Peter Dulborough

‘The Music of the Stars’

‘The Prince and the Rose’ was an original musical that I wrote with Ann Davies, and was freely adapted from ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I composed the music and songs, and Ann wrote the script and was Director. It was first performed at the Shalom Theatre in Empoli, near Florence in May 1998, and a year later in Florence.

In 2022 I decided it was time for me to revisit this ‘planet’, and music and songs from the musical. I had a new vision for this musical, based on my original music and songs along side brand new material and ideas.

‘The Music of the Stars’ 2022-23

In 2022 I returned to the same studio where I had originally recorded ‘The Prince and the Rose’ musical in Florence in 1998 (Blue Moon Studio – ex Planet Sound). The aim this time, was to record and release an EP of ‘highlights’ of the songs for a revised and newly created musical – ‘The Music of the Stars’. The new project combines much of the original music and songs with brand new material, creating a new musical adventure for 2023. It is a proposal to a potential producer for a new musical based on previous and freshly created material with the new title ‘The Music of the Stars’.

‘A Music from Afar’ - a song that inspired ‘The Music of the Stars’

The starting point for this new musical adventure was the recording of a song “From Afar’, written by myself and my SoundZanobi band mate Martina Magionami. Martina helped me re-write my original idea to create a song that became an experiment in sound and inspiration in the studio. I enjoyed setting the scene with piano and organ moods and Martina added layers of vocal harmony and guitars on top of a drum track that was full of fizz and character.

The song was recorded by SoundZanobi in April 2022, and it gave me fresh insight into the direction for my new musical project ‘The Music of the Stars’. The song was not written with any reference to the Little Prince, but somehow this recording suggested depths of intimacy and wonder that had been missing from the original version of the musical. I was inspired to make it the centre ‘The Music of the Stars’ in both musical concept, and in the ideas for the opening. The Pilot who is the Narrator of this story forms a personal bond with the audience as he communicates his story ‘from afar’.

Work on scoring and recording ‘The Music of the Stars’ starts in July 2022 – back in Blue Moon Rec studios, Florence.

The Little Prince - a story for our times

‘The Little Prince’ is far more than a story for children. It has a message for all ages, and is a timeless classic that touches each generation with its humour and wisdom.

It is a wonderfully subtle, wry and profound account of the complexities of human relationships and emotions. It touches such universal themes as loneliness and alienation, as well as the nature of friendship and love.

The bizarre and bewildering encounters the Prince has with a power obsessed King, unhappy drunk, self centred conceited man, pompous Geographer and contorted thinking Businessman are all characters who are familiar to our contemporary world. They seem fictional characters but are not far removed from our own society. They are parodies of human traits and of the strangeness of human behaviour as seen from a neutral observer.

The central theme of the book is that of friendship. Of the trust that develops between two people and the growth of a relationship with someone whom we ‘tame’. This theme is portrayed through the encounter between the Fox and the Prince. ‘We are responsible for those we love’ is the message of the central passages and ‘it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye’