Puss in Boots (Cui)
Encyclopedia
Puss in Boots is a short opera-fairytale for children in three acts, four tableaux, composed by César Cui
in 1913. The libretto
was written by Marina Stanislavovna Pol'. It was premiered in Rome in 1915 under the title Il gato con gli stivali. A Soviet edition of the opera, with a revised libretto, was published in 1961. By the 1970s this opera seems to have become popular in what was then East Germany as Der gestiefelte Kater. Under that title it was recorded later on CD by the Staatsoper Stuttgart
in 1999 in a version designed for radio
.
César Cui
César Antonovich Cui was a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer and a teacher of fortifications; his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music, in that he was a composer and music critic; in this sideline he is known as a...
in 1913. The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
was written by Marina Stanislavovna Pol'. It was premiered in Rome in 1915 under the title Il gato con gli stivali. A Soviet edition of the opera, with a revised libretto, was published in 1961. By the 1970s this opera seems to have become popular in what was then East Germany as Der gestiefelte Kater. Under that title it was recorded later on CD by the Staatsoper Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
in 1999 in a version designed for radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
.
Characters
- The Cat
- Jean, youngest son of the miller; he is the Marquis de Carabas:
- Middle Son of the miller
- Oldest Son of the miller
- King
- Princess, daughter of the King
- The Ogre
- The Princess' girlfriends, courtiers, reapers, hay-makers, ogre's servants (chorusChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
)
Plot
The plot follows very closely the fairytale by Perrault, with an instrumental introduction and inserted dances.Discography
- Der gestiefelte Kater: Märchenoper von César Cui in der Hörspielfassung von Linde von Keyserlingk. Fassung für Kammerorchester: Andreas Breitscheid. Koproduction: Junge Oper der Staatsoper Stuttgart / Südwestrundfunk / Patmos Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Düsseldorf, 1999. Patmos CD, 3-491-88764-X.