Maurice Ravel. Operas “The Spanish Hour” and “Child and Magic”

In 2025, at the Opéra de Monte Carlo, two one‑act operas — “Child and the Magic Show” and “The Spanish Hour” — staged by Jean‑Louis Grinda, marked a double anniversary of Maurice Ravel: the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the premiere of the opera‑ballet “Child and the Magic Show”, which took place on the same stage.

In these productions, Ravel is captured in all his farcical and whimsical form.

The plot of “The Spanish Hour” revolves around a amusing situation: the young wife, Concepción, deceives her old husband, the watchmaker Torquemada. In her husband’s absence, her lovers — the poet Gonsalve and the banker Don Inigo — come to see her, and they have to hide inside the watch case. In this work, Ravel partly parodies Bizet’s tragic “Carmen”: while Bizet’s story ends with the heroine’s death, Ravel’s ends in a comic way — the husband even benefits from the situation.

The opera “Child and Magic” tells the story of a disobedient child — a boy of six or seven who doesn’t want to do his homework, for which his mother punishes him. In retaliation, he breaks things, tears up books, and mistreats animals. The damaged objects, animals, and fantastic characters come to life to punish the little offender.

Throughout the performance, the boy changes his attitude towards the world around him, realizing the consequences of his actions. In the finale, he shows compassion for an injured squirrel and bandages its paw. The animals understand that the child has repented and forgive him. The opera concludes with a general chorus of the animals.

PERFORMERS:

Gaëlle Arques, mezzo-soprano;

Cyril Dubois, tenor;

Florian Sempey, baritone;

Mathieu Lecroix, baritone;

Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra,

Conductor – Kazuki Yamada;

The Monte Carlo Opera Choir,

Chorister – Stefano Visconti;

Children’s Choir of the Musical Academy of Rainier III.

Monte Carlo Opera, Monaco, 20254