Opera Books
The Opera Goer’s
COMPLETE GUIDE
LEO MELITZ
Copyright 1908, 1911, 1921
Burlesque opera in three acts by
Jacques Offenbach. Text by Meilhac and Halévy.
CAST: Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, Ajax I, Ajax II,
Greek princes. Helena, wife of Menelaus. Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon. Prince Orestes.
Pylades, his friend. Calchas, high priest of Jupiter. Philocomus, his assistant. Eutycles,
his locksmith. Laëna, Parthenis, pretty maidens of Sparta. Paris, Prince of Troy. The old
servant of Helena. Place, Sparta and the shores of the sea. First production, Paris, 1864.
Paris, son of Priam, arrives with a missive from the
goddess Venus to the high priest Calchas, commanding him to procure for Paris the love
of Helena, promised him by Venus when he awarded the prize of beauty to her and refused
it to Juno and Minerva.
Paris disguises himself as a shepherd, and wins three prizes
at the competition of the stupid and weak Greek princes, whereupon he reveals his
identity. All the world had known that he had awarded the apple to Venus, and Helena
recognises him as her destiny. The Trojan prince is crowned victor by Helena, to the
disgust of the rough Achilles, and the two giants Ajax I and Ajax II. Paris is invited to
a banquet by the timid Menelaus, husband of Helena. Paris has bribed Calchas to have
Philocomus rattle the thunder gong and to prophesy that Menelaus must at once proceed to
Crete, in order to save the nation.
Alter parodies on the life of the Greek court, in which the
honest Calchas appears as a gambling cheat, Paris comes to Helena at night. Although she
knows her fate, she seemingly resists him, and he uses strategy. He departs, but returns
when she has fallen asleep. He tells Helena that what will now occur is only a dream, and
she is content to risk all with this understanding at this moment. Menelaus unexpectedly
returns. Helena has hardly time to clothe herself, and Paris departs in haste, but,
returning in the guise of a priest of Venus, carries Helena away. Menelaus is enraged,
Achilles angry, but Calchas smiles contentedly, for he has made a good profit out of the
transaction. Agamemnon shrugs his shoulders and resignedly exclaims: “Well, nothing
remains but to mobilise the army and prepare for the ten-year Trojan war.
Lyric opera in four acts by
Ruggiero Leoncavallo. Libretto by the composer. German by Ludwig Hartmann.
CAST: Marcel—Tenor. Rudolph—Baritone.
Schaunard—Baritone. Gustav Collin—Baritone. Barbemache— Basso buffo. Count
Paul—Baritone. Gaudenzio—Tenor. Durand—Tenor. A gentleman on the first
floor—Tenor. An idler of the street—Tenor. Musette—Mezzo-soprano.
Mimi—Soprano. Euphemia—Mezzo-soprano. Place, Paris. Time, one year from
Christmas, 1837 to Christmas, 1838. First production, Milan, 1897.
ACT 1. At
the Café Momus. The innkeeper Gaudenzio tries in vain to eject the Bohemians, who never
pay, and are always in mischief. During the conversation another piece of horseplay on
their part is discovered. They sit down to dine, while Musette gaily sings. (Canzonette:
“Mimi is the name of my sweet blonde.”) Naturally when they are asked to pay the
score, they have no money. A comic fight ensues between them and the innkeeper, who has
called his servants to assist him. It is ended by Barbemache, who offers to pay the bill.
ACT II. In the court of Musette’s house.
Musette’s lover has left her and refuses to pay her debts any longer. In consequence,
her furniture is levied upon and carried down to the courtyard. When this has been done,
she returns home; she expects guests and cannot entertain them in any other way than by
receiving them in the courtyard. Here the Bohemians, who arrive in large numbers,
celebrate joyously. In vain the neighbours awakened from sleep protest, and the scene ends
in a general fight between the two factions.
ACT III. Garret room of Marcel. Musette, who can no
longer bear the sufferings of hunger and want, desires to leave him. Mimi, during the
festival in the courtyard, has allowed herself to be carried off by Count Paul, but
actuated by love for Rudolf, returns. Musette begs her to go with her, but in vain. Marcel
and Rudolf in anger compel both to leave the apartment.
ACT IV. Garret room of Rudolf. Mimi returns to Rudolf
in a dying condition. Musette, who accidentally meets her there, sacrifices her jewels to
procure fuel to warm the room for Mimi. As the Christmas chimes are heard, Mimi expires.
Scenes from Henry Murger’s
“Vie de Bohème,” in four acts, by Giacomo Puccini. Libretto by Giacosa and
Illica. German by Ludwig Hartmann.
CAST: Rudolf—Tenor. Schaunard—Baritone.
Marcel—Baritone. Collin—-Basso. Bernard—Basso. Mimi— Soprano.
Musette—Soprano. Parpignol—Tenor. Alcindor—Basso. Sergeant of the toll
watch—Basso. Place, Paris. Time, about 1830. First production, Turin, 1896.
ACT I. Garret. Marcel is painting while Rudolf gazes
out of the window. As they have no fire, they use the manuscript of Rudolf’s drama
for fuel. Collin enters shivering; he is followed by three young fellows with victuals,
wood and cigars. Schaunard, who follows, ex-plains the source of his riches. Nobody
listens, but they fall ravenously upon the food, which is removed by Schaunard, leaving
only the wine. While they drink, Bernard, the landlord, arrives to collect the rent from
Marcel. They flatter him and give him wine. In his drunkenness, he recites his amorous
adventures, but when he also declares he is married, they thrust him from the room in
comic moral indignation. The rent money is divided for a carousal in the Quartier Latin.
The other Bohemians go out, but Rudolf remains alone in order to work. Some one knocks,
and Mimi, whose candle has been snuffed out, asks Rudolf to light it. She departs, but
returns in a few minutes, saying she has forgotten her key. Both candles are
extinguished; they stumble in the dark, and Rudolf finds the key, which he pockets. They
relate the story of their varied experiences in the two arias. (“Who am I? Then
hear”; and “They call me merely Mimi.”) The waiting friends call Rudolf
impatiently. He wishes to remain at home with Mimi (Rudolf: “Your tiny hand is
frozen”), but she decides to accompany him. Departing they sing of their love. (Duet,
Rudolf, Mimi: “Love alone.”)
ACT II. Quartier Latin. A great crowd on the street,
sellers praise their wares. (Chorus: “Come buy my oranges.”). The friends repair
to a café, While they eat, Musette, formerly beloved of Rudolf, arrives with her rich
admirer Alcindor. She tries to attract Rudolf’s attention (Song, Musette: “As
through the streets I wander”), and succeeds after many efforts. She feigns to be
suffering from a tight shoe, and to get rid of him, sends Alcindor to the shoemaker.
(Duet, Marcel, Musette: “Break it, tear it, I can’t bear it.”) During the
ensemble, Musette and Marcel fall into each other’s arms. The friends wish to pay the
bill, but to their consternation find Schaunard’s riches gone. Musette has the entire
bill charged to Alcindor. The police appear, and they rush in all directions. Marcel and
Collin carry Musette out on their arms amid the applause of the spectators. When all have
gone, Alcindor arrives with the shoe seeking Musette. The waiter hands him the bill, and
horror-stricken at the amount he sinks upon a chair.
ACT III. At the toll gate. (Chorus: “Pass the
glass! Let each toast his lass!”) Clothing peddlers come to the city. Mimi, coughing
violently, wishes to speak to Marcel, who resides in a little tavern near the barrier
where he paints signs for the innkeeper. She tells him of her hard life with Rudolf, who
has abandoned her that night. (Mimi: “O good Marcel.”) Marcel tells her that
Rudolf is sleeping at the inn. He has just awakened and is seek.. ing Marcel. Mimi
conceals herself. Rudolf speaks of her deadly illness. (Rudolf: “Love in my heart was
dying.”) Marcel, out of charity for Mimi, endeavours to silence him, but she has
already heard all. She is discovered by her coughing. Marcel joins Musette, Rudolf and
Mimi are about to separate, but are finally reconciled. (Duet: “Adieu, glad
awakenings.”) Musette approaches with Marcel, who is jealous. They depart after a
fierce quarrel. (Duet, Musette, Marcel: “You were laughing, you were flirting.”)
