Opera Books
TWO HUNDRED
OPERA PLOTS
GLADYS DAVIDSON
Romantic
Opera in Three Acts
By Siegfried Wagner
Libretto
By the Composer (Adapted from one of Grimm’s Fairy Tales)
First
Produced
Munich, January, 1899
Chief
Characters
Louise, Hans Kraft (Bearskin), The Devil, The Stranger (St Peter)
THE
scene is laid in the Hummelgau district. Hans Kraft, a soldier, returns
from the Thirty Years’ War to his native village, where he learns that
his mother and all his relations are dead, and his own existence is
completely forgotten by the villagers, who treat him with such scant
ceremony that he goes forth into the forest, full of indignation and
misery. Here he is met by the Devil, who, in the guise of a merry
fellow, soon makes his acquaintance, and endeavours to get him into his
toils, and so gain his soul. Hans, seeing his horns and hoofs,
recognises the true identity of his companion, but is nevertheless so
friendless and reckless that when the Devil presently offers him a job,
he accepts it, and begins work at once. His duties are to stoke the
fires in the infernal regions, and to keep boiling the great cauldrons
in which the souls of the Devil’s victims are being tormented. The
Devil, being well satisfied with his new assistant, leaves him in entire
charge; and Hans works contentedly enough, being specially pleased on
discovering that one of the tormented souls is that of a surly corporal
who in the old days had treated him very badly. One day he receives a
visit from one who calls himself “The Stranger,” or Peter the
Doorkeeper, who is, in reality, Saint Peter, who has come to try and
save some of the lost souls from the seething cauldron, and who
therefore offers to throw dice with the stoker — the stake to be money
if Hans wins, and the lost souls if the Stranger wins. Hans agrees, and
the game begins, with the result that the stoker loses; and the Stranger
departs rejoicing with all the souls from the cauldron, which he has
won. He tells the disconsolate Hans to bear patiently the punishment
which will presently fall upon him, and to keep out of the Devil’s way
in future, when great happiness will be his. The Devil now appears, and,
furious at the loss of his souls, he transforms Hans into a hideous
black creature, covered with a grimy bearskin, and condemns him to
remain in this repulsive state until he can find a maiden who will love
him in spite of his dreadful appearance, and remain true to him for
three years. He gives him a gold ring, which he is to split on obtaining
such a maiden’s promise, each keeping half; and at the end of the three
years, if the gold is still bright, it will be a sign of the girl’s
fidelity, and the sufferer will be free from his punishment and will
obtain his rightful form once more. Full of despair, Hans wanders forth
in his hideous guise, feeling he will never gain release; for all the
maidens fly from him in terror, and he receives the name of “Bearskin.”
The Devil has, however, given him a magic scrip, or pocket, from which
he can always draw forth gold pieces; and, in Act 2, he is seen
at a village inn, where he succeeds in making friends with the Burgo-master,
by paying for him a heavy debt he owes to the innkeeper. In return, on
hearing his story, the Burgomaster, impressed by his evidently unlimited
wealth, declares he shall take the chance of asking his three daughters
in turn if they will accept the half of his ring. Next day, the girls
are brought forth by their father; but the two elder shriek at the sight
of the ugly monster, and turn from him with loathing. The youngest
maiden, however, whose name is Louise, is so filled with pity for the
unhappy stranger that, on hearing his appeal to her to be his saviour,
her heart is deeply touched, and she agrees to accept the half ring he
offers her, and promises to remain true to him for three years, at the
end of which time he will return and wed her. Full of gratitude, Hans
breaks the ring and gives her half, putting the other half upon his own
finger, where it clings firmly; and then, after a sharp struggle with
the villagers because they think him to be closely in league with the
Devil, and are furious because of his compact with the maiden, Louise,
Hans hastens away.
In Act 3 the three years of waiting are over; and, the ring on
Hans’ finger being still found bright, the Devil, very much against his
will, is forced to permit his imps to wash off the black and grime from
the sufferer’s face, and to relieve him of his hideous bearskin
disguise. He tries to gain his soul in other ways, by various
temptations; but Hans, determined not to fall under such evil influence
again, firmly resists all, and hastens away to the wars once more,
where, with his renewed moral and physical strength, he gains great
honour and glory. Finally, he returns to the neighbourhood of Louise’s
home, and wins the gratitude and praise of the peasants by saving their
village and the adjacent town from enemies who have long besieged it. He
is now acclaimed as a great hero by the thankful people; but Hans leaves
them to their revels and seeks out Louise, whom he finds bemoaning her
sad fate, because, having given her word to remain faithful to a
hideous stranger for three years until he returns to claim her, she
dares not come out to greet the hero, to whom her heart has already gone
out, having beheld him from a distance. Hans, however, soon brings joy
to her by revealing himself as the one-time miserable Bearskin, whom
she has restored to honour and happiness by her loving fidelity; and the
opera ends with the betrothal of the happy pair.
