THE STANDARD OPERAGLASS
CHARLES ANNESLEY
A KING AGAINST HIS WILL
(DER KÖNIG WIDER WILLEN)
Comic Opera in three acts by Emanuel Chabrier
Text after a comedy written by Ancelot
from Emile de Najac and
Paul Burani
The
composer has recently become known in Germany by his opera Gwendoline, performed at
Leipsic a short time ago. His latest opera, “A Köing Against His Will,” was
represented on the Royal Opera in Dresden, April 26, 1890, and through its wit, grace, and
originality won great applause. Indeed, though not quite free from “raffinement, its
melodies are exquisitely interesting and lovely. Minka’s Bohemian song, her duet
with De Nangis, her lover, as well as the duet between the Köing and Alexina, are
masterpieces, and the national coloring in the song of the Polish body-guard is
characteristic enough.
The libretto is most amusing, though the plot is
complicated. The scene is laid at Cracow in the year 1574. Its subject is derived from a
historical fact. Henry de Valois has been elected Köing of Poland, through the
machinations of his ambitious mother, Caterina de’ Medici, to whom it has been
prophesied that all her sons should be crowned.
The gay Frenchman most reluctantly accepts the honor, but
the delight of his new Polish subjects at having him is not greater than his own
enchantment with his new kingdom.
The first act shows the new Köing surrounded by French
noblemen, gay and thoughtless like himself, but watching all his movements by order of his
mother, who fears his escape. By chance the Köing hears from a young bondwoman, Minka,
who loves De Nangis, his friend, and wishes to save him a surprise, that a plot had been
formed by the Polish noblemen, who do not yet know him personally, and he at once decides
to join the conspiracy against his own person. Knowing his secretary, Fritelli, to be one
of the conspirators, he declares that he is acquainted with their proceedings and
threatens him with death should he not silently submit to all his orders. The frightened
Italian promises to lead him into the house of Lasky, the principal conspirator, where he
intends to appear as De Nangis. But before this, in order to prevent discovery, he
assembles his guard and suite, and in their presence accuses his favorite De Nangis with
treachery, and has him safely locked up in apparent deep disgrace.
The second act opens with a festival at Lasky’s, under
cover of which the King is to be arrested and sent over the frontier. Now the King, being
a total stranger to the whole assembly, excepting Fritelli, presents himself as De Nangis
and swears to dethrone his fickle friend, the King, this very night. But meanwhile De
Nangis, who, warned by Minka’s song, has escaped from his confinement through the
window, comes up, and is at once presented by the pretended De Nangis as King Henry. The
true De Nangis, complying with the jest, at once issues his Kingly orders, threatening to
punish his antagonists and proclaiming his intention to make the frightened Minka his
Queen. He is again confined by the conspirators, who, finding him so dangerous, resolve to
kill him. This is entirely against King Heury’s will, and he at once revokes his
oath, proclaiming himself to be the true King, and offering himself, if need shall be, as
their victim. But he is not believed; the only person who knows him, Fritelli, disowns
him, and Alexina, the secretary’s wife, a former sweetheart of the King in Venice, to
whom he has just made love again under his assumed name, declares that he is De Nangis.
Henry is even appointed by lot to inflict the death-stroke on the unfortunate King.
Determined to destroy himself rather than let his friend suffer, he opens the door to De
Nangis’s prison, but the bird has again flown. Minka, though despairing of ever
belonging to one so high-born, has found means to liberate him, and is now ready to suffer
for her interference. She is, however, protected by Henry, who once more swears to force
the King from the country.
The third act takes place in the environs of Crakow, where
preparations are made for the King’s entry. No one knows who is to be crowned, Henry
de Valois or the Archduke of Austria, the pretender supported by the Polish nobles, but
Fritelli, coming up, assures the innkeeper that it is to be the Archduke. Meanwhile the
King enters in hot haste, asking for horses, in order to take himself away as quickly as
possible. Unfortunately, there is only one horse left and no driver, but the King orders
this to be got ready, and declares that he will drive himself. During his absence Alexina
and Minka, who have proceeded to the spot, are full of pity for the unfortunate King, as
well as for his friend De Nangis. Alexina resolves to put on servant’s clothes, in
order to save the fugitive, and to drive herself. Of course Henry is enchanted when
recognizing his fair driver, and both set about to depart.
Minka, left alone, bewails her fate and wants to stab
herself, whereupon De Nangis suddenly appears in search of the King. At the sight of him,
Minka quickly dries her tears, being assured that her lover is true to her. Fritelli,
however, who at first had rejoiced to see his wife’s admirer depart, is greatly
dismayed at hearing that his fair wife was the servant-driver. He madly rushes after them
to arrest the fugitives. But the faithful guard is already on the King’s track, and
together with his Cavaliers, brings them. back in triumph.
Finding that, whether he will or no, he must abide by his
lot, and hearing further that the Archduke has renounced his pretensions to the crown of
Poland, the King at last submits. He unites the faithful lovers De Nangis and Minka, sends
Fritelli as Ambassador to Venice, accompanied by his wife Alexina, and all hail Henry de Valois as
King of Poland.
KOENIGSKINDER
Fairy Opera in three acts by Engelbert Humperdinck
Book by Ernest Hosmer
First
production in New York, 1910. The scene is at Hellabrunn, in the mountains of Germany, and
the time is the Middle Ages.