ACT IV. Garret room. Marcel and Rudolf are seemingly
at work. (Duet: ,,Ah Mimi, ah Musette.”) Schaunard and Collin arrive with the dinner.
They parody a plentiful banquet, dance and sing. (Quartet: “Now take your
partners.”) Musette and the suffering Mimi appear; all assist the dying girl. Mimi
and Rudolf, left alone, recall their past happiness. (Duet, Mimi, Rudolf: “Have
they left us?”) The others return, and while Musette prays aloud, Mimi dies. (Prayer,
Musette: “O virgin, save.”)
LA DAME
BLANCHE
(The White Lady)
Comic opera in three acts by
Boieldieu. Text by Scribe.
CAST: Gaveston, in charge of the castle of the former
Count of Avenell—Basso. Anna, his ward—Soprano. George, a young English
officer—Tenor. Dickson, farmer—Tenor. Jenny, his wife—Soprano. Margaret,
housekeeper at the castle—Alto. Mac Irton, justice of the peace-—Basso. Place,
Scotland. Time, 1759. First production, Paris, 1825.
The young officer, George Brown, arrives in time to become
godfather to the child of farmer Dickson, who has been left in the lurch by the friend
selected for this honour. Dickson is of a very timorous nature; he has once received
assistance in the shape of banknotes from the spectral white lady of the castle, and
promised her his services in return. He receives a mysterious letter, inviting him to come
to the castle in the evening. George offers to go in his place. Notwithstanding the
distrustful behaviour of Gaveston, the housekeeper Margaret allows George to enter the
castle, and assigns him a room. A lady in white appears, who in the darkness addresses him
as Dickson, and asks him to outbid the other bidders at the sale of the castle, which is
to be held in the morning, to prevent it from falling into the hands of Gaveston, and to
retain it for the heir of the Count Avenell, who has disappeared. The spectre is really
Anna, Gaveston’s ward, who is in possession of the fortune of the count, and is
keeping it for the heir. She is frightened when she finds a stranger in the castle, but
recognises in George the brave young officer she had once tended when he was wounded. She
promises to meet him the next day if he will carry out the undertaking intended for
Dickson. George agrees, and the sale takes place. The farmers of the neighbourhood have
combined to prevent the castle from falling into the hands of Gaveston, as was
Anna’s intention, and bid until they can no longer compete with Gaveston. He is
certain of having succeeded in securing the property, when George appears, and bids so
high that Gaveston can hold out no longer and is wild with anger. The castle is sold to
the lieutenant, but Anna, who whispered to him to bid, promises to bring the money the
following day. Everything is made plain. Anna brings the money, and George, who is
recognised as Julius of Avenell, the rightful heir, marries Anna, and she explains that
she and the white lady are one and the same.
ACT I. Before Dickson’s house with a view of the
castle in the distance. (Chorus of mountaineers, who are coming to the christening:
“Let the music play.”) Dickson announces that the festival must be postponed, as
the judge who was to be godfather has not arrived. (Entrance of George and aria: “Oh
what joy to be a soldier.”) His amiable manners encourage Jenny, Dickson’s wife,
to ask him to be godfather to the child, to which he consents. (Terzett with chorus:
“I see my little wife approach.”) Every one drinks, and Jenny narrates the tale
of the white lady. (Ballet and chorus: “Observe the castle with its turrets.”)
Dickson and the other farmers retire and talk of the auction sale of the castle to be held
next day. George remains with Jenny. (Duet: “He goes and leaves us alone?”) When
Dickson returns he timorously narrates his experience with the white lady, and George
promises to go to meet her in his place. (Terzett and finale: “I cannot understand
it.”)
ACT II. Gothic room in the castle. (Aria of Margaret:
“Spin, poor Margaret.”) When Gaveston and Anna enter the entrance bell rings.
(Terzett: “Hark, they ring the bell at the gate.”) Anna departs, and Margaret,
having admitted George, assigns him a room for the night. He makes himself comfortable in
an armchair and calls for the white lady. (Cavatina: “Come, gracious lady.”)
Anna appears as the white lady. (Duet: “This castle belongs to Count Avenell of
right.”) Day breaks. The auction begins and Gaveston is defeated by George.
ACT III. Hall with portraits of ancestors. Anna
expresses her joy at the success of her plan. (Aria: “My feet tread on air.”)
The people congratulate George, who gazes around the hall, and is beset with dim memories
of the past. Anna has fallen in love with George, and recognises in him the rightful heir,
and one far above her in station. Old Margaret also recognises him. (Duet, Anna, Margaret:
“My dear young lady, much news have I to relate.”) The hour of payment arrives,
and with it the white lady, visible to all, who delivers to George his property and
declares him to be Julius of Avenell, the rightful heir. Angrily Gaveston tears the veil
from the white lady’s face, and Anna stands before him. His game is lost, he leaves
the castle, and Julius and Anna are happily united.
Opera in four acts by Donizetti.
Libretto by Scribe.
CAST: Alfonso XI, King of Castile—Baritone.
Leonore de Guzman—Mezzo-soprano. Fernando—Tenor. Balthasar, Prior of the
Monastery of St. Jacob—Basso. Don Gasparo, officer of the king—Tenor. Inez,
confidante to Leonore—Soprano. Place, Castile. Time, 1340. First production, Paris,
1840.
Fernando, a novice in the monastery of San Tago de
Compostella, is destined to become the successor of the prior. He had seen and loved
Leonore, who is unknown to him. Finding his love returned, he leaves the monastery.
Ignorant that Leonore is the mistress of the king, he is made an officer through her
influence, distinguishes himself for bravery in the wars against the Moors, and saves the
life of the king. Alfonso is compelled by the pope to discard Leonore, and gives her to
Fernando as his wife. Leonore intends to disclose all to Fernando before their marriage,
but her message goes astray, and he only discovers subsequently that his wife has been the
king’s favourite. He bids farewell to love, breaks his sword before the king, and
returns to the monastery.
ACT I. Chorus of monks and scene between Balthasar and
Fernando. (Fernando’s romance: “A woman, beautiful, whom I never saw”;
Duet: “You, my son, my only hope.”) Scene between Fernando, Inez and Leonore.
(Duet: “My loved one, God sends you”; Fernando’s aria: “Yes, to new
life feel I uplifted.”)
ACT II. In the palace of the king. Scene between
Alfonso and Gasparo, then Leonore, then Balthasar, who brings the threat of the ban of the
pope.
ACT III. The same. Fernando and Alfonso, then
Leonore. (Terzett: “Fernando? before him covered with shame.”) Leonore alone.
(Aria: “Oh, my Fernando, for you would I give all treasures of the world”;
Chorus: “See the chapel lightened by shining rays”; Finale: “Brightest
fortune smiles on me this day.”)
ACT IV. In the monastery. Fernando comes to
Balthasar. (“When once I left thee for world’s alarms.”) Leonore seeks
Fernando, but in spite of her pleading he takes the vows.
Lyrical drama by Toomas Breton.
Libretto by the composer.
CAST: Dolores—Soprano. Gaspara, an
innkeeper— Mezzo-soprano. Lazaro, her son—Tenor. Celemino— Tenor. Melchior,
a barber—Baritone. Patrizio—Baritone. Rojas, a sergeant—Basso. A
muleteer—Tenor. Place, Calatayud, Spain. Time, the present. First production,
Madrid, 1895.
ACT I. Market place in Calatayud. Venders selling
their produce, women washing clothes, workmen, townspeople. (Chorus of workers: “Rub!
rub! it’s a feast day to-morrow.”) Patrizio and Celemino are seated at a table
before the inn kept by Gaspara, talking of Dolores, a beautiful wild creature employed as
servant there. (Muleteer’s song: “The heart has but two strings.”)