192. — THE KOBOLD (THE GOBLIN)
Fantastic
Opera in Three Acts
By Siegfried Wagner
Libretto
By the Composer
First
Produced
Harmburg, January, 1904
Chief
Characters
Vevena, The Countess, Friedrich, The Count, Seelschen (The Goblin),
Eckhart, Trutz
THE
story of this opera is not very well constructed, many of the incidents
being somewhat irrelevant and meaningless; and consequently the action
is not so clear and satisfactory as might be desired.
In Act 1, Vevena, a beautiful maiden, is seen sleeping in a garden,
where she is visited by Seelschen, a Goblin, who implores her to rescue
him from a curse under which he suffers, by giving her life for one she
loves; and he throws into her lap a talisman-jewel, which he hopes may
lead her into the snares he desires. The sleeping maiden pays no heed to
him, however; but when the Goblin has departed, believing his talisman
will work his will, Vevena is awakened by Eckhart, one of her
attendants, to whom she relates the foregoing incident as a curious
dream. Vevena has fallen in love with Friedrich, a strolling player; and
when her mother opposes the match, unable to conquer her passion, she
escapes from home, and joins the troupe of players, of which Friedrich
is the leader. Complications soon arise, when a handsome Countess also
falls in love with Friedrich, and manages to steal Vevena’s talisman, by
means of which she succeeds in getting him into her snares. Meanwhile,
her husband, the Count, is attracted by the beautiful Vevena, and he
invites Friedrich and his company to perform in the Castle. Here he
finds opportunity to persecute Vevena with his unwelcome attentions,
offering her wealth as his mistress; and, when she refuses, he attempts
to use force, upon which she turns upon him with her dagger, and wounds
him. Trutz, a member of the company, who also loves Vevena, comes to
her rescue; and, in order to save her from the consequences of her act,
he declares that it was he who stabbed the Count. Not waiting to be
seized, however, he hurries away, taking with him the talisman, which
he has managed to get out of the Countess’s possession, and which he
now flings into a lake. A fairy form immediately rises from the water,
and floats away into the sky with the talisman; and, at the same time,
the Goblin appears, uttering cries of woe, since he thinks his doom will
never be averted, now that the talisman has gone. The sacrifice he
requires, however, is very shortly consummated, and by the maiden he had
fixed upon.
In Act 3 Trutz is hunted by the retainers of the Count, who set
fire to the apartments of the players, and a scrimmage follows, during
which Friedrich engages in a hand-to-hand fight with one of the
retainers, who quickly overcomes him. Seeing the man she loves is in
danger Vevena flings herself between the struggling pair and receives
the death-blow intended for Friedrich. She falls dead at his feet; and
having thus sacrificed herself for one she loves, she has unwittingly
fulfilled the request of the Goblin, who is now freed from his curse.
Romantic
Opera in Four Acts
By William Vincent Wallace (Adapted from Dr Meinhold’s Romance of same
name)
First
Produced
London, 1861
Chief
Characters
Mary, Elsie, Rudiger (Lord of Raven-stein), The Commandant, The Pastor,
Claus, The King
THE
scene of this opera is laid in Coserow, a small town in Pomerania,
during the fifteenth century. The town is visited by a famine, and
whilst many of the people are suffering from hunger there is yet food in
plenty in the house of the old Pastor, whose fair young daughter, Mary,
has discovered an amber vein on the wild Streckelberg hill, and who, by
selling this, gains sufficient money to buy food for her own household
and for the poor whom she feeds. She will not reveal the secret of her
source of wealth, and the neighbours become jealous. Elsie, a servant in
the employ of the Commandant of the town, hates the gentle Mary, who has
won the admiration of her master, who desires to make her his paramour,
and the pair concoct a scheme for getting Mary accused of
witchcraft—such superstition being firmly believed in in those days—so
that she may fall into the Commandant’s hands. Their cruel plans are,
however, overheard by an honest, but half-witted, postman, who resolves
to save the innocent girl from her enemies. Mary meanwhile has met
Rudiger, the young Count of Ravenstein, who has rescued her father from
wayside ruffians, and seeks a night’s lodging at their house in return;
and the pair fall in love. Rudiger, however, has a tyrant father, who
ill-treats him, and since he will never consent to their union the
lovers are only able to meet in secret. When the King visits the town
presently Mary is chosen to present an address to him, and receives a
gold chain from the monarch; and this rouses still further the jealousy
of Elsie.
In Act 2 Mary and Rudiger meet on the Streckelberg, which is
reputed to be haunted by witches, who are supposed to hold their revels
and “ Witches’ Sabbath “ there; and here their sweet love-making is seen
by the malignant Elsie and her evil companions, who are themselves
secret “witches,” and they triumph in the knowledge that it will be easy
to accuse Mary of witchcraft now, since she has been seen on the
Streckelberg. The lovers depart, and a violent storm ensues.
In Act 3 Mary has been taken to prison on the charge of witchcraft
made by Elsie, and she is visited in the dungeon by her old father, the
Pastor, who brings her a letter from the Commandant, in which the latter
offers to secure her release if she will become his mistress. Mary
indignantly refuses such shameful terms, and the Commandant, full of
anger at her ‘refusal, causes her to be brought at once for trial. Poor
Mary declares her innocence, but as she is utterly unable to prove the
source of her recent abundant means — the vein of amber having been
closed by the last great storm — the charge of sorcery is proved against
her, and she is ordered to be tortured in order to make her confess. To
save her beloved father the woe of beholding her sufferings Mary now
says boldly that she is a witch, and has had intercourse with the
Devil, whom she indicates by gazing unflinchingly upon the evil
Commandant; and she is condemned to be burnt at the stake. The friendly
Claus, however, determines to save her, and he proceeds to the Castle of
Ravenstein, where Count Rudiger has been kept a prisoner by his tyrant
father during the time of Mary’s trial. The old Count, however, is
brought home dead that morning, having been killed by a fall from his
horse, and as the retainers set their young lord free Claus rushes in to
tell him of Mary’s dire peril. Instantly the Count sets off with his
soldiers to seek the aid of the King. Meanwhile, in the marketplace,
Mary is already tied to the stake, though the faggots have not yet been
fired, and the crowd, headed by the triumphant Elsie, are dancing around
her, eager to see the witch burn. The Commandant again makes his base
proposals to the half-fainting Mary, and upon her still refusing he
tells her mockingly that she shall yet be his since he has bidden his
troops to presently rush forward and rescue her from the stake, and
convey her to his castle, where she will be compelled to submit to him —
not knowing that Elsie, furious that her hated rival should come beneath
her master’s roof, has sent the troops off on a wildgoose chase
elsewhere. At this moment, however, Count Rudiger appears with the King,
who, hearing the whole story of the amber vein from Mary, believes in
her innocency, and orders her immediate release, declaring that the
real witch is Elsie, who shall be burnt in her stead. But the stake
claims no victim that day, for the wretched Elsie is discovered to be
already dead; and the opera closes with the thankful joy of the rescued
Mary, who is united to her lover, Count Rudiger.
Romantic
Opera in Three Acts
By Williarm Vincent Wallace
Libretto
By Fitzball
First
Produced
London, February, 1860
Chief
Characters
Lurline, Ghiva, Count Rudolph, The Baron, The Rhine King
THE
story is founded on an old German legend, the scene being laid in the
Rhine country. Lurline, the lovely Rhine nymph, has fallen in love with
Count Rudolph, whom she has seen sailing in his skiff above her watery
domains; and she determines to win his love in return. Rudolph, unaware
of this, seeks marriage with Ghiva, daughter of a Baron, whom he
believes to be wealthy, and with whose riches he hopes to retrieve his
own fallen fortunes and restore his half-ruined castle. The Baron and
his daughter, also believing in their turn that the Count is wealthy,
are very anxious for the union; but when they discover their mutual
poverty, the proud and ambitious Ghiva withdraws, and sends her suitor
away with contempt. Rudolph, to restore his dejected spirits, indulges
in wild revels with some gay companions at his castle; and there he is
one day visited by the mysterious Lurline, who places a ring on his
finger, and casts her lures and magic spells of love around him so
successfully that the young Count, unable to resist her marvellous
beauty, falls desperately in love with her, and follows her to the
shores of the Rhine, where he is drawn towards a whirlpool, into which
he vanishes with the lovely nymph.
