“We have loved one another since the world began, in a lovely bed – a golden bed of yellow and silver clouds of dandelions” …
Grand opera in three acts with 12 roles, chorus, boys choir and symphony orchestra.
Only Act One is available at present. Acts 2 and 3 will follow soon.
Fortunato, based on Vanda Monaco Westerståhl’s version of a renaissance picaresque novel, is about a young man’s adventures. He is guided by the devil (Voland) and his whore (Mariella) who are, not in the least, nasty people! Fortunato finds favour at Duke Gustav’s court where he gets rid of people Gustav doesn’t like. Thomas is the duke’s chief councillor. He disapproves of Voland and Mariella and watches Fortunato’s rise with concern.
In Act Two, Fortunato falls foul of the duke’s wife, Birgitta, and he and his pals have to escape. He later fights with a bear and works in Voland’s inn, where he meets an actor called Sbrici and performs in his play before denying he knows Voland, when the latter is accused of killing a soldier.
Act Three begins with strife over Voland’s hanging. Fortunato is grief-stricken and seeks consolation from The Woman on the Mountain. Eventually, his friend is resurrected by Mariella and some witches: “he is the man who always comes back”. All ends well and Fortunato is reunited with his friends and family.
