Introduction to “Little Bear and the Ice Mountain”: An Ecological Opera for Children
While they are fishing in the Arctic, Little Bear loses his little sister due to the melting ice. Thus begins the ecological work for children based on a text by Giancarlo De Cataldo, the author of “Criminal Novel,” and music by Giovanni Sollima, cellist-composer with volcanic inventiveness whose pieces are now part of the concert repertoire. Little Bear and the Ice Mountain is a project by Opera Domani, the ‘education’ branch of the Teatro Sociale di Como-AsLiCo which with this commission, co-produced with the Fenice of Venice, celebrates thirty years of activity in the field of introduction to musical theater for children.
Thousands of children will see this work, with a young cast and directed by Lorenzo Ponte, starting from the Venetian debut at Malibran Theater (where from January 29th to February 4th it is on the bill in the morning for schools, in the evening for adults). After that, until December, it will touch Pordenone, Reggio Emilia, Lucca, Cremona, Milan, Sondrio, Como, Lecco, Parma, even Spain and Avignon. Everyone, children and adults, are asked to participate in the show by singing. School groups are taught the songs by teachers, specially trained by AsLiCo. Those who go to the evening shows can learn them by downloading the learning kits on the websites of the theaters that host the opera.
The Story and Its Inspiration
“This time the noir writer, a former magistrate, tells a fairy tale”, begins De Cataldo introducing the “Little Bear”. “But it’s not the first time. With Sollima I have already worked on ‘Acquaprofonda’, a work which four years ago won the Abbiati prize from Italian music critics. Now we are dealing with global warming. A text born from the close comparison with the scientists who explained to us what evils the mountain is suffering from today, and we with it. It also suffers from false beliefs, such as that according to which the mountain is a separate, independent entity, and instead is linked to humanity, although we cannot at all impose our own rhythms on it. According to the World Meteorological Organization, in 2023 the highest loss of glacial mass in the last fifty years was recorded, a phenomenon that compromises the availability and quality of water, and leads to an increase in landslides, avalanches and floods, putting communities and entire ecosystems at risk.
Concepts, however, developed with the profound symbolic lightness typical of children’s stories. “The plot is inspired by an oriental legend which however deals with the sea rather than the mountains, but the development of the plot takes inspiration from the Magic Flute by Mozart. Little Bear, in looking for his little sister, is helped by Mangianeve, an enigmatic salesman who seems good but will turn out to be bad, given that he intends to transform the glacial kingdom into a playground. Meanwhile, Little Bear is held hostage by the Ice Queen, severe, distant, and yet a positive figure, guardian of the fragile balance of the mountain, within which lies the memory of humanity. However, the little bear has a precious, albeit clumsy, ally. It’s called Quantosonofigo: it represents all of us, the image-capturing tourists incapable of understanding how much nature needs to be respected.”
De Cataldo’s Inspiration and Creative Process
De Cataldo confesses that he writes for children with his son in mind. “But he is over thirty. But when he was little I read him the stories of Hoffmann. Things like the Nutcracker and the Ogre cover up, but purified of the more disturbing and philosophical pages. This is how he became a dreamer and musician.” Of course, talking about the Arctic now makes you think of Greenland. “Yet nothing in Little Bear’s story has to do with Trump and his aims on that land. Simply because the genesis of the libretto dates back to a couple of years ago”, concludes De Cataldo, now busy revising his new opera libretto. Based on “Criminal Novel”. The music is set by Nicola Piovani. Stuff for adults.
Learn more about “Little Bear and the Ice Mountain” and its upcoming performances at Here