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Prelude to a Fable - (1994, rev. 2017)
Gary Bachlund
After a story by Hans Christian Andersen
For lyric tenor (Storyteller) and character tenor (Dog) and chamber ensemble (piano, harpsichord, percussion and string quintet). ( circa 10" )
Lyric and character sopranos may also portray these parts, if wished.
Also in German translation by Annette Zühlke: Vorspiel zu einer Fabel.
A storyteller tells what a fable is, and illustrates this with a prelude to the collected fables. This short tale of a dog which cannot decide where better it may find "table scraps." In its indecision the dog loses all. The fable teaches that "we are compelled to see ourselves in him. One mirror of our secret heart."
The other three one-act operas in the Four Fables are:
The Emperor's New Clothes - (1994, rev. 2012)
The Little Match Girl - (1994, rev. 2016)
A Love Charm - (1994, rev. 2017)
These Four Fables based on stories of Andersen all share the same chamber orchestration.