In Act 2 Rudolph is found in the Rhine King’s watery palace, where he is
happy in the love of Lurline, whose magic ring renders him as a being of
the water-world; but happening one day to hear the songs of some of his
old companions, who are sailing above him, he longs to see them once
more, and entreats the beautiful nymph to permit him to visit the earth
for a short time, promising to return to her. Lurline agrees to part
with him for three days, saying that at the end of that time she will
wait for him on a rock which rises out of the river, and is known as the
“Lurlei-berg”; and at her request the Rhine King also allows him to take
away with him some of the. vast treasures from his palace. Rudolph
therefore returns to his castle, where the news of his marvellous
treasures quickly brings his old companions around him. Ghiva, on
learning the secret of his wealth, now seeks his love once more; and by
cunningly stealing his magic ring, which she flings into the river, she
hopes to win him for herself. Rudolph, deprived of his magic ring,
forgets his beautiful fairy wife, and indulges once more in wild
excesses. His companions soon became jealous of his unbounded wealth,
and lay a plot to murder him, after which they intend to plunder the
castle. Meanwhile, Lurline waits vainly for her truant lover, and is
filled with woe, when one of her attendants brings her the magic ring
she gave to him, and which Ghiva had flung into the river; but,
deter-mining to win him back, she appears once more at a festival the
Count is giving to his friends on the banks of the river. She pours
reproaches upon Rudolph, who, however, quickly falls under her
fascination once more, and announces his love for her. Ghiva, furious at
the prospect of losing the wealthy Count she had hoped to wed, reveals
to him the evil designs of his jealous friends; and she and her father
beg him to escape with them. Rudolph, however, has thought for no one
else but the beautyful, mysterious Lurline, who now invokes the spirits
of the Rhine to aid her lover. Immediately the river rises and overflows
its banks, destroying the base conspirators; and with the subsiding
waves Rudolph, once more wearing the magic ring, is borne back with
Lurline to the Rhine King’s dazzling palace, where they are reunited.
Romantic
Opera in Three Acts
By William Vincent Wallace
Libretto
By Fitzball (Adapted from the Play “Don Caesar de Bazan”)
First
Produced
London, November, 1845
Chief
Characters
Maritana, Marchioness de Montefiore, Don Caesar de Bazan, The King of
Spain, Don José de Santarem, Lazarillo
THE
scene is laid in Madrid, during the reign of Charles II of Spain. In Act
1 a band of gipsies are entertaining the holiday-makers in a
public square, having with them a lovely young Gitana, Maritana, whose
beauty and sweet voice attract the attention of the gay young King,
Charles II, who has joined the revellers in disguise. He speaks with
her, praising her beauty; and then, giving her a handsome gift of money,
he hastens away, but not before his disguise has been penetrated by his
Chief Minister, Don José de Santarem, who being himself anxious to make
love to the Queen, determines to aid his plans by encouraging the King
to secure Maritana as his mistress. He therefore talks to the girl,
promising that she shall attain to great wealth and joy if she will put
herself under his direction, and follow out his wishes, which Maritana,
eager to improve her position, and quite unsuspicious of his evil
designs, agrees to do. Just then Don Caesar de Bazan comes rollicking
forth from a tavern, where he has gambled away his last penny; and
having known Don José :n his early days, he greets him as a friend. Don
Caesar is a handsome, debonair cavalier; but having yielded to gambling
and pleasure, he has squandered his fortune, and become a poor and
shabby roysterer, who, however, in spite of his reckless conduct, has
still managed to preserve his nobility of character, lively manner, and
generosity of heart. Whilst the pair are talking a wretched youth
rushes into the square, seeking protection from a cruel master; and Don
Caesar at once takes the lad’s part, and fights a duel in his behalf. He
soon finds himself in trouble for this act; for it is Holy Week, and
duels have been prohibited on pain of hanging during this week, and he
is at once marched off to prison, together with the youth, Lazarillo.
Here we find the pair in Act 2, Don Caesar wonderfully lively for a
man condemned to death, and Lazarillo full of woe at the thought of
losing such a kind friend. Don Caesar is only grieving because he is
doomed to be hanged like a dog; and when Don José presently enters, he
begs him, as a last service, to procure for him the favour of being
shot, as becomes a Grandee of Spain. Don José agrees to do so, on
condition that Don Caesar will consent to an immediate marriage with an
unknown bride; for he has planned to wed Maritana to the prisoner, so
that he may introduce her at Court as the widow of a Spanish nobleman.
Don Caesar laughingly agrees, and attires himself gaily for the
ceremony in the wedding garments provided for him, and indulging in a
feast with his guards; and presently, Maritana, in bridal garments, her
face completly hidden by a thick veil, is led in, and the marriage
ceremony is performed, after which Maritana is led away, and Don Caesar
is taken out to be shot. The latter, however, having been told by
Lazarillo that the lad has abstracted all the bullets from the guns,
feigns death when the volley is fired; and then, when left on the ground
for dead, he calmly gets up and goes off in search of his mysterious
bride, with whose sweet voice he has fallen in love. Having discovered
that she has been taken by Don José to a ball given by the Count de
Montefiore, he forces an entrance, and demands his bride. Don José
though much disturbed at seeing him again, having believed him to be
dead, still keeps his wits; and by persuading the elderly Marchioness de
Monteflore to aid his plans, he presents her to Don Caesar as his
bride. When the old Marchioness removes her veil, therefore, the
bridegroom is filled with dismay, but declares he has been cheated; and
presently, hearing the voice of Maritana, who is singing in the next
salon, he recognises it as the voice of his mysterious bride, and makes
a dash for the salon. He is, however, prevented from going another
step, and is held back, foaming with impotent rage, and cast out into
the street.
