Once upon a time, a long ago, there was a fairy called Carabosse who lived in a vast and distant kingdom. One day a young King called Florestan, wishing to expand his kingdom, decided to force Carabosse away and take all her lands for himself. Later, he married and after sometime, the Queen became pregnant.
Prologue: The Christening
The King and Queen organise a big party to celebrate the christening of their daughter, Aurora. The Godmother, the Lilac Fairy (the flower symbolising the first love) and all her entourage are invited. Each Fairy, the Fairy of Grace, the Fairy of Courage, the Fairy of Generosity, the Fairy of Musical Talent and the Fairy of Temperament, puts a gift in the cradle of the young Princess.
Suddenly like a bolt from the blue Carabosse appears surrounded by horrible monsters. Furious at not having been invited and thirsting for revenge, she puts a curse on the Princess. On her sixteenth birthday, Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The Lilac Fairy softens Carabosse’s curse saying that the Princess will not die but she will fall into a deep sleep, a spell which will only be broken when a Prince with a pure heart, will give her a kiss of true love. Carabosse gets very angry and leaves the palace. To protect his daughter form Carabosse’s curse , Florestan prohibits the use of spindles throughout his kingdom, saying that any disobedience will be punished by death.
Act one: The Spell
After this terrible event, 16 years have passed and Carabosse keeps thinking about her revenge. Despite all the precautions taken, three old women stop nearby the castle and start knitting with their pointed needles. The King, remembering Carabosse’s curse and fearing her revenge, is about to sentence them to death, but the Queen persuades him to be merciful to them. The gardeners of the Palace organise a joyful divertissement to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of the Princess.
For this occasion four noble and courteous young Princes, came from nearby kingdoms with the intention to seduce and marry Aurora, but she is not attracted to any of them. The celebration reach its climax when suddenly comes a woman dressed in black, she gives to the innocent Princess a spindle. The object arouses her curiosity because she has never seen something similar. Bystanders try to remove the dangerous spindle from the hands of the young girl, but it’s too late: Aurora pricks her finger, she staggers and falls to the ground lifeless.
The old woman is none other than Carabosse, who came to see the fulfilment of her curse against the Princess and take revenge on the King for his lack of gratitude. Carabosse, despite the courage of the four Princes, and thanks also to her evil witchcrafts, manages to escape. The Fairy of Lilac reassures everybody, saying that the Princess is not dead, she has just fallen into a deep sleep as the Fairy had previously predicted. The four Princes carry Aurora to her room.
The Lilac Fairy, thanks to her magical powers, casts a spell of slumber on everybody. The gates of the castle close down.
Act two: The Vision
One hundred years have passed. In a remote county, a young Prince called Désiré takes part in a hunting trip. All the ladies of the court have eyes only for him and he seems determined to seduce the beautiful Countess, something that irritates the Count. Soon everything starts to be tedious for him, so the Prince decides to stay on his own, away from the mundane conversations and the licentious games.
Once alone, he is captivated by a heavenly music that comes from the forest , he immediately sets forth to follow the sweet melody. The Lilac Fairy appears before him and asks him why he is so sad. The Prince replies that his life is meaningless because he has never known true love. Like in a dream the Fairy shows him the image of Aurora, he is enthralled by the vision. Désiré falls in love immediately and begs the Fairy to take him to see her. After a long journey through unknown counties, they come close to the Princess’s castle which is still under a spell.
The brightening lights and the distant sounds foreshadow the arrival of the Lilac Fairy, Carabosse and her entourage run away in fear.
As if by magic the Lilac Fairy, opens the gates and the Prince enters the castle where everything is still. While he walks along the halls he sees only sleeping people, eventually he reaches Aurora’s room. Enchanted by the beauty of the virginal princess, Désiré can’t help but kiss her, thus breaking the spell. Carabosse, annihilated by the power of love, is swallowed up by the darkness. Aurora wakes up, along with all the inhabitants of the castle. Without saying a word, Aurora and Désiré immediately fall in love with each other, then the Prince asks the King and Queen’s permission to marry their daughter. They give their consent.
Act III: The Wedding
To celebrate the wedding of Aurora and Désiré, many fairy tales characters are invited to the party : the Blue Bird and Princess Florina, the Booted Cat and the White Cat, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Cinderella and Prince Charming…
The Lilac Fairy, comes also to the party accompanied by the Diamond Fairy (symbol of eternal love), the Sapphire Fairy (symbol of wisdom), the Gold Fairy (symbol of perfection) and the Silver Fairy (symbol of purity). They are all there to protect the love of the young couple. Aurora and Désiré take part in the celebrations , which culminate in a solemn ceremony. All the fairies are there to watch over the noble couple and preserve the happiness and the peace in the kingdom.
Jean-Guillaume Bart
