La Belle et la Bête (opera)
For this, director Charles Otte had the idea of presenting the singers turning their backs to the audience when they are not singing, thus being able to follow their cinematographic doubles on the screen.[5] The opera is the second part of a trilogy in homage to the French poet after Orphée (1993) and before Les Enfants terribles (1996).It includes an introductory note from Glass that states he prefers the opera to be experienced live, but that it nevertheless works as presented.La Belle et la Bête is written for the Philip Glass Ensemble, to which strings and percussion are added; the orchestra therefore includes a flute and a piccolo flute, a clarinet and a bass clarinet, a soprano saxophone and viola, two trombones and a bass trombone, a harp, two synthesizers, strings and a percussionist.The marriage proposal Belle finds herself alone in her house doing the hardest chores of the home, as her sisters refuse to help her.Realizing what is going on, Ludovic threatens his sister with a beating if she falls in love with a man and leaves the house.The domain of the Beast In the darkness of the forest, the Father ends up getting lost and, after walking aimlessly, encounters a castle.After getting some sleep, he strolls through the castle garden, discovers a beautiful rose and starts to take it to Belle.Return of the Father When he prepares to leave, the Beast appears, accusing him of having stolen one of his roses, for which he deserves death.When the Father swears to fulfill this condition, the Beast provides him with a horse called Magnificent that will take him through the forest to his home and at the same time bring back the promised daughter.Belle falls faint at the sight of the Beast, who takes her in his arms and carries her to her new bedroom where she remains asleep.The Beast notices that Belle is sadder every day; when interrogating her for the reason, she replies that she cannot stop thinking about her father and that she wants to see him.The seizure of furniture While the Father remains ill in bed, the bailiffs under the command of the Usurer take away the household goods to pay off part of the debt contracted by Ludovic.The Father thinks Belle has run away from the castle, but when she tells him that the Beast has let her go and that she will voluntarily return after a week, he feels confused and angry.Belle tells her story In the courtyard of the family house, Felicie and Adelaide are tending clothes, Avenant is chopping wood and Ludovic is feeding the chickens.The lovers, embraced, depart for the kingdom of Ardent where Belle will be sovereign and, thanks to the generosity of the prince, she will be able to have her father and siblings with her.