Patrizio, who has money, wishes to marry her; Celemino discourages him. A troop of
soldiers enter, preceded by a crowd of small boys imitating the fife and drum. (Chorus:
“Plan, rataplan.”) They stand at attention, while Rojas, the sergeant, enters
pompously, ironically cheered by the crowd. (Rojas: “I am a valiant soldier.”)
Celemino and Patrizio ask him to drink with them. Dolores brings in wine, mocking both
Rojas and Patrizio for making love to her (Terzett: “He who my honour means to
buy”), ending by sitting at the table and drinking with them. Celemino departs.
(Dolores, Patrizio, Rojas: “Ha! ha! ha! here’s to luck.”) Lazaro, son of
Gaspara, who is being educated for the priesthood, comes in, looking sadly at Dolores,
whom he secretly loves. He gives her a message from his mother, and Dolores answers
gently. Melchior, a barber, enters. When the others depart Dolores tells him she hears
rumours of his marriage. “True rumours, for once,” replies Meichior. Dolores
flies into a frenzy of rage. “Give up this marriage, cursed of God,” she cries
repeatedly, “Restore to me my honour.” Melchior laughs scornfully. Dolores
curses him. (Dolores: “Cursed be the hour in which thou wast born.”) Melchior
replies: “I was born cruel and I will bring you to my feet.” Patrizio now enters
with a merry company, the chorus of the Rondalla, who are imitating various musical
instruments. They dance the Jota, the national
dance of Aragon, in which the principal guests in turn improvise couplets in tune to the
music. Melchior, being called upon, jeeringly sings: “If you should go to Calatayud,
ask for the lovely Dolores, who grants her favours to all.” Dolores is beside herself
with rage.
ACT II. The courtyard of the inn. Gaspara enters with
her son Lazaro, to whom she speaks of his coming ordination. She goes out and Lazaro sings
of his hopeless love for Dolores. (“O God, what shall I do?” Madrigal: “A
holy ardent love.”) Patrizio, Rojas and Celemino appear, the former quarrelsome
through drink and weary of the boastful sergeant. Rojas explains in a spirited song how
easily he can win the bull fight. (Rojas: “While the music goes faster and
faster.”) Melchior enters, boasting that he is the lover of Dolores. She, appearing
with a guitar, tries to drown his words, growing more and more excited. Warning her, he
goes out with the others, who presently return, making the sign of the cross. They tell
Dolores what he has said. She laughs loudly, denying it, but Melchior is to come to her
room that night. Lazaro enters when the others depart, and declares his love for Dolores.
She is at first incredulous, having looked upon him as a boy. “Can the night go to
the day?” she cries, and Lazaro replies: “For a year your dear image has been in
my heart.” He clasps her in his arms in an ecstasy of joy. The people, headed by
Celemino, enter with rude jests. Lazaro angrily strikes Celemino. The bull fight is about
to begin; the people are hurrying to the arena. (Chorus: “Huzza! hear the
tumult.”) Patrizio and Celemino describe the scene. Rojas is getting the worst of it,
and Lazaro, seeing that his life is in danger, leaps into the arena and kills the bull.
The populace applaud. Dolores promises Lazaro her love.
ACT III. A room in the inn. Lazaro is chanting the
Litany, while the people kneel in prayer. Gaspara bids her son good-night; Dolores
whispers to him that he must not come to her room that evening. Celemino, taking him
aside, informs him of Melchior’s boasts about Dolores, but Lazaro will not listen.
Dolores asks Rojas and Patrizio to come to her room at ten o’clock. She fears
Melchior, and does not know whether he will come or what he intends to do. She first tells
Gaspara that Lazaro loves her. The mother is horrified — “What, a priest?
Sacrilege !“ Dolores goes to her
chamber. Melchior soon appears, and in a terrible scene he insults and tortures the now
desperate girl. Just as she is at the end of her strength, Lazaro bursts into the room
almost distraught. He attacks Melchior, and in the struggle the two men fall through the
window. Lazaro has declared that he will kill Dolores also. He returns, covered with
blood, and is barely inside the room when loud knocks are heard. Dolores refuses to unlock
the door, and it is broken down. Celemino, Patrizio, Rojas and Gaspara rush in followed by
a curious crowd. “What is it, what has happened?” they ask. Dolores says
bravely: “Melchior insulted me and I have killed him.” “No,” cries
Lazaro, “I was the matador. She was an impure woman, and he a vile wretch who made
her so. He is dead by my hand.”
Grand opera in five acts by
Meyerbeer. Libretto by Scribe.
CAST: Don Pedro, Councillor to the King of Portugal—
Basso. Don Diego, admiral—Basso. Inez, his daughter— Soprano. Vasco de Gama,
officer—Tenor. Don Alvar— Tenor. Grand Inquisitor—Basso.
Nelusko—Baritone. Selika—Soprano. Chief priest of Brahma—Basso. Scene of
action: Act I. The council chamber at Lisbon. Act II. Prison at Lisbon. Act III. On board
the admiral’s ship. Act IV and V. India. The opera was written in 1860, but only
produced at Paris in 1865, one year after the death of the composer.
ACT I. Inez loves Vasco de Gama, but is about to be married
to Don Pedro. Her lover is at sea with Bartholome Diaz, endeavouring to discover the route
to India. As she is lamenting his absence (Romance: “Adieu, dear Tagus”), Diego
and Pedro appear. The latter tells Inez of the death of VasCo. (Terzett: “Oh,
childhood’s love.”) Meanwhile, the council is in session deliberating about the
fate of Diaz. He, however, has perished, and the only survivor of the expedition is Vasco
de Gama, who, in proof of the existence of the discovered country, brings with him as
slaves Nelusko and Selika. Vasco asks the council for a new ship, but is refused through
the influence of Don Pedro. Becoming enraged, he is cast into prison. Don Pedro discovers
Vasco’s charts, and determines to make use of them.
ACT II. Vasco lies asleep in prison; Selika, who loves him,
guards his slumbers. (Aria: “In my lap rest thy weary head.”) She saves him from
the rage and jealousy of Nelusko (Nelusko: “Daughter of kings”), who attempts
his murder. A duet follows, in which Selika discloses to Vasco the route to her home.
(Duet: “In vain their powerless fury.”) Inez, arriving with Don Pedro, announces
Vasco’s release, which she has accomplished by marrying his rival. Vasco presents
Selika to Inez as a wedding gift. Don Pedro has been appointed commander of a new
expedition, and engages Nelusko as steersman.
ACT III. Nelusko stands at the helm of the admiral’s
ship, now commanded by Don Pedro; Don Alvar warns the latter against Nelusko, but fails to
shake Don Pedro’s confidence. Nelusko expresses his delight in a song.
(“Adamastor, the king of the waves.”) Vasco follows Don Pedro in another ship,
and approaches in a boat to give warning, but is put into irons by Don Pedro. The ship is
attacked by the Indians, and all on board are killed or imprisoned with the exception of
Vasco, who is saved by Selika, the queen of the tribe.
ACT IV. Grand festival of the Indians with ballet. Selika is
compelled by the chief priest of Brahma to swear destruction to all strangers, but saves
Vasco, who is enchanted with the beauty of the land. (Aria, Vasco: “Oh wonderful
country”), by declaring him to be her husband. Vasco, touched by the self-sacrifice
of Selika, who now proposes his secret departure, resolves to remain. Weak of character,
however, upon hearing the voice of Inez, who is being borne to execution, he leaves Selika
once more.
ACT V. Selika magnanimously frees Vasco and Inez. She
directs Nelusko to escort them to a vessel, and they set sail for Portugal. When she knows
that they are safely on board Selika lies down beneath the Manzanillo tree, having eaten
of its poisonous flowers, and expires, attended by the faithful Nelusko. (Finale:
“What wondrous music.”)
Opera in four acts by Ponchielli.
Libretto by Tobia Garrio (Arrigo Boito).
