THE STANDARD OPERAGLASS

CHARLES ANNESLEY

UNDINE

Romantic Opera in four acts by Albert Lortzing

Text after Fouque’s tale

     With this opera Lortzing for the first time tried his genius in another field. Until then he had only composed comic operas, which had met with a very fair measure of success, but in this opera he left the comic for the romantic, and was peculiarly happy both in his ideas and choice of subject, which, as it happened, had previously had the honor of being taken up by Weber. The first representation of “Undine” at Hamburg in the year 1845 was one of the few luminous moments in Lortzing’s dark life.
     His melodies are wonderfully captivating and lovely and the whole charm of German romance lies in them.
     The contents of the libretto are:
     The gallant knight, Hugo von Ringstetten, has been ordered by the Duke’s daughter, Berthalda, to go in search of adventures, accompanied by his attendant Veit. Being detained or three months in a little village cut off from communication with the outer world by an inundation, he sees Undine, the adopted daughter of an old fisherman, named Tobias, and falling in love with her he asks for her hand. In the first act we see the priest uniting the young couple. The knight recognizes in the old man a traveller whom he once saved from robbers, and is glad to see him. Undine beha most childishly, and finally says that she has no soul. She is herself grieved, and the others do not believe her. Hugo now tells them of the proud and beautiful Berthalda, whose scarf he received in a tournament, and who sent him away on this adventure. He then returns to the capital with his young wife, in order to present her at the ducal court. Meanwhile Veit has met Kühleborn, the mighty King of the water-fairies, and is asked by him whether his master has quite forgotten Berthalda. The valet gives as his opinion that the poor fisher-maiden is de­ceived, and will soon be abandoned by her hus­band. This excites Küihleborn’s wrath, for Undine is his daughter, and he forthwith resolves to protect her.
     In the second act Undine confesses to her husband that she is a water-fairy, one of those whom men call “Undinas.” They have no soul, but if they are loved faithfully by man they are able to gain a soul, and through it immortality. Though he shudders inwardly, Undine’s purity and loveliness conquer Hugo’s fright, and he once more swears to be eternally true to her.
     The proud Berthalda, who loves Hugo, has heard with feelings of mingled anger and despair of the knight’s marriage. She determines to honor the King of Naples with her hand; but before her wedding takes place a sealed document has to be opened, which says that Berthalda, instead of being a Duke’s daughter, is a poor foundling. Küihleborn, who is present, declares that she is the real child of Undine’s foster parents. Berthalda is now obliged to leave the palace. She loathes her fate and curses her low-born parents. Then Kühleborn derides her, and the attendants are about to seize him in order to turn him out of doors, when the statue of the water-god breaks into fragments, while Küihleborn stands in its place, the waters pouring down upon him. All take flight, but Undine raises the prostrate Berthalda, promising her protection in her husband’s castle.
     In the third act Berthalda succeeds in again drawing Hugo into her toils. Though warned by the water-fairies not to perjure himself, he neglects their advice, and Undine finds him in the arms of her rival. He repels his wife, and Kühleborn takes her back into his watery kingdom. But Undine has lost her peace of mind forever; she cannot forget her husband.
     In the fourth act Hugo has given orders to close the well with stones, to prevent all possible communication with the water-fairies. Undine’s pale face pursues him everywhere, he continually fancies he hears her soft voice and touching entreaties, and to stifle his remorse he appoints the day of his wedding with Berthalda.
     His attendant, Veit, however, unable to forget his sweet mistress, removes the stones which cover the well. Undine rises from it and appears at midnight at the wedding. Hugo, forgetting Berthalda, and drawn toward his lovely wife against his will, falls into her arms and dies at her feet. The castle comes crashing down, floods penetrate everywhere and carry Hugo and Undine into Kühleborn’s crystal palace.
     Undine obtains pardon for Hugo, and his only punishment is that he must forever stay with his wife in her fairy domains.

URVASI

Opera in three acts by Wilhelm Kienzl

Text after the Indian legend of Kalidasa

     This opera is so brilliantly supplemented by decorations and poetic enchantment of every kind that it would be worth while to see those triumphs of modern machinery alone. But not only on account of external effect is Urvasi admired — the music is in itself well worth hearing, though it contains many reminiscences of other well-known composers. It is pleasing and graceful, and the orchestration is so brilliant that it may even deceive the hearer as to the poverty of invention.
     The subject, arranged by Kienzl himself, is highly romantic.
     The Apsares (virgins of heaven), who are sometimes allowed to visit earth and its inhabitants, have just made use of this permission.
     Urvasi, their Princess, isolates herself from their dances, and is, with two sisters, caught by the wild Prince of the Asures, their enemy. They cry for help, when the King of Persia, hunting in those grounds, appears with his suite and saves Urvasi.
     They fall in love with each other, though Brahma has prophesied to the King that he will die poor and unknown if he does not wed the last Princess of the Persian kingdom, Ausinari, to whom he is already betrothed.
     Urvasi tells him that, not being a daughter of earth, she can only be allowed to see him from time to time. The King swears eternal fealty to her, and she in return promises to be his in heaven. But should he prove false, nothing can save them both from fearful punishment.
     Then she bids him farewell, promising to send a rose every time she is allowed ‘to descend from heaven.
     In the second act Ausinari, walking in the moonshine, mourns for the King’s love, which she has lost. Mandava, priest of the moon, consoles her, designing the present night, that of the full moon, as the one in which the King’s heart shall again turn to her.
     After his departure Ausinari first prays to the good and mild god of the moon, but afterward invokes Abriman, the Spirit of Night, lest the moon-god should prove too weak. When she has left the park, the King walks in dreamily. His whole soul is filled by Urvasi; he fervently calls for her, and a rose, her love token, falls at his feet. But he waits in vain for her, she does not come, and as the priests of the moon appear to celebrate the festival of their god he retires disappointed into a bower.
     Now follows a sort of ballet. All the maidens and their lovers who desire to be united sacrifice to the god; the young men throw a blooming rose into the flame, the girls a palm-branch.
     Ausinari appears, and is greeted with joyous acclamations, while Manava enters the bower to conduct the King to the sacrifice. He vainly strives against Ausinari and the priests, who urgently demand the sacrifice of the red rose, which he still carries in his hand. After a long resistance he abandons himself to despair and throws the rose into the blaze, thinking himself forsaken hy Urvasi. But hardly has he done so than Urvasi’s form rises from the flame, solemnly reminding him of the oath which lie has broken. She has only been testing his firmness, and finding him weak she is obliged to disappear forever as Urvasi and to live in another form, while only deepest contrition and ardent love can ever help him to find her again. Urvasi vanishes and the King leaves Ausinari, his throne, and his land, to seek as a poor pilgrim for his beloved.
     In the last act we find Urvasi’s friend, the Apsare Tschitralekha, watering a rose-bush, into which her Princess has been transformed.
     The King enters in the garb of an Indian penitent. His strength is nearly exhausted, he has sought his bride all over the earth, and he now demands her from the spirit of the rock and from that of the cataract, but all tell him that she is only to be found where glowing life grows. Tired to death, he draws his sword to end his life, when Tschitralekha, laying her hand on his arm, points out the rose-bush. The King kisses it, and falling on his knee beside the virgin, who joins in his devotions, fervently prays to Indra that at last his love may be given to him again. Slowly Urvasi rises from the rose-bush. A long and exalted love duet follows, then the Indian heaven opens and the King dies at Urvasi’s feet, struck by a ray from the celestial sun.

Last updated October 21, 2006