In Act 3 Maritana is seen in one of the royal villas, full of
anxiety about her dubious position, and fearing she has been deceived.
When the King presently enters and makes love to her, she is filled with
horror at his infidelity to the Queen, whom she loves; and she proudly
and firmly resists the advances he makes, though inwardly full of fear
at her helpless position. At this moment Don Caesar, having learnt
through Lazarillo of her whereabouts, bursts into the chamber, to the
great chagrin of the King, with whom he has a most amusing, though
dramatic, interview. Finally, the King is called away to the garden, to
meet the Queen; and then Don Caesar and Maritana recognising each other
by their voices and failing promptly in love, are filled with joy at
their meeting, and indulge in their first love scene. The King’s
infatuation for Maritana is, however, still a menace to their
happiness; but on proceeding to the garden, Don Caesar overhears the
vile plans of Don José, upon which he challenges him as a traitor, and
kills him. He then returns to Maritana; and upon the entrance of the
King reveals to him the villainy of his scheming Minister; cunningly
adding that since he, Don Caesar, has thus preserved the King’s honour,
surely the King can no longer attack the honour of a loyal subject.
Charles is now so impressed by the behaviour of Don Caesar that, ashamed
of his own ignoble designs, tie determines to renounce his own pleasure,
and places Maritana’s hand in that of her eager husband, to whom he also
presents a rich governorship. He then departs to seek the pardon of his
own neglected Queen; and the opera closes with the joyful embrace of the
now happy husband and wife.
Romantic
Opera in Three Acts
By Carl Maria Von Weber
Libretto
By Helmina Von Chézy
First
Produced
Vienna, October, 1823
Chief
Characters
Euryanthe, Eglantine, Adolar, Lysiart, The King of France, Louis VI
THE scene is laid at the Court of King Louis VI of France, where Count Adolar gives vent to enthusiastic praises of the beauty and fidelity of his flancée, the Lady Euryanthe, extolling her virtue above that of all other maidens. His praises are met with contempt from the Count Lysiart, a cynical, scheming courtier, who provokes the young lover so greatly by his refusal to believe in the virtue of any woman, that he finally stakes his lands and all he possesses on the constancy of his fair Euryanthe against Lysiart’s declaration that he will shortly bring him a token which he has himself won from the lady. The next scene takes place in the Castle of Nevers, where Euryanthe is seen with Eglantine, a fugitive lady who has sought refuge there and been treated as a friend by the former, who is indeed a gentle and virtuous maiden. Eglantine, however, is an ambitious schemer; and having conceived a passion for Count Adolar, she plots to take him away from her new friend. She therefore cunningly leads her to talk of secret matters which a stranger has no right to pry into; and the innocent Euryanthe, led away by the other’s seeming sympathy, in a rash moment, tells her of the secret sorrow which her lover has recently had to suffer and which he has made her promise never to reveal. This secret refers to his dead sister, the Lady Emma, who poisoned herself on the death of her lover in battle, having taken the poison from a certain ring which is laid with her in the tomb, and which niust be wet with the tears shed by a pure and constant maiden in her hour of deep sorrow, ere the suicide’s soul can find rest. The tomb of the Lady Emma is not far distant from the Castle; and Eglantine determines to make use of this information for her own needs, whilst Euryanthe is already filled with remorse at having, in an unguarded moment, revealed her betrothed’s secret to a stranger, and thus broken her promise to him. Presently, Lysiart arrives on a mission to conduct Euryanthe to Court for her wedding; and he at once makes use .of all his powers of fascination in order to gain the favour of the gentle maiden, and compass her ruin. He meets with no success, however, since Euryanthe has thought only for her betrothed; but he is soon joined in the plot by the crafty Eglantine, who, having stolen the ring from the tomb of the Lady Emma, gives it to him to take as the token of Euryanthe’s favour to himself. When Lysiart therefore presents Euryanthe at Court, he shows the ring to Adolar, declaring that the much vaunted virtue of his lady had not been proof against his advances, since she gave him the jewel as a love token. Adolar is filled with grief and rage at this seeming proof of the infidelity of his betrothed, whose betrayal of his family secret, as well as his own honour, he cannot forgive. Euryanthe vainly protests her innocence of the charge of infidelity, though she tearfully admits the rash revelation of the secret to Eglantine; and her tears of innocence and woe fall upon the ring which condemns her. Adolar, however, refuses to believe her defence; and he drags her out to a wild, desolate place, where he intends to slay her. Here they are attacked by a deadly serpent, and Euryanthe flings herself in the path to save her lover, who is thus enabled by a quick movement to kill the monster. His life having thus been saved by his intended victim, he cannot take hers; and he therefore leaves her to her fate in the wilderness. Here she is found by the King, who has come forth on a hunting expedition, and to whom she relates the whole story of Eglantine’s treachery; and the kindly, monarch at once takes her under his charge, and sets off with her to the Castle of Nevers. As they approach the neighbourhood, they see a wedding procession moving towards the chapel, the bridegroom being Lysiart, and the bride Eglantine, who, still scheming for a position, has won the favour of her fellow-plotter. When Adolar presently appears, he is led to believe that Euryanthe is dead, though in reality she is only in a swoon; and then, Eglantine, at last overcome with remorse, leaves the side of her betrothed, and declares her love for the man her treachery has injured, at the same time revealing her misdeeds. This enrages Lysiart, who springs forward and stabs the false woman who has helped him in his baseness. He is at once seized by order of the King, and removed to a dungeon to pay the penalty of his evil deeds. Adolar now realises that Euryanthe has never been unfaithful to him, but has been more sinned against than sinning; and he receives her into his arms once more, craving pardon for his doubt, and thanking her for having saved his sister’s soul by her innocent tears shed upon the fatal ring.
