Pinocchio’s
Adventures in Funland (1999)
Words
by Dana Bonstrom
I.
Introduction
II.
Geppetto’s Workshop
III.
Pinocchio’s Escape
IV.
The History of Pinocchio
V.
The Blue Fairy
VI.
Pinocchio and Candleflame
VII.
The Coach to Funland
VIII.
The Trip to Funland
IX.
Funland
X.
Donkeyland
XII.
The Circus
XIII.
Pinocchio’s Lament
XIV.
A Watery Adventure
XV.
Pinocchio’s Return
Pinocchio's
Adventures in Funland is a
retelling, in music and spoken
word, of a few
of the many adventures of Carlo Collodi's manic
marionette. The work,
for chamber ensemble and narrator, evolved out
of a shorter
piece for solo flute and piano, "Geppetto's
Workshop,"
that
in Funland" consists of fifteen short scenes that are
designed to entertain and educate young audiences by introducing them to the
riches of concert music. Dana Bonstrom's vivid text adaptation is musically illuminated
by rich ensemble textures and leitmotives that
enhance and accent this classic story.
It was commissioned by the
Dana Bonstrom
Michael Gandolfi
was born in Melrose, MA, where his earliest musical involvement was in rock and
jazz improve, beginning at age 8. A self-taught guitarist, his formal study
began in his early teens and earned him a BM and MM from the New England
Conservatory, as well as fellowships for study at Yale-Norfolk, the Composers
Conference and Tanglewood. He is the recipient of
numerous awards, including grants from the Koussevitzky and Guggenheim
Foundations and multiple grants from the NEA, Am. Academy & Institute of
Arts & Letters, and ASCAP. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Speculum Musicae, Tanglewood, Riverside Symphony, Sonor,
SF Cont. Music Players,
Pinocchio’s
Adventures in Funland is a retelling, for
chamber ensemble and narrator, of a few of the many adventures of Carlo Collodi’s manic marionette. The work evolved out of a
shorter piece for solo flute and piano, Geppetto’s
Workshop, that
Gandolfi had composed earlier. Adventures in Funland consists of 15 short scenes that are designed
to entertain and educate young audiences by introducing them to the riches of
concert music. Dana Bonstrom’s vivid text adaptation
is musically illuminated by rich ensemble textures and leitmotifs that
enhance and accent this classic story. It was commissioned by the
Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio: The Adventures of a Marionette begins when Geppetto, an old Italian, carves a puppet out of a piece of wood, repeating, as all artists do on a minute scale, the creation of the world. But Pinocchio causes only trouble for his creator, despite the good influences of the Blue Fairy. In fact, he behaved so much like an ass that he turns into a donkey, after which his character improves somewhat. By the time he is swallowed by a Dogfish, he is really quite good. Inside the Fish he discovers his father, old Geppetto, and rescues him.
Pinocchio is one of the masterpieces of fantasy, and open to many levels of interpretation. The living puppet becomes a real boy when he himself learns to love. The Blue Fairy, an idealized mother and guide, inspires the unregenerate puppet, who is constantly misbehaving and breaking promises, through the healing power of love. Pinocchio progresses from wood to living wood to human. He is a humorous presentation of well-intentioned waywardness and misbehavior – a set of contradictions with which children of all ages eagerly identify.