# Next opera for my 6yo daughter?



## raindog308 (May 31, 2016)

I grew up listening to opera and have recently got back into it. By happy coincidence, our local opera performed the Magic Flute. I prepped my 6yo daughter thoroughly (cartoon adaptation, playing the music for several months, etc.) and took her. 

She LOVED it. Now she goes to bed listening to Die Zauberflote in German and signing along with Lucia Popp 

I'd like to introduce her to another opera...but which? Obviously a lot of them are not child-friendly (I don't want to explain the plot of Rigoletto or Carmen to my child 

The Barber of Seville might be an option - it's been a while, but I remember the plot is around marriage and trickery rather than rape and death, and she knows the music from Bugs Bunny of course. Gilbert & Sullivan is another consideration. Probably be a while before she attends another...the local opera house only puts on a half-dozen a year and tickets are $75 for nosebleed and $150+ for decent.

Other suggestions? She likes the fantasy elements of the Magic Flute (at her level - the Masonic stuff goes over head).


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Firstly, welcome to the opera forum, raindog.



raindog308 said:


> ...
> I'd like to introduce her to another opera...but which? Obviously a lot of them are not child-friendly (I don't want to explain the plot of Rigoletto or Carmen to my child
> 
> The Barber of Seville might be an option - it's been a while, but I remember the plot is around marriage and trickery rather than rape and death, and she knows the music from Bugs Bunny of course. Gilbert & Sullivan is another consideration. Probably be a while before she attends another...the local opera house only puts on a half-dozen a year and tickets are $75 for nosebleed and $150+ for decent.
> ...


The masonic stuff goes over my head too, and I'm 50 years older than your daughter. The best option is of course going to see The Magic Flute again. Yes, Barber of Seville is normally child-friendly. I can easily add La Cenerentola, Don Pasquale, L'Elisir d'amore, L'Italiana in Algeri, Hansel and Gretel. Hopefully you get plenty more suggestions.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Rossini largely had he fantasy elements removed from the story, but his _La Cenerentola_ (Cinderella) has a well-known plot, a happy ending, and is arguably more age-appropriate than _Die Zauberflote_.

Edit: I had not seen your post, Don Fatale! Nice suggestions.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

If you can catch a performance, or get a DVD, _The Cunning Little Vixen_ is excellent for children... always being aware of the fact that the heroine - ahem! - "goes to animal heaven" in the third act


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Hello raindog and welcome to the forum. How absolutely wonderful that your little girl has taken to opera like this and I thought your prep was brilliant.

Any opera based on the Cinderella story of course will be suitable. Also Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Rossini's La donna del lago.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I whole heartedly agree with the La Cenerentola recommendation and here is the specific DVD I highly recommend:










Don't let the ugly black dress on the DVD cover deter you. The whole opera is beautiful and the singing and acting are fabulous.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

The exaggerated colorful costumes and fantasy production of this version would be appealing to childs imagination (as well as adult) plus top shelf singing with Joyce DiDonato and JDF........


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

_La Cenerentola_
_The Merry Widow_
Julie Taymor's production of _Die Zauberflote _-- a total charmer
_Hansel & Gretel_
(depending upon age) _La Boheme_ (10+)


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

DarkAngel said:


> The exaggerated colorful costumes and fantasy production of this version would be appealing to childs imagination (as well as adult) plus top shelf singing with Joyce DiDonato and JDF........


Excellent point that I had not thought of.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

DarkAngel said:


> The exaggerated colorful costumes and fantasy production of this version would be appealing to childs imagination (as well as adult) plus top shelf singing with Joyce DiDonato and JDF........


The singing is good in this but the production is awful!


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

A relative of mine took his four year old to see Macbeth (the play). Thought that was a bit young but he seems to have come through it OK. I'd recommend Hansel and Gretel. I remember my not-quite- teen daughter watching Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream. She thought it was better than I did!


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Welcome to the forum raindog, and kudos for preparing your daughter for and taking her to a _live_ performance when the opportunity presented itself. Hopefully it will be the first of many.

To the excellent suggestions above, I might add Dvorak's _Rusulka_. With a wishful water sprite, a wicked witch, and a handsome prince, the story is essentially that of the Little Mermaid. My only concern is that the symphonic sounds of Dvorak might not be as appealing to young ears as the jaunty rhythms of Mozart and Rossini. By the way, there's also a French version of Cinderella by Massenet called _Cendrillon_ which is charming too, but I prefer Rossini's version.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

From own experience ; my patents took me to see Otello, I was still in my shorts so to speak, although I has to ware a suit .
I was so overwhelming but the story have stayed with me true out my life, jalousie is a not nice and ruins your life. 

Anyway: the Barber of Seville is very nice, and also a warm welcome.:tiphat:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

My daughter enjoyed these when she was about 7:










Particularly where the wild things are:


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