Music: Pavel Trojan

Libretto:  Gustav Skála

Act One

First painting - dancing with flowers, bathing in a pool

Lock. The gate of the castle opens, the young queen comes out of it, looking back so that no one can see her. A forest glade with a well (pond) opens in front of the queen and she stands enchanted in the rays of the morning sun. She dances with the flowers until finally, tired, she sits down next to the pool. Here she takes off her clothes and immerses herself in cool water.  When she comes out of the water, a frog sits on her clothes.

The second scene - the queen learns about the curse

The queen is frightened by the frog, who calms her down with a gesture, a picture appears in the well: the queen bends over the cradle, the sun rises, the first rays fall on the cradle, it flares up with white flames, from which a doe emerges.  The queen returns to the castle in fear.

Third scene - the king learns about the curse

The king runs out of the castle, a frog sits by the pool, the king takes a stone and wants to kill it.  A picture of a cradle with a child as for the first time, the sun rises, but the king strikes its rays, a beautiful young girl comes out of the flame and embraces the king ("pas de deux"). The picture closes, the king leaves, the frog beckons to him in a friendly way.

Fourth painting - covering the windows of the palace

The king and his advisors walk through the corridors of the palace. Every step, the window closes with a dark cover. Where there was a window, now stands a servant, a member of the Dark Brotherhood, holding a glowing candle. The king comes to the hall, where there is a cradle, surrounded by light-bearers. The queen is lifting the little princess from her cradle. The king covers both of them with his love to protect them. Pas de deux (King with Queen)

The Fifth Scene - Adolescence

A nurse strikingly similar to a frog chases the little princess around the castle, wants to dress her up, when the princess disappears, she appears a little more grown-up, jokes again, and for the third time she appears as an adult and the nurse dresses her in a ball gown.

Sixth scene - ball

A ball is held in the castle. Guests decorated with candles swirl in a beautiful dance. The king and queen are watching the action. A polonaise, then a somewhat more exuberant dance, at the end of which the courtiers make a row and a young princess runs through the middle. She dances elegantly, at first energetically, then adds another dance (valse triste), becomes more and more tired, and finally, tired, faints. A doctor is called in (a kind of know-it-all), who recommends fresh air and sun, and the king angrily chases him away. Then a counselor comes running and recommends a night carriage ride. The princess will be in the fresh air, but she will avoid the sun's rays. This idea is accepted, the carriage is brought up, all the windows are covered for safety and the ride can begin. The king, enchanted, takes the weak princess and queen and sets off through the dark night.

The Seventh Scene - Night Ride

A ride through the night forest, a parade of animals. The princess is ecstatic, she discovers a new mysterious world that the young girl sees for the first time. The moon shines brightly, the gate of the dark palace closes, and the princess stands in a carriage to meet the fresh wind. The night forest is full of life, they are just passing bears. The dance of the deer in the moonlight, the frolicking of hares, badgers, the march of mice, the courtship of foxes and finally (before dawn, i.e. before dawn and the fateful moment) the great parade of all the forest brood... .

The king and queen fall asleep, the princess, excited by the spectacle, opens the carriage door and gets out of the carriage at the moment when the sun rises. A ray of sunlight hits her and she turns into a white doe. The parents just watch in horror as they disappear into the forest.

Act Two

First image - preparation of the hunt

Forest, hunting is being prepared. Hunting music drives all the animals out of the forest, only the frog sits and watches the animals flee, and in the end the white doe flees.

The second scene - the hunting party welcomes the prince, the prince's loneliness

A hunting company enters, there are gamekeepers, beautiful ladies and noble cavaliers.

Everyone keeps the prince company, he arrives last.

3 dancers members of the hunting expedition dance in front of the prince to please him, first performing individually, then together ("pas de troix").

Entry to the hunt – male dance – pandan k pas de troix

The company dances, in the end the hunters blow the horn for the beginning of the hunt and everyone sets off into the forest, only the prince is alone in the Prince's variations of "loneliness" when he is alone.

It seems to him that a white doe is following him from the thicket of the forest, he aims his arrow at it and shoots, the white doe really flees into the distance. An old woman – a frog stretches out his hand ..... And the prince must follow.

The Third Painting - A Journey to the Ideal

The doe flees from the arrow, the motif of the old woman-frog who determines the direction of the Arrow and the prince sets out after him.

Creep. The arrow flies far to foreign countries in Spain, flies through the festival of bullfighters and fiery Spanish women (bulls and flamingos). The prince is courted by a beautiful Spanish woman (Folia dance) and he would have stopped, but a white doe flashes in the distance again and the prince sets off after his arrow and his vision of a white doe.

In Italy (tarantella) an arrow flies through the harbor, where merry sailors and fish sellers dance, they drag the prince into a whirl, and if it weren't for the ghost of the white doe, he might even stay there, so it was merry. Italy – tarantela

In Russia, an arrow flies directly into a feast of boyars who admire the noble dance of swans. It was the wedding of a rich merchant's daughter, who could not keep her eyes on the prince, but the vision of the prince's white doe pulls on again.... all the way to China, where a dull Chinese opera is being performed with all the pomp, even the Empress is attending. He invites the prince to a spectacle, but at that moment...

The Fourth Painting - Meeting with the Ideal

The prince wakes up in the meadow in the forest where he fell asleep in the afternoon... A white doe stands opposite him and looks at him. A small "dreamy" pas de deux, only an adagio, the prince met his ideal – the prey, his goal through all the wanderings.

Now the prince really shoots and the doe that is fleeing is wounded by an arrow in the leg.

The fifth image - the cancellation of the curse

The last rays of the sun are setting, it is getting dark, the doe falls to the ground. The prince picks her up, the moon rises and the doe turns into a beautiful girl in the prince's arms...

The prince gently takes his arrow from her leg and binds her wound with his scarf. The girl is so beautiful that she can't resist kissing her. At that moment, the frog turns into the queen of the forest, who has been testing the prince's endurance all the time, and night turns into day.

The sun's rays fall on the princess, but she no longer turns into a doe.

She embraces the prince – her savior

Sixth scene - wedding festivities

Metamorphosis. Chateau Hall. The betrothal of the prince and princess is celebrated. There is a lot of brightness and sunlight everywhere. How could it not be, when the ball hall is decorated with large open windows. The Great Celebration, the opening gala dance, the Great PAS DE DEUX, the barriace of the prince, the princess and coda variations.