Respighi’s La bella dormente nel bosco is a “musical fairy tale” in three acts, originally composed in 1921 for Vittorio Podrecca’s Teatro dei Piccoli puppet theatre and later substantially revised in 1933 for full theatrical performance. In the revision, Respighi expanded the orchestration and reworked vocal parts, narration and transitions. The result is a more symphonic, color-rich score while still preserving the light, whimsical tone appropriate to a fairy-tale setting.

The 1933 version follows the familiar Sleeping Beauty narrative across its three acts, presenting scenes of the court, the curse, the long enchantment and the awakening. Respighi’s music balances lyrical vocal writing with concise dramatic tableaux and prominent orchestral interludes. His characteristic harmonic language and mastery of orchestral color appear throughout: warm string writing, atmospheric woodwind solos, and deft touches of percussion create a vivid yet transparent sound world well suited to the story’s magical tone.

Performances of the revised version typically last about 66 to 80 minutes, depending on staging and cuts. The work’s three-act structure contains several short internal numbers—arias, choral passages, instrumental scenes—and maintains a narrative flow closer to a compact opera than a suite. With its imaginative scoring and clear dramatic pacing, the 1933 revision of La bella dormente nel bosco stands as one of Respighi’s most refined theatrical works, distinct from his tone poems yet marked by the same command of color and atmosphere.