CAST: La Gioconda, a ballad singer—Soprano. La Cieca,
her blind mother—Contralto. Alvise Badoëro, inquisitor—Basso. Laura, his
wife—Mezzo-soprano. Enzo Grimaldo, a Genoese noble—Tenor. Barnaba, a
spy—Baritone. Zuane, a boatman—Basso. Isepo, a letter-writer— Tenor. A
pilot—Basso. Monks, senators, sailors, ladies, masqueraders, populace. Scene, Venice.
Time, the seventeenth century. First production, Milan, 1876.
ACT I. The Lion’s Mouth. Grand court of the ducal
palace at Venice. Festival; crowd in holiday attire, some masked. Barnaba, a spy of the
Inquisition, gloats over the secrets he has learned and schemes to accomplish the ruin of
Gioconda, a ballad singer, who presently enters with her blind mother. (Terzett, Barnaba,
Gioconda, La Cieca: Daughter, by thee my faltering steps”; Recitative: “Erelong
the vesper chimes”; Gioconda: “Go, I despise thee!”) A regatta has taken
place; the winner is carried in on the shoulders of the people. Gioconda having slipped
away, Barnaba declarës that Zuane, the defeated boatman, who stands gloomily apart, is
the victim of La Cieca”s witchcraft. The people rush at her, crying: “Kill the
witch!” Gioconda returns with Enzo, whom she had been seeking. They are attempting to
rescue La Cieca, when Laura enters, masked. Through an appeal to her the blind woman is
released (La Cieca: “Thanks to thee, angelic voice”), and in gratitude gives her
a rosary. Laura learns that Enzo, whom she loves, and to whom she was once affianced, is
now betrothed to Gioconda; but Barnaba, observing Enzo’s infatuation for Laura,
proposes to him a meeting with her on board Enzo’s ship, during her husband’s
absence. (Duet, Enzo, Barnaba: “Ah, with
what joy my heart is filled.”) Barnaba, leaving Enzo, orders Isepo, a letter-writer,
to send word to Laura’s husband that she is about to elope with Enzo. Gioconda,
heart-broken, overhears them. (Barnaba: “0 mighty monument.’”) A crowd
appears singing and dancing the Furlana. Strains of religious music sound from the
church. (Chorus of prayer: “Angele
dei.”)
ACT II. The Rosary. On board Enzo’s ship, the Hecate, at night. (Marinesca: “Heave-ho,
heave-ho, look to the rudder.”’) Barnaba rejoices over his success. Enzo comes
from below to take his watch. (Enzo: “Heaven and ocean!”) Laura draws near in a
boat. (Duet: “Who comes?”’) Love scene, after which Enzo goes below, while
Laura kneels before the Virgin’s shrine. (Laura: “Star of the
Mariner.”’) Gioconda, who has hidden herself on the ship, comes forward,
masked, and as Laura prays for a blessing, says violently, “A curse,
rather.”” (Duet: “Who art thou ?“ Gioconda: “In my grasp now I
hold thee.”) Gioconda tries to stab Laura, first informing her that her husband is
approaching by sea. Laura calls on the Virgin, holding up La Cieca’s rosary. Gioconda
recognises it, and resolves to save her. Enzo returns seeking Laura, who is now on board
Gioconda’s boat. The latter tells him she has fled, conscience-stricken, and that
Barnaba has betrayed them. (Finale, Gioconda, Enzo: “I’ve saved her.”)
Sailors rush about in excitement, while Enzo sets fire to the ship. All escape by taking
to the boats.
ACT III. House of Gold. Alvise, Laura’s husband,
determines her. fate-death by poison. (Alvise: “Yes, to die is her doom !“) When
she appears in ball dress, he denounces her, declaring that she must die. (Duet: “To
die, to die.’”) Lifting a curtain, he points to a funeral bier. (Chorus, behind
scenes: “Our gay songs are ending.””) He gives her a phial of poison, and
departs. Gioconda, entering, substitutes for the phial a narcotic, which Laura drinks.
Gioconda, pouring the poison into the empty phial, takes to flight. When Alvise returns he
sees Laura lying apparently dead. The guests enter. Alvise greets them ceremoniously in
the room adjoining the death chamber. Gioconda enters unnoticed. (Chorus: “House of
Gold’”; Recitative, Alvise: “Thanks let me offer”; Dance of the Hours;
Scene and finale, Gioconda, Barnaba, La Cieca, Chorus: “Come! On!”) La Cieca
tells the guests that Laura is dead. Amid general excitement Enzo enters. He informs the
guests of Alvise’s former treachery in taking Laura, then his betrothed, from him.
Alvise draws aside the curtain, and the guests in horror behold Laura pale and lifeless.
ACT IV. The Orfano canal. Gioconda alone in a deserted
house. Two men carry in the unconscious Laura, refusing the money which Gioconda offers
them. (Gioconda: “No one has seen you?”) She asks their aid in finding her
mother, who has strangely disappeared. When they depart, she determines to take poison.
(Gioconda: “Yes, suicide, the sole resource now left me.”) She is tempted to
kill Laura first, but resists. Enzo, entering, finds her in tears. She tells him Laura has
been removed from the tomb. To her joy, he is about to kill her, when Laura feebly calls,
and he hastens to her side. Gioconda veils her face from their rapture. (Terzett:
“The poison meant for Laura.”) She helps them to escape in a boat, and bids them
farewell. She returns to the dark, empty house to end her life (Gioconda: “Now I can
die”), but her enemy Barnaba comes to claim her. She stands before the mirror,
adorning herself, and singing a gay little song. Suddenly she stabs herself. Barnaba, in
rage, shrieks into her dying ears that he has strangled her mother. Even this cruel
satisfaction is denied him, for Gioconda is dead. With a furious curse, he rushes out of
the house.
Opera in three acts by Delibes.
Text by Goudinet and Grille.
CAST: Gerald and Frederick, officers of the English army in
India—Tenor and Baritone. Nilakantha, a Brahmin—Basso. Lakme, his
daughter—Soprano. Mallika, her companion—-Contralto. Hadji, servant—Tenor.
Ellen and Rose, daughters of the Viceroy—Soprani. Miss Benson, their
governess—Contralto. Place, an English pos-session in India. Time, the present. First
production.. Paris, 1883.
ACT I. Hindoo temple in a sacred grove. (Chorus of Hindoos:
“May our prayers ascend!”) Lakme, with her slave Mallika, goes into the jungle
to gather flowers for the altar. (Duet: “‘Neath the dome.”) Gerald, a young
officer, enters with his friend Frederick. They are accompanied by the two daughters of
the viceroy and their governess (Quintet: “If a maiden’s young and
charming”), who wander about the grove curiously examining everything they see.
Gerald remains alone to make a sketch. (Gerald: “Vagrant fancies, ye shall not
deceive me.”) Lakme returns in a boat (Lakme: “In the jungle, ever would I
roam”); she sees Gerald (Lakme: “Whence come you ?“) and they fall in love
with each other. They are interrupted by the entrance of Nilakantha, who has a fanatical
hatred of foreigners. Gerald departs, followed by the threats of the priest.
ACT II. A market place. (Chorus: “Come, before the noon
bell ringeth.”) Dance of the Bayadères. At the command of her father (Nilakantha:
“Lakme, some grief your glance is veiling”), who is in the crowd disguised as a
beggar, Lakme sings (Lakme: “Where goes the maiden straying”) to an
accompaniment of bells. Nilakantha hopes that Gerald will be attracted by her voice.
(Nilakantha: “‘Mid the songs of mirth and pleasure.”) Gerald at last
appears (Gerald: “Lakme, I see but thee!”) and is stabbed by the priest. (Chorus
of Hindoos: “Dourga, hear our prayer!”) He is left for dead, but Lakme, still
finding signs of life, has him carried away by her servant, Hadji.
ACT III. A hut in the jungle. Lakme has nursed Gerald back
to life (Lakme: “Neath the starry heavens”), when he hears in the distance the
voices of soldiers, and the music of the regimental band. Frederick appears during
Lakme’s absence to seek a cooling draught for her lover, and reminds him of his duty.
