimes sings melodies with a ‘suspended’ tone; a mezzo-soprano that of the Fox, who sings‘ snappy ’musical phrases like his races; finally, a baritone is in the role of the Serpent, who draws sinuous and elusive singing lines. These are choices that will undoubtedly have an effect, intended not only for the youngest but also the ‘little child’ hiding in every adult.

Zhengxian Li

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Apr 18, 2026

The little prince (Fenice Education) · Teatro La Fenice

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