The Tiny Tree
For children in the age of 4+ years
A heart-warming chamber opera for children (4+). Translated in German for the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Das Bäumlein) and to be translated in English.
The Tiny Tree is unhappy, because it has hard, prickly needles instead of soft green leaves. Why can’t he be just as beautiful as the other trees? Eventually, his wish comes true, but in a surprising way…
The Tiny Tree is a heart-warming and intimate chamber opera for children aged 4-8 years and their families.
The libretto of The Tiny Tree is based on an old poem by Friedrich Rückert: Vom bäumlein das andere blätter hat gewollt (1813) – About a little tree that wanted different leaves, and the inspired picture book that almost every Dutch kid knows: Het Boompje (The tiny tree) by Loek Koopmans (publisher Christofoor, 2008). Based on this timeless tale, poet and (youth-)librettist Ruben van Gogh created a contemporary, poetic and funny version for the musictheatre ensemble Frisse Oren aimed at the youngest opera audience. You can almost hear the seasons pass in the atmospheric and at times unexpected music by Bastiaan Woltjer, who proves along the way that opera can swing!
Directed by Sybrand van der Werf and music by Bastiaan Woltjer. Libretto by Ruben van Gogh (Dutch) and Barbara Buri (German).
Performers
Sterre Konijn – soprano
Daan Verlaan – harp and tenor
Anneke Wensink – french horn
Bastiaan Woltjer – trombone and tuba