(Gerald: “Lakme, ah come.”) Lakme returns, and seeing that Gerald desires to go,
poisons herself with the juice of a flower, and dies (Lakme: “Love, thou hast given
me beauteous dreams”) as the soldiers approach. (Chorus of soldiers: “Be ready;
be steady.”)
LA MUETTE DE PORTICI
(Masaniello)
Opera in five acts by Auber. Text
by Scribe.
CAST: Alfonso, Count of Arcos, son of the Viceroy of
Naples—Tenor. Elvira, his betrothed—Soprano. Lorenzo, Alfonso’s
confidant—Tenor. Masaniello, Neapolitan fisherman—Tenor. Fenella, his sister, a
mute—Dramatic rôle. Selva, captain of the Spanish guard—Basso. Borella, Pietro
and Morena, friends of Masaniello—Tenori and Basso. A court lady—Contralto.
Place, Naples and Portici. Time, 1647. First production, Paris, 1828.
Masaniello’s sister Fenella, a mute, has been outraged
and then imprisoned by Alfonso, son of the viceroy. She escapes, and Masaniello, who can
no longer endure the viceroy’s oppression of his people, leads an insurrection
against him. When Selva, the captain of the guard, attempts to arrest Fenella once more,
Masaniello stabs him and gives his followers the signal for revolt. Alfonso and Elvira,
his betrothed, who have fled, seek refuge in Masaniello’s hut. Not knowing them, he
promises them shelter and keeps his word, even when he ascertains their identity. He is
offered the crown of Naples and accepts it, but is given poison by his former friend,
Pietro, through jealousy, and becomes insane. Alfonso returns with an increased force to
overcome the rebellion. Masaniello once more leads the people against him, and falls in
battle. Upon the news of the death of Masaniello, Fenella plunges into the sea and is
drowned.
ACT I. Before a chapel in Naples. (Chorus, and aria of
Alfonso: “O thou, destined to grief.”) Lorenzo, Alfonso’s friend and
confidant, seeks Fenella, who has escaped, but cannot find her. Alfonso loves her
fervently, although she is dumb, and he is betrothed to Elvira. (Elvira’s aria:
“The glamour of joy.”) Fenella flies to Elvira for refuge, telling her by means
of signs that her love had been unhappy, and that Selva, captain of the guard, had thrown
her into prison, whence she had escaped. Elvira promises protection. Alfonso and Elvira
celebrate their marriage, Fenella recognises in the bridegroom her lover, points him out
to Elvira as her seducer, and then disappears.
ACT II. By the seashore. (Chorus of fishermen: “Up,
friends, the morn appears”; Masaniello, barcarole: “See, the morn in
brilliance.”) Pietro, who has also been seeking Fenella, approaches. (Duet:
“Rather death than a shameful life.”) Fenella suddenly appears, falls into
Masaniello’s arms and confesses her shame. Frenzied, he calls his companions to arms.
ACT III. Market place at Naples. (Chorus: “Come, old,
young, large and small”; Ballet: “Tarantelle.”) Selva attempts to arrest
Fenella once more and is slain by Masaniello. (Chorus, prayer: “Heavenly Father, have
mercy.”)
ACT IV. Hut of Masaniello. (Recitative, aria and scene of
Masaniello: “Oh day of horrors.”) He watches the slumber of his exhausted
sister. (Lullaby: “Oh sweet slumber!”) Pietro reports that the people are
thirsting for the blood of Alfonso. He departs, and Alfonso and Elvira come to ask shelter
of Fenella. She wishes to save her lover, but declares that her rival shall die. (Cavatina
of Elvira: “Oh, spare my life.”) Fenella relents, and asks Masaniello to protect
both. He entertains them hospitably. The magistrates approach surrounded by the people and
bring Masaniello the golden key of the city. Pietro recognises Alfonso. Masaniello,
learning his identity, is enraged, but bound by his promise, saves him from the
people’s wrath. (Terzett and chorus: “You gave your word.”) Masaniello
accepts the crown of Naples and leaves the hut.
ACT V. Hall in the palace with distant view of Vesuvius.
(Pietro and chorus, barcarole: “See, see, upon wild waves.”) Borella reports the
approach of Alfonso and his army; the people have faith in Masaniello, but he has become
insane through poison given to him by the jealous Pietro. When he hears the name of
Alfonso he calls his followers to arms and hastens to battle. Alfonso is victorious,
Masaniello falls, and Fenella, ascending the terrace overlooking the bay, plunges into the
sea and is drowned.
LA
SERVA PADRONA
(The Maid as Mistress)
Comic opera in two acts by
Pergolesi. Text by Nelli.
CAST: Pandolfo—Baritone. Serpina—Soprano. Scapin,
silent. Produced at Naples, 1781, and in Paris, 17592, in Italian; in Paris, 1754, in
French (La servante maîtresse). This work is the first genuine comic opera
(opera-bouffe). There are only three characters in the cast.
The bachelor, Pandolfo, and Serpina, his maidservant, live
amicably in the same house, but he does not think of marriage. Serpina has designs upon
him, however, and determines to awaken his jealousy. She induces the servant Scapin to
dress as a sailor who has come to sue for her hand, and when Pandolfo begins to fear that
the supposed captain will take Serpina away from him, he marries her himself, and in this
way the maid becomes the mistress.
Opera in three acts by Bellini.
Libretto by Romani.
CAST: Rodolfo—Baritone. Therèse, wife of the
miller— Soprano. Amina, an orphan, adopted by Therèse—Soprano—Elvino, a
well-to-do landholder—Tenor. Lisa, an innkeeper—Alto. Alexis, a
peasant—Basso. A notary. Scene: A village in Switzerland. Period, the nineteenth
century. First production, Milan, 1831.
ACT I. A square in the village. (Chorus: “Cheers for
Amina.”) Friends congratulate Amina, who is about to marry Elvino. This grieves Lisa,
who loves him, and for his sake has rejected Alexis, a young peasant. The people praise
Amina. (Chorus: “Helvetia’s finest flower is the lovely Amina.”) Amina
thanks the villagers for their kindness, especially her adopted mother, Therèse. (Aria:
“Let thy dear hand rest in mine.”) Amina also wishes Lisa and Alexis to he as
happy as she is, but Lisa is not responsive. Elvino enters and greets Amina
affectionately. (Duet: “Take now the ring of fidelity.”) A stranger approaches
(Aria: “Once more my home I behold”), who gazes ardently at Amina in admiration
of her beauty. He announces to the people that Rodolfo, the owner of the castle, still
lives, and they tell him in return that a spectre appears there, and is seen nightly by
the light of the misty moon. The stranger himself is Count Rodolfo, and when he pays court
to Amina’s beauty the jealousy of Elvino is aroused. (Duet: “I envy those
amorous toyings.”)
ACT II. (Sometimes produced as the second scene of Act I.)
Room at the inn. Rodolfo jokes with Lisa, who greets him as the count. A noise is heard,
and Lisa hurries away. Amina enters Rodolfo’s room, walking in her sleep. Believing
that she is in her own home, she begins to disrobe. Lisa watches her, and actuated by
jealousy, calls in Elvino and the neighbours. The sleeping Amina, discreetly left alone by
Rodolfo, awakens to meet the eyes of Elvino, who, considering her faithless, thrusts her
from him. No one believes in her innocence and the poor girl is heartbroken.
ACT III. In the forest. The peasants are on their way to the
castle to greet the count. (Chorus: “In the forest’s cooling shade.”) Amina
meets Elvino, but is again repulsed by him. He declares their union dissolved, tearing
from her hand the betrothal ring.
