Children’s opera “Pinocchio’s Adventures” had free online premiere​

In the beginning of 2021, the opera houses were still closed. It was therefore with a heavy heart that the Berlin State Opera had to cancel the premiere of “Pinocchio’s Adventures” in front of a live audience. However, in an effort to ensure not all the preparations were in vain, the State Opera decided to stage the production in spite of everything. The SARIAS Foundation worked with the State Opera to create a professional stream. We are delighted with the result, which could be watched online for one month and hopefully in front of a live audience soon!Pinocchio’s adventurous journey was recounted in an exciting hour-long interplay of music, tableaus and puppetry for children aged 6 and over.

Everyone knows the story of Pinocchio, whose nose grows longer when he lies…On his journey from animated wooden puppet to a boy of flesh and bone, Pinocchio must survive numerous adventures in which he proves his courage and remains loyal to his father, the woodcarver Gepetto. Along the way, he has to contend with some dangerous characters like the greedy fox and tomcat, shady circus directors and even a giant whale.

Pinocchio learns the hard way that his nose grows inconveniently long when he lies too much, and that there are unpleasant consequences to being lazy, skipping school and spending time in the seemingly heavenly Land of Toys, where no one works. The mysterious fairy with its dark blue hair is always at his side, rescuing him repeatedly and finally bringing him back to his long-lost father.

The children’s opera “Pinocchio’s Adventures” was created by the Italian composer Lucia Ronchetti in 2015, with lyrics closely following the original version of the classic children’s book by Carlo Collodi. The work was being performed in German for the first time at the Berlin State Opera (Unter den Linden). Soprano Sarah Aristidou portrays the wooden protagonist Pinocchio, while five instrumentalists from the Staatskapelle Berlin assume the roles of the story’s numerous supporting characters.