Chamber Opera in 1 act based on a Corsican folktale told by Madame Marini, collected by J.B. Frédéric Ortoli in Les Contes Populaires de l'île de Corse (Paris 1883) and included in Italo Calvino's Fiabe Italiane (1956)

 Libretto by Meredith Oakes

Commissioned by Mecklenburgh Opera with funds from the Arts Council of England

First performance: Covent Garden Festival, Peacock Theatre, 4 June 1996

Adey Grummet, Rebecca du Pont Davis, Niall Morris, Wyn Pencarreg 

Director: John Abulafia, Designer: Agnes Treplin, Conductor: Paul McGrath

CAST

Francis - baritone

Fairy/Boy - soprano

Old Woman/Young Man/Death - mezzo soprano

Father/Devil/Doctor - tenor

Brothers, Gamblers, Narrators and Chorus, all performed by the above four singers

2 clarinets (2+bcl), guitar, violin, 'cello, double bass