Change of scene: Fields with mill and a bridge. Alexis again
courts Lisa, who refuses him, being informed by her friends that Elvino intends to make
her his bride. Elvino approaches and corroborates the news to the great joy of Lisa. Count
Rodolfo draws near, and explains the presence of Amina in his room by declaring her to be
a sonnambulist. Elvino refuses to believe it, but when Therèse produces Lisa’s
handkerchief, thoughtlessly left in Rodolfo’s room, he turns his back on her also. As
Rodolfo is again declaring Amina innocent, to the astonishment of all, she herself
appears, walking in her sleep over a bridge that shakes under her weight. (Amina:
“The bells announce the wedding hour.”) Elvino realises his mistake, and
prompted by Rodolfo, softly approaches her. He places the ring on her finger, and she
awakens to find herself in his arms. (Aria: “No words can tell the bliss I
feel.”)
Opera in three acts by Puccini.
Text based on Sardou’s drama by Illica and Giacosa.
CAST: Floria Tosca, a singer—Soprano. Mario
Cavaradossi, a painter—Tenor. Baron Scarpia, chief of police—Baritone. Cesare
Angelotti—Basso. A sacristan—Baritone. Spoletta, police agent—Tenor. A
gaoler—Basso. A shepherd boy—Contralto. Scene, Rome. Time, about 1800. First
production, Rome, 1900.
ACT I. Angelotti, an escaped political offender, seeks
refuge in the church of Sant’ Andrea alla Valle. Here his sister, the Marchesa
Attavanti, while praying for his release, has unconsciously served as a model to the
painter Cavaradossi for his picture of the Magdalen. As a sacristan enters followed by
Cavaradossi, Angelotti conceals himself, but when the painter is alone once more, the two
men talk together until they are interrupted by Tosca, a singer, beloved by Cavaradossi.
She jealously imagines an intrigue with a woman, her fears being apparently confirmed by
the picture. (Tosca: “Our soft nest, hidden amid the trees.”) Appointing a
meeting with her lover she departs. (Duet: “What eyes are like thine eyes, my
queen.”) Angelotti reappears, and his escape in woman’s dress is planned. A
cannon shot from the fortress warns him to flee. The sacristan returns surrounded by a
laughing crowd of choir boys and acolytes. (Sacristan and chorus: “Quick! into the
sacristy.”) Scarpia, chief of police, in search of the escaped prisoner, finds the
fan of the Marchesa, and the painter’s basket emptied of food and wine. He is
suspicious, and when Tosca returns, also suspicious, he watches her from behind a pillar.
He arouses her jealousy by producing the fan, and she departs in anger. Ordering his
agent to follow her, he passionately avows his love for the singer, then kneels devoutly
in prayer. (Scarpia: “Twofold is the goal I aim at”; Chorus: “Rise to the
heavens.”)
ACT II. In the Farnese palace, Scarpia awaits Tosca’s
arrival for supper. Cynically he sings of amorous pleasure. Spoletta, his agent, enters
with Cavaradossi in custody, Angelotti having eluded him. Scarpia closely questions the
painter without result, and sends him to the torture chamber. When Tosca appears (Scarpia:
“Now, let us talk of pure friendship”) Scarpia describes to her in detail her
lover’s anguish under torture. She can hear his groans, but is powerless to help him.
At last, utterly prostrated, she divulges Angelotti’s hiding-place. The painter is
brought out, and in his pain and humiliation denounces Tosca for her betrayal of the
secret. Distant drums announce the probable victory of Bonaparte over Scarpia’s
forces. Cavaradossi, exulting, is dragged away to prison. Tosca tries to follow him, but
Scarpia holds her back. (Scarpia: “Venal, my enemies call me.”) He avows his
passion for her and demands her virtue as the price of her lover’s freedom. During
the struggle drums are heard. Tosca repulses Scarpia again and again (Tosca: “Love
and music have I lived for”; Scarpia: “Too lovely art thou”), but finally
pretends to yield. Scarpia then gives orders for a mock execution of Cavaradossi, and
Tosca also exacts a safe-conduct for herself and the painter to leave the country. She
waits until he writes it, then, having secured a knife from the table, stabs him as he
advances to embrace her. Having piously composed the body for burial, she departs to the
sound of drums in the distance.
ACT III. Cavaradossi in prison at dawn awaits his execution.
(Cavaradossi: “The heavens blaze with stars.”) Musing sadly on Tosca’s
beauty and their love, he writes her a farewell letter. She enters with the safe-conduct
and tells him her news (Tosca: “He asked thy life or my love”), explaining the
need for a mock execution. He agrees to this and they part happily. (Cavaradossi: “O
soft hands”; Duet: “The time is short.”) But it happens that the execution
is real. Cavaradossi lies dead, while Tosca playfully compliments his marvellous acting.
As she realises the truth Spoletta enters with soldiers, denouncing her as a murderess. He
comes forward to take Tosca prisoner, but she forcibly thrusts him back, and leaping from
the castle parapet is dashed to pieces.
Opera in four acts by Verdi. Text
by Piave, founded upon the novel by Dumas fils “La dame aux Camelias.”
CAST: Violetta Valery—Soprano. Flora
Beloix—Soprano. Annina, servant—Mezzo-soprano. Alfred Germont—Tenor.
Germont ainé, his father—Baritone. Gaston de Létorières—Tenor. Baron
Douphal—Baritone. Marquis d’Orbigny—Baritone. Dr. Grenvil—Basso.
Joseph, servant. Place, Paris and vicinity. Time, about 1700. First production, Venice,
1853.
The frail Violetta Valery forms the acquaintance of Alfred
Germont, and for love of him abandons her questionable life. They lead an idyllic
existence in the country, until during Alfred’s absence his father comes to Violetta
and tells her that the future of Alfred and the fortunes of his sister have been destroyed
by his connection with her. With growing remorse she listens to the pathetic words of old
Germont, and through his influence leaves her lover, giving as explanation a desire for
her old gay existence. In order to drown her grief, she plunges more wildly than ever into
dissipation, and when met by Alfred at an entertainment is insulted by him.
Violetta’s admirer, Baron Douphal, challenges Alfred, and Violetta, already far from
strong, is made seriously ill by the excitement. Old Germont, moved by compassion, and
realising that Violetta’s love is sincere,’ gives his consent to the union of
the lovers. Alfred hastens to her side, understanding at last that Violetta had sacrificed
herself for his sake, comes to beg her forgiveness, and she dies in his arms.
ACT I. Chamber of Violetta. Ensemble of the guests.
(Drinking song, Alfred and Violetta: “Who merrily enjoys this life”;
Alfred’s confession of love: “A year ago— so lovely, so charming”;
Chorus: “Soon shines the light of day”; Scene and aria of Violetta:
“Strange, very strange,” and “‘Tis he, his handsome face.”)
ACT II. Chamber in a country house. (Alfred’s scene:
“Far from thee”; Aria: “Her eyes’ magic charm”; Scene and duet,
Violetta, Germont’s father: “Mademoiselle Valery?” and “God gave me a
daughter”; Scene, Violetta, Alfred: “What are you doing ?” Scene of Alfred
and aria of Germont: “In Provence, by the sea.”)
ACT III. (Sometimes played as second scene of Act II.) At
Flora’s house. (Scene and masked gipsy chorus: “We are gipsy girls”; Chorus
of bull-fighters: “From the circus at Madrid.”) Scene, Violetta and Alfred, and
challenge of Douphal. Scene between Violetta, Germont and Alfred. (Violetta: “Alfred,
d, you know not my love.”)
ACT IV. Bedchamber of Violetta. Scene between Violetta,
Annina and physician. Violetta reads the letter of Germont giving his consent to her union
with Alfred. (“Farewell ! past days of joy”; Scene and duet, Violetta, Alfred:
“Oh, you my life, you my highest joy”; Aria, Violetta: “O great God”;
Finale, Germont, Violetta, Alfred, with Violetta’s death.)
LA VIE PARISIENNE
(Life in Paris)
Operetta in four acts by Jacques
Offenbach. Text by Meilhac and Halévy.
CAST: Baron
and Baroness von Gondermark. Baron von Gardefen. Baroness von Quimper. Bobinet, nephew of
Baroness von Quimper. A rich Brazilian. Jean Frick, shoemaker. Gabrielle, glovemaker.