197. — DER FREISCHUTZ; OR, “THE SEVENTH BULLET”
Rormantic
Opera in Three Acts
By Carl Maria Von Weber
Libretto
By Friedrich Kind
First
Produced
Berlin, June, 1821
Chief
Characters
Agatha, Annchen, Max, Caspar, Zarmiel (The Dermon), Kuno and Prince of
Bohemia
THE
story is adapted from an old German folklore tale, in which a forest
demon gives magic bullets to one in league with him, with which he never
fails to hit the mark. The Prince of Bohemia requires a new Chief
Ranger, his last man, Kuno, having grown too old; and the latter, on
retiring, suggests Max, a clever young marksman for whom he has a great
affection, and who is betrothed to his fair daughter, Agatha. Max,
however, has a rival in Caspar, who not only desires to be Chief Ranger,
but also covets the charming Agatha, notwithstanding that the maiden has
no affection for him, all her love being given to her betrothed, Max.
Caspar is in league with the forest demon, Zamiel, and, in order to gain
his ends, he plots to get Max into the toils of his evil master, in his
stead, and so secure his own release. He therefore invokes the
assistance of Zamiel, who causes Max to perform badly at the shooting
matches; and when the latter is in despair, fearing failure at the final
contests, Caspar slyly advises him to call on the name of “ Zamiel “
when next shooting. Max, unaware of danger, follows out the suggestion,
and at once hits the mark, upon which Caspar has no difficulty in
persuading him to attend him at midnight on a visit to the Wolf’s Glen,
a place of evil repute, where he may obtain a supply of magical,
never-erring bullets, with which he cannot fail to secure the position
he covets.
In Act 2 Agatha is shown with her cousin, Annchen, in a state of
unrest, being anxious about her betrothed, whose manner has been strange
of late, and who she fears is getting under some evil influence; but she
is somewhat comforted on receiving from an old hermit a wreath of magic
roses to wear on her wedding-day as a protection from evil. Max, who has
been troubled by horrible dreams and weird apparitions, proceeds to the
Wolf’s . Glen at midnight, where Caspar invokes the Demon, Zamiel, who
appears and casts seven bullets, ,which he presents to Max to fire at
the competition, six of which will take their flight as the marksman
desires, and the seventh to take the direction desired by the demon. In
the last act Agatha has again been troubled by strange dreams, which
terrify her; but on her wedding day, which is also the day of the
shooting contest, she arrays herself in her bravest attire, and dons the
wreath of magic roses given to her by the hermit. She then proceeds to
the place of the shooting contest, where all the neighbouring folk have
gathered to witness the marksmanship of the chosen candidates. Max fires
his six shots unerringly, each one hitting the mark; and then, being
directed by the Prince of Bohemia to aim at a white dove hovering near,
he fires the seventh fatal bullet in accordance with the command. At the
same moment, the white dove appears to him to be Agatha, who, indeed,
falls at the report; and Max is in despair, thinking he has shot his
bride. The beautiful maiden has, however, only fainted; for the bullet
being unable to harm her, owing to the magic wreath she wears, and being
at the disposal of the demon, Zamiel has himself directed it to the
heart of the false Caspar, whose soul has long been forfeited to him,
and who, in spite of his scheming, has thus been unable to escape his
doom. Max, overcome with this tragic end to the contest, confesses all,
upon which the anger of the Prince falls upon him; but, owing to the
pleadings of Agatha, he obtains pardon and his lovely bride into the
bargain.
Fairy
Opera in Three Acts
By Carl Maria Von Weber
Libretto
By J. R. Planché
First
Produced
London, April, 1826
Chief
Characters
Reiza, Fatima, Titania, Oberon, Huon, Puck, Scherasmin, Barbekan,
Roschana
THIS fantastic story is adapted from an old French romance; and out of the strange medley of fairy, Eastern and chivalric elements a very fascinating plot has been evolved. Oberon, King of Fairy-land, having quarrelled with his lovely Queen, Titania, they vow not to be reunited until a pair of lovers shall be found who will be true to each other through many exceptional dangers, temptations and difficulties. Both are eager for reconciliation; and Oberon sends out his merry sprite, Puck, over the world, to seek the wonderful pair of lovers he requires. Puck comes back with news of the noble knight, Huon, who, having been insulted by Carloman, the son of Charlemagne, has slain him in single combat, for which deed the Emperor has condemned him to proceed to Bagdad and there to slay the favourite minister, and to wed the Caliph’s daughter, Reiza. Oberon immediately determines to use these two young people for his ends; and he causes each to appear to the other in a vision, and to fall in love with one another. He then visits Huon, and bestows on him a magic horn, with which he can always summon the Fairy King to his assistance, and compel merriment; and to his armour-bearer, Scherasmin, he gives a magic cup, which fills with wine at pleasure and also reveals treachery by issuing forth flames when put to the lips of a traitor. Huon and his servants are now transported to Bagdad, where in Act 2 they are found performing many marvellous acts by means of their magic gifts. The Caliph’s favourite, Prince Barbekan, is about to marry his royal master’s lovely daughter, Reiza, who hates him, all her love being given to Huon, of whose coming to Bagdad she soon learns from her maid, Fatima. Huon makes acquaintance with Barbekan, whom he puts to test by means of his magic cup, which issues forth flames as his lips touch it, and so proclaims him to be a traitor and evil-doer. The gallant knight therefore challenges him to fight, and slays him. He is thereupon attacked by the Caliph’s soldiers; but Scherasmin promptly blows upon the fairy horn, which immediately plays such merry tunes that the soldiers cannot refrain from dancing, during which revels Huon and Reiza escape together, being closely followed by Scherasmin and Fatima, the two latter having also fallen in love with one another. As they make their escape, Oberon again appears to the happy pair, making them promise to remain faithful to each other through every danger and temptation; and having secured their promise, he proceeds to put them to the test. The four fugitives board a vessel, which is presently shipwrecked; and Reiza is rescued by pirates, who sell her as a slave to the Emir of Tunis, who puts her in his harem and vainly sues for her love. In Act 3 Scherasmin and Fatima are found as workers in the garden of the Emir, to whom they also have been sold by the pirates who captured them; and here they are presently joined by Huon. And now the lovers are exposed to many temptations; and their fidelity is put to very severe tests. The handsome Huon attracts the attention of the Emir’s Eastern wife, Roscha.na, who sends for him and endeavours to win his love by exercising all her wiles and lures of fascination upon him; but finding him steadfast in his refusal of her favours, and discovering that he loves the hated new slave in her lord’s harem, she is filled with rage and accuses him to the Emir as having tried to force her to accept him as her lover. Upon this, the unhappy Huon is condemned to be burned alive by order of the Emir, who, also being enraged by Reiza’s resistance to his own love-making, condemns her to be burned with him. The lovers are, however, rescued by Oberon, who appears when Scherasmin, fearful for his master’s life, blows the magic horn. The Fairy King appears with his lovely Queen, Titania, to whom he is now reconciled owing to the constancy of the lovers he has put to the test; and he now transports the four exiles to Charlemagne’s Court, where the gallant Knight, Huon, receives the pardon of the Emperor, and is united to his beloved Reiza. Scherasmin and Fatima are also united; and the opera ends with joyous revels.
Romantic
Opera in Four Acts
By Carl Maria Von Weber
Libretto
By Pius Alexander Wolff
First
Produced
Berlin, March, 1821
Chief
Characters
Preciosa, Viarda, Donna Clara, Alonzo, Eugenio, Don Francesco, Don
Azevedo
THIS
composition is really more a romantic drama with incidental music rather
than an opera; but it is nevertheless regarded as showing all the best
characteristics of Weber’s work. The scene is laid in Spain, and the
first act opens in Madrid, in the house of Don Francesco, whose son,
Alonzo, has fallen in love with Preciosa, a lovely and virtuous gipsy
maiden, who returns his passion. Their love is not known to the proud
nobleman, who is, however, anxious to see the celebrated gipsy maid,
whose praises are on everybody’s lips; and he therefore sends for her
to dance and sing before him, being delighted with her performance, and
astonished to find her so gentle, accomplished and refined.
In Act 2 Alonzo has followed Preciosa to the gipsy camp; but being
unable to convince her of the sincerity of his love and intentions, and
in order to prove his fidelity to her, he decides to remain a year or
two with the gipsies, who regard Preciosa as their Queen, and obey her
in all things.
In Act 3 Don Azevedo, a friend of Don Francesco, is about to
celebrate a festival; and his son, Eugenio, offers to secure the
services of the pretty Gipsy Queen for the entertainment. But when he
arrives at the gipsy camp he quickly arouses the jealousy of Alonzo,
and a violent quarrel ensues, which ends in the latter being flung into
prison. Preciosa, full of anxiety for her lover’s fate, hastens to the
Castle of Azevedo; and here, in Act 4, all the characters in the drama
are gathered. Donna Clara, the wife of Don Azevedo, is greatly attracted
by the sweetness and high-born air of the gipsy-girl, who, now seeing
the folly of Alonzo’s attachment to one of such a lowly position as
hers, bravely announces her intention not to see him again. Meanwhile,
the old gipsy-woman, Viarda, whose husband is also being detained in the
castle, comes for news of him; but when Preciosa begins to weep after
her renunciation of Alonzo, the old fortune-teller is filled with
remorse, and surprises the company by revealing the fact that the pretty
maiden is the long-lost daughter of Donna Clara, she herself having
stolen the child, who was believed at the time to have been drowned. A
mark on the girl’s shoulder proves the truth of the statement; and
Preciosa is received back with great joy . by her relations. Alonzo is
released from captivity and betrothed to the beautiful maiden he has
served so faithfully in the gipsy camp; and all thus ends happily.
Romantic
Opera in Four Acts
By Carl Maria Von Weber (Left unfinished by the Composer. Completed by
Ferdinand Langer.)
Libretto
By Ernest Pasque
First
Produced
Frankfurt, September, 1810
Chief
Characters
Silvana, a Forest Nymph, Gerald, Count Boland, Ratto
THE story is adapted from an old German Rhine legend, which tells of two brothers who lived, one in the Castle of Steirnberg, and the other in the Castle of Liebenstein. They hated each other, because the elder, Count Boland, loved his brother’s wife, who refused to give her love to him in return; and in his rage and jealousy Count Boland slew his brother and set fire to his castle in which it was believed that the fair young mistress and her child were burned to death. After this terrible deed, Boland retired to his castle, a prey to Constant remorse, living the life of a hermit; and here his son Gerald has been brought up alone, and, his mother having died in his early childhood, he has never come under the influence of a woman. On attaining manhood, his father desires him to marry, since it is the wish of their vassals; but Gerald has never yet seen a maiden who pleases him. One day, however, when out hunting, he meets Silvana, a lovely maiden who lives with Ratto, a collier, whom she regards as heir father; and the pair fall mutually in love with each other. A forest nymph, who follows Silvana as a guardian wherever she goes, endeavours to lure the young Count away from the maiden’s side; but Gerald is determined to wed the lovely girl, and with the help of his followers, he makes the collier drunk, and then steals Silvana away whilst he is sleeping. Silvana is not left unprotected, however; for the forest nymph still accompanies her in the disguise of a troubadour, and guards her from all harm. The old Count Boland, only too pleased that his son should consent to take a wife, receives Silvana with kindness, being attracted to her by a strange influence which he cannot fathom; and he even consents to attend the ceremony, and to watch the peasant’s revels which are to accompany it. When the wedding party gathers together, the nymph, still in troubadour attire, asks permission to sing; and this being granted, she begins to relate the story of the old Count’s crime as the introduction to her story. Old Boland is filled with horror that his dreadful deed should become known; and he forbids the minstrel to continue, even making an attempt to kill him. Gerald for the first time has doubts about his unknown bride, and asks an explanation of the story; but Silvana gently informs him that she is not at liberty to speak on the matter. Ratto the collier now appears and claims Silvana as his daughter; and when it is seen that the bride comes of such a low family, she is treated with contumely, and the mystery about her deepening, she is accused of witchcraft, and thrust into prison. As she still refuses to speak of her ancestry, she is declared to be a child of the devil, and is condemned to be burnt at the stake. Gerald, however, firmly believes in her innocence, and still loving her passionately resolves to perish with her; but when the lovely maiden is led out to meet her awful death, the minstrel nymph appears once more, and continuing her interrupted song-story, relates that when Count Boland fired his brother’s castle, the fair mistress and her child, who were supposed to have perished in the flames, in reality escaped to the distant forest, where they took refuge in the hut of the poor collier, Ratto, who, when the distracted mother died, brought up the little girl, Silvana, as his own child. The old Count now understands his strange attraction to the lovely maiden; and with a cry of joy he welcomes her as his beloved niece, whom he very gladly bestows upon the now happy Gerald as his wife, the opera ending with the wedding revels of the peasants.
Last updated October 31, 2006