The Star-Child. The Happy Prince

The Star Boy

A boy of extraordinary beauty, whom a poor woodcutter found in the forest wearing a golden mantle and brought home, grew up evil, arrogant, and cruel. One day he drove out of the house a beggar woman who confessed that she was his mother. And he turned into a nasty ugly creature with whom his peers refused to play. To make up for his guilt, he began searching for his mother in the hope of begging her for forgiveness...

Characters and performers:

The Star Boy—Maria Babanova;

His mother—Lidiya Knyazeva;

His father—Evgeny Samoylov;

The woodcutter—Leonid Pirogov;

His wife—Lyadova;

Little beasts—N. Chkuaseli and Yulia Yulskaya;

The wizard—Anatoly Kubatsky;

1st soldier—Mikhail Batashov;

2nd soldier—Leonid Pirogov.

From the author—Mikhail Tsarev.

Orchestra conducted by Leonid Pyatigorsky

Recording from 1950.

(Other versions)

Magic Shoes

Jack lands in a city of sorrow. With the help of magical shoes, he manages to cheer up the townspeople, free the king’s son from prison, and help the girl Betsy get rid of the duke Elva’s pursuit...

Characters and performers:

Jack—Oleg Anofriev;

Betsy—Raisa Gubina;

The King—Yuriy Fomichev;

Duke Elva—Alexander Shatov;

Old man—Dmitry Fiveisky;

1st guard and townsman—Mikhail Abramov;

2nd guard and townsman—P. Sheremey.

Orchestra conducted by Yuriy Nikolsky.

Recording from 1956