Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Unit Overview
In this unit you will : Read a tale told by Singer Learn more about how to preview a reading material Take a test in fast reading Read a tale Sleeping Ugly Read a section from Alice in Wonderland
The story has been very popular and has been adapted to the stage. The following is a comment on a version of chamber opera. It can help you understand the story. The chamber opera "Fool's Paradise" is inspired by distinguished Yiddish writer and Nobel Prize laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer's story of the same name. How is it that such a short children's story should be worthy of an entire opera? While it is a simple tale, it encompasses the full scope of life's experiences. Childhood, adolescence, love, death, burial, resurrection and wedding all serve to make this a dramatic story which is bigger than life. The opera is intended for children. In approaching such a project one must question whether composing especially for children is any different from composing for adults. Children do not ask for much; they have a great deal of intuition and a wealth of imagination. In fact, in many ways all they ask of the adult author or composer is to speak to them in clear simple language and allow for some mystery and magic. Ignite their imaginations and they can do the rest on their own! There are seven characters in the opera. Each one of them is attached to an instrument or a specific group of instruments. The diversity of instrumentation and unique orchestration made the use of symphonic orchestra unnecessary. There is, in fact, no doubling of instruments except for the clarinets. The importance of each part is dramatically increased as the soloists display the full palette of their instruments' abilities. This use of only one instrument of a kind results in a large chamber ensemble with a new quality of sound and acoustic balance. Finally, there is the beautiful message of "Fool's Paradise". In its absurd way, a simple but important moral lesson is conveyed: life is better than death and wonderful Paradise is nowhere else but here--on earth. This is a lesson relevant to everyone, children and grown-ups alike.
Questions
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. What does Atzel and Aksah look like/ What happened when Atzel grew up? According to the old nurse what is paradise like? Did Atzel believe this? Why? What did Atzel want to in order to get to paradise? What were the reactions of his family members? What did his parents do? Who did his parents consult finally? Whats the condition of the spcialist> What did Dr. Yoetz do when he first saw the boy? Did they follow Dr. Yoetzs orders? How? Was Atzel satisfied with his life in Paradise? Give some examples. How did Atzel come back to earth? Did Atzel become as normal as other people? Give some examples.