Metella, a demi-mondaine. Josef, servant of Gardefen. Urbain, Prosper, Clara, Pauline,
servants of Baroness von Quimper, etc. Place, Paris. Time, the present. First production,
Paris, 1866.
The Baron von Gardefen is bored. While lounging about he
sees at the railway station the Baron von Gondermark and his wife, who are paying their
first visit to Paris. The baroness pleases him, so he introduces himself as an employé of
the Grand Hotel, and leads them to his own dwelling, where he induces the shoemaker, Jean
Frick, and the glovemaker, Gabrielle, and their friends to represent the guests at the
table d’hôte. Gondermark, who is impatient to plunge into the pleasures of the city,
has been recommended to the elegant and beautiful demi-mondaine
Metella by his friend, the Baron Frescata; but Gardefen, who desires to have the
baroness to himself for the evening, has his friend Bobinet invite the stumbling block of
a husband out to supper. Bobinet hurriedly arranges an evening festival, with the aid of
the servants of his absent aunt, and pretends to Gondermark that he is in the midst of the
élite of French society. The lovely girls charm the
old countryman, he is perfectly happy, and ends by joining in a can can, which reaches
extreme limits. During the absence of the husband Gardefen makes violent love to the
baroness, but the latter is rescued by Bobinet’s aunt, Baroness von Quimper. The
would-be betrayer escapes, but the returning Gondermark is received by the valorous aunt
with the fire shovel.
A brilliant ball, in which the entire cast appears,
concludes the performance.
Opera in three acts by Cornelius.
Libretto by the composer.
CAST:
Fernando, King of Castile—Tenor. Calvo, bishop—Basso. Chimène, Countess of
Lozan—Soprano. Ruy Diaz, Count of Bavar, called Cid Campeador—Baritone. Alvar
Fannez—Tenor. Herald—Basso. Place, Burgos, Spain. Time, 1064. First production,
Weimar, 1865.
ACT I. At the court of the king. Chimène accuses Ruy Diaz, to whom she is
betrothed, of the murder of her father, and demands justice of the king. Diaz, who has
been joyfully acclaimed by the people, defends himself for killing the count by declaring
that he was slain in lawful combat for assailing the honour of Diaz, but to satisfy the
daughter, he agrees to abide by the ordeal of combat. He throws down his gauntlet, which
is lifted up by Alvar as the champion of Chimène. Bishop Calvo interferes, and persuaded
by him, Diaz places his sword in the hands of Chimène. News arrives of a terrible assault
by the Moors; it is believed that only Diaz as leader can save the day, as he is trusted
by the people, and his love for his country prevails. Chimène hands the sword to the
king, who delivers it to the young hero.
ACT II. The palace of Lozan. Chimène, her heart torn
between vengeance and her awakening love for Diaz, dismisses her knight Alvar. When Diaz
appears to bid her farewell before going into battle, her feelings of vengeance are
overcome by love, and she bids him depart with her blessing.
ACT III. Before the gate of Burgos. Diaz has been
successful in repulsing the Moors, and the people sing praises of his victory. Captive
Moors acclaim the victor as Lord (Cid). When Diaz himself fails to appear, and Alvar lays
the sword of the Cid at the feet of Chimène, reduced to despair, she openly avows her
love. The Cid is not dead, however, and Alvar has merely come to announce his coming.
Embraced by the king, and with the arms of Chimène around him, the hero receives his
reward.
Opera in four acts by Massenet.
Text by D’Ennery, Gallet and Blau.
CAST:
Chimène—Soprano. Count de Gormas, her father—Baritone. Roderigo (the
Cid)—Tenor. Don Diego—his father—Basso. The King—Baritone. The
Infanta—Soprano. Moorish envoy—Basso. Don Arias—Tenor. Don
Alonzo—Basso. St. James—Baritone. Scene, Burgos, Spain. Time, the twelfth
century. First production, Paris, 1885.
ACT I. Burgos. A salon at the house of the Count de
Gormas. Don Arias tells the assembled friends of the count that the king will that day
confer knighthood upon Don Roderigo, and that Count de Gormas will probably be appointed
governor to the Infanta of Spain. Chimène, daughter of the count, enters, and her father
informs her that he desires to arrange a marriage for her with Don Roderigo, son of his
old friend Don Diego. Chimène cannot conceal her joy, for she already loves Roderigo.
Left alone, she gives expression to her love. (Chimène: “Love ! Love ! I can show my
love to the world.”) The infanta enters sad and depressed. Chimène discovers that
she, too, loves Roderigo. (Duet, Chimène, Infanta: “Leave the doubt in my
soul.”)
Change of scene: A gallery leading to the cathedral.
(Chorus: “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”) The king enters with his suite. Don
Diego bows low before him. Roderigo passes along the gallery on his way to receive
knighthood. The king confers this honour upon him. (Chorus: “May St. James and God
your Father receive you as knight.”) Roderigo replies in an impassioned apostrophe to
his sword (Roderigo: “O noble gleaming blade”), and takes his vows. (Roderigo:
“To St. James of Coinpostella have I pledged my faith.”) He remains in ecstasy
for a time, then, half-unconsciously, addresses his sword once more. The priests and
people echo his words in a magnificent chorus. Roderigo repairs to the chapel according to
custom, and the king, turning to Don Diego, appoints him governor, to the great chagrin of
Count de Gormas and his friends. The count reproaches the king, who coldly departs in
anger. De Gormas, now infuriated, denounces Don Diego, who has advanced to take his hand
with a proposal of marriage for Roderigo with Chimène. (Don Diego: “To the honour
which his majesty has done me add another.”) The count laughs ironically, growing
more and more insulting until at last he strikes the aged warrior. Don Diego draws his
sword, which De Gormas wrests from him, departing with his friends, who jeer at the feeble
old man. (Don Diego: “O rage, despair, 0 baneful feebleness.”) Hearing his
son’s voice within the chapel, he determines in his humiliation to avoid him, then
decides that it is Roderigo’s duty to avenge his father’s wrongs. Roderigo
enters, Don Diego tells his story. The young knight is overcome, for De Gormas is the
father of Chimène. (Don Diego: “He it was who struck me.”) Chimène comes from
the church looking earnestly at her lover. (Chimène, Roderigo: “O vows of love,
eternal faithfulness.”) She passes by. Roderigo is in despair, but swears to avenge
his father.
ACT II. A street in Burgos. (Roderigo: “Pierced
to the head’s core”; “O God, this unaccustomed grief.”) Roderigo comes
forward and challenges the count, who has just entered. The count ridicules his youth, but
is forced to draw his sword. (Roderigo, De Gormas: “Know’st thou Don
Diego?”) They fight, and De Gormas is mortally wounded. His friends rush in; Don
Diego thanks his son for avenging him. Chimène appears, pale and dismayed. A requiem
sounds from within. She demands the name of the murderer. All are silent, but she
challenges every one present in turn. Roderigo’s pallor shows her that he is the man
she seeks. (Chimène: “No oblivion, no pardon”; Requiem: “Requiem dona ei sempiternam Domine.”)
Change of scene: the square at Burgos. Gay scene with
dancing crowd. (Chorus: “Blest day of plenty.”) The Infanta enters, going about
from group to group. (Infanta: “More torment, more sorrow.”) Popular dances of
the different provinces. The king arrives with his suite. Chimène appears and throws
herself at his feet demanding justice. (Chimène: “Neither pity nor pardon.”)
Don Diego tells what occurred, but Chimène remains unmoved. (Chorus: “No ! honour
forbids!”) The people take different sides, and in a scene of great excitement an
envoy comes from the Moorish leader Boabdil, offering battle to Spain. The king takes up
the challenge, but a leader must be found. Roderigo offers himself. The king accepts him.
(Chorus: “On to the fray, Roderigo.”)
ACT III. Chimène’s chamber at night. She sits
alone in a despairing attitude. (Chimène: “Weep, O mine eyes !“) Roderigo
enters to bid her farewell. (Duet: “O days of first love.”) Chimène is deeply
moved by his words, but suddenly remembering her father’s death recoils from him in
horror. Roderigo gloomily speaks of death, but Chimène arouses him to action by a
spirited description of the coming fight. Roderigo, overwhelmed by her apparent
forgiveness, tells her he will return a conqueror. (Roderigo: “To arms, Navarrais,
Moors, and Castilians.”)
Change of scene:
The Spanish camp. Soldiers carousing. Prisoners
in chains. (Chorus: “Let us live without fear or remorse.”) Roderigo upbraids
the men for their lethargy, when a Moorish army surrounds them. He calls them to arms.
Many of them refuse to fight, but a faithful band stand by their leader, who keeps watch
all night. Change of scene: Roderigo’s tent. He is alone, on guard. (Roderigo:
“O Sovereign, Father, Judge, always veiled, always at hand.”) He submits himself
to the will of God. A vision of St. James announces a coming victory. He arouses his
comrades. (Roderigo: “O noble gleaming blade.”)
ACT IV. Granada. Hall in the palace. Roderigo’s
cowardly companions have returned with news of his death. (Don Diego: “He has nobly
done what honour counselled.”) Unable to confront the father’s trust in his son,
they retire confused. Chimène and the infanta hear the sorrowful tidings. (Chimène, Don
Diego, Infanta: “O heart twice broken.”) Chimène openly declares her love.
(Chimène: “Yes, I loved him still.”) The king appears on the threshold.
“Why do you weep,” he asks, “when all are filled with joy?” Roderigo,
he tells them, is not dead, but is returning victorious. Change of scene: The palace
court. Soldiers march by. (Chorus: “Glory to him whom the Moorish kings have
acclaimed their lord.”) The Moorish kings are led in chains in the triumphal
procession. Roderigo enters, and kneels before the king. (Roderigo: “O king, from thy
hand did I take this sword.”) The king offers him any reward he desires, but he asks
only for the forgiveness of Chimène. Amid the plaudits of the people she places her hand
in his. (Chorus: “Glory to the Cid, the conqueror.”)
Comic opera in three acts by
Halévy. Libretto adapted from the French by Fredericke Elmenreich.
CAST: Madame Darbel, a young widow—Soprano. Henrietta,
her sister—Soprano. George, their cousin—Tenor. Lionel, officer—Tenor.
Place, a plantation near Boston. Time, 1797. First production, Paris, 1835. This opera has
no chorus.
ACT I. A room in the country house of Henrietta. She loves
the country, but the lively Madame Darbel only finds pleasure in the crowds of the city.
Their cousin George arrives from England, and informs them that they and he have inherited
the wealth of an uncle, with the sole condition that George shall marry in twenty-one days
either one of his cousins. (Aria and terzett: “I come from England’s
shores.”) The ladies excuse themselves and George is left alone. He falls asleep and
is awakened by a terrific thunder storm. Henrietta enters the house with Lionel, whom she
has just saved from drowning. His boat was struck by lightning, and he has become blind.
ACT II. Aria by Madame Darbel. (“Yes, I have just
arrived.”) She is welcomed by her relatives. Lionel enters; thinking he is alone, he
laments his fate. (Quartet: “Be quiet, be still, he appears.”) Henrietta, who
has learned to love him, approaches. (Duet: “Oh, how my heart is filled with
joy.”) The time arrives when the physician is to operate on the patient. Lionel is
cured, but when he regains his sight, to the distress of Henrietta he believes Madame
Darbel to be his rescuer.
ACT III. Lionel has discovered his mistake. (Aria:
“When still the night with covered veil.”) Henrietta, who has fled to Boston,
returns with the belief that Lionel and her sister are betrothed. Joy reigns when the
misunderstanding is cleared up, and Henrietta and Lionel are joined in marriage, while
Madame Darbel willingly gives her hand to her cousin.
LE DOMINO NOIR
(The Black Domino)
Opera in three acts by Auber. Text
by Scribe.
CAST: Lord Elfort—Baritone. Count Juliano—Tenor.
Horatio of Massarena—Tenor. Gil Perez, bailiff of the royal nunnery—Basso. Angel
a—Mezzo-soprano. Brigitta—Soprano. Claudia, Juliano’s
housekeeper—Alto. Ursula, a nun—Soprano. Gertrude, doorkeeper. Place, Madrid.
First production, Paris, 1837.
A year previous to the period of the opera Angela, the
abbess of the royal convent, has met and loved Horatio at a masked ball. She again visits
a similar ball with Brigitta in the hope of meeting Horatio, which hope is fulfilled.
Engaged in loving conversation, the hour for returning has passed, and Angela enters the
house of Count Juliano, a friend of Horatio, where she is introduced by the housekeeper
Claudia as her niece. When Gil Perez, the bailiff of the convent, comes upon a visit to
Claudia, Angela frightens him with her mask, takes his keys and thus obtains entrance to
the convent. Horatio, who comes to the convent to obtain dispensation from the abbess from
a forced marriage, recognises Angela. She is released from her vows by the queen and
Horatio marries her.
ACT I. Antechamber of the ballroom. (Terzett, Angela,
Brigitta, Horatio: “Is everything prepared?” Romance of Angela: “A
fairy”; Duet, Horatio, Angela: “Break this silence at last.”)
ACT II. In the house of Count Juliano.
(Claudia’s arietta: “Much trouble and profit”; Ensemble: “Awake who
loves and lives”; Angela’s Aragonese song: “To see him daily”; Scene,
Juliano, Horatio, Angela, Claudia, Chorus: “Impossible! it cannot be she!”
Finale, Gil Perez: “To-day we receive, the Lord be thanked”; Angela: “Ha,
dastard! You dare to approach me!” Claudia,
Horatio, Juliano, Elfort and cavaliers: “Quiet and low!”)
ACT III. The reception room at the convent. (Arietta
of Brigitta: “Instead of wise, tedious lectures”; Recitative and aria of Angela:
“Oh this night, in which I waked”; Cavatina: “Night of destiny, flames
which I kindled”; Ensemble of nuns; Aria and prayer of Horatio: “Sweet
strains”; Finale, Angela and ladies: “Dear sisters, hear what the queen has
ordered.”)
L’ELISIR D’AMORE
(The Love Potion)
Comic opera in two acts by
Donizetti. Text from the Italian of Romani by Ott.
CAST: Adina, a rich young landowner—Soprano.
Nemorino, a young peasant—Tenor. Belcore, sergeant— Baritone. Dulcamara, a
travelling quack—Basso- Gianettina, a peasant—Soprano. A notary. A Moor in the
service of Dulcamara. Place, a village in Italy. First production, Milan, 1832. The same
libretto, French by Scribe, is the subject of the opera “Le Philtre,” by Auber.
Paris, 1831.
ACT I. Nemorino loves Adina, who does not believe
that love can be faithful. (Chorus of peasant women: “Before the sun’s
rays”; Cavatina of Nemorino: “What loveliness and grace”; Cavatina of
Adina: “Nothing has been so bizarre.”) Adina also repulses the advances of the
sergeant Belcore, who is more persistent than Nemorino (Cavatina of Belcore: “Like
the handsome youth Paris.”) Nemorino cannot leave Adina. (Duet: “Ask the winds
of spring.”) The quack Dulcamara enters the village. (Cavatina: “Hear and be
astounded, you peasants.”) He sells a love potion, in reality a bottle of wine, which
Nemorino purchases. (Duet: “Take Courage!”) The young peasant drinks the
contents of the bottle, and in his drunken-ness treats Adina so coldly that she determines
to win him in spite. (Duet: “Tra Ia, not yet can I discover.”) She seemingly
gives her consent to Belcore’s suit (Terzett: “Now must it be speedily
done”), and the peasants rejoice at the prospect of the feast.
ACT II. The wedding feast is held, but Adina refuses
to sign the marriage contract. Dulcamara sings a barcarole. (“Dear child, you are
beautiful and I am rich.”