Act I. The hut and garden of the witch, situated in a
secluded valley. A young girl is kept prisoner there who knows nothing of her parentage. A
spell has been cast over the valley by the witch, so that the girl may not run away. She
simply tends her flock of geese, and dreams of the unknown world. Because of this the
witch charges her with idleness, and orders her to knead the dough for the magic bread
which never grows stale and will some day bring death to whosoever eats it. The girl
reluctantly obeys. Next the girl returns to the open, and there she meets a man, a
stranger, the first one who ever succeeded in coming so far. He turns out to be the
prince, son of the king sent into exile. The two recognize each other as "King’s
Children." When he invites her to come with him into the big world outside, she finds
she cannot follow him because of the spell cast on her and the valley. But the prince is
unable to fathom the girl’s meaning and hence goes away in angry mood. The king has
died, and a delegation from Hellabrunn arrives inquiring of the witch who is to be the
next ruler. "He who at noon to-morrow shall knock first at the city gate," she
replies. One of the delegation, the fiddler, lingers and takes the goose girl with him,
although the witch curses him for doing it.
Act II. At the gates of Hellabrunn the municipal authorities
are waiting for the fulfilment of the prophecy. In the crowd is also the king’s son,
clad in rags, for he has been toiling at common labor. At the stroke of noon the goose
girl -with her geese demands admittance at the gate. Seeing her the prince bounds forward
with the cry : "My queen!" But the magistrates laugh these two to scorn, and
turn them away.
Act III. It is winter, and the hut of the witch is all
buried in snow and desolate, for the people in their rage have burned the witch herself.
Only the fiddler, lame and decrepit, has there found a refuge. The prince and his goose
girl, after having vanished for so long, appear together and apply at the hut for
admittance. It is denied them by a woodcutter, who sells them a loaf of bread, the same
poisoned loaf which never grows stale. The two "King’s Children" die from
it. They are buried together, and now they lie in a grave dug on the summit of the
mountain. There they dream of those other "King’s Children" who, almost
every day in the week, perish because they go unrecognized.
KUHREIGEN
(Ranz de Vaches)
Two-act Opera by Wilhelm Kienzl
This work was first
performed in Vienna in 1911.
Act I.— During the French revolution the army was
forbidden to sing a certain Swiss air — the Kuhreigen, or Ranz de Vaches —which
often caused the desertion of Swiss volunteers in the ranks of the French, since it made
them homesick and melancholy. One of the Swiss soldiers is about to be shot for disobeying
the order, when a powerful marquise fakes an interest in his ease and brings about his
pardon, making him overseer of her estates.
Act 2.— Later on, when under the Terror both the
marquise and her husband are sentenced by the Revolutionary tribunal to be beheaded, the
grateful overseer exerts himself to the utmost to save his benefactress, but she scorns
such plebian aid and prefers to mount the scaff old with a mocking smile.
THE KING’S HENCHMAN
Lyric opera in three acts by Deems Taylot
The libretto, by Edna St. Vincent Millay, is based on early English legends
The
first performance of this opera was given at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in
1927. The action takes place in England during the tenth century.
Act I. The rising curtain shows Eadgar, the masterful Saxon
king of England, carousing with his nobles at a royal banquet. While the wine flows and
the minstrels sing, the king dreams of a queen to grace his throne. Aethelwold, beloved
friend and henchman of Eadgar, arrives at the feast in time to hear the king tell of his
loneliness and his desire for a lovely woman for his queen. Such a one, men say, is
Aelfrida, daughter of the Thane of Devon. Engrossed with kingly problems, Eadgar sends his
henchman to see if Aelfrida be as fair as men report. Aethelwold accepts the commission
and departs for Devon, accompanied by the minstrel, Maccus.
Act II. It is the eve of All Hallows. Aethelwold and Maccus,
weary and craving sleep, stumble and crash through the underbrush of a Devon wood.
Exhausted, they fling themselves under an oak tree and are soon fast asleep. A light
approaches from the back of the "wood bewitched with mist" and Aelfrida appears
with her serving woman, Ase. The maiden has come to the. forest to practice certain charms
which she hopes will bring her a lover. As she murmurs her incantations, the mist clears
and moonlight discloses Aethelwold asleep beneath an oak. Aelfrida, filled with wonder at
the efficacy of her magic runes, stoops to kiss the youth. He awakes and is enraptured by
Aelfrida’s beauty. They avow their love in a duet of ecstatic lyricism. Then the
lovers tell their names and Aethelwold learns with horror that he has unwittingly betrayed
his friend and king. He tries to flee from the enchanted wood but Aelfrida’s voice
calls him back. His loyalty dissolved by his love for Aelfrida, Aethelwold sends Maccus to
the king with the message that the Maid of Devon was nothing fair, but that since her
father was rich in lands and kine while he, the henchman, had little beside the
king’s love, he would stay and wed Aelfrida.
Act III. Aethelwold and his stolen bride settle down in her
father’s home on the bleak Devon coast. Aelfrida, bored with the monotonous round of
housework and fretted by the cold sea winds, is impatient to escape to a more pleasant
land. Aethelwold declares that they will leave that night for Ghent. But it is too late,
for the king is at the gates, come on a friendly visit to his henchman. In sudden panic,
Aethelwold confesses his duplicity to his wife and commands her to retire and dim her
beauty before the king sees her. When Aelfrida has departed to do her husband’s
bidding, a throng of villagers burst into the castle, followed by the king and his
retinue. Eadgar greets his beloved henchman warmly. Aelfrida enters, treacherous and
beautiful, dazzling in her jewels and cloth of gold. The truth dawns on the king who
rebukes Aethelwold. The henchman, overcome with remorse for the betrayal of his king,
plunges a dagger into his heart.
Last updated October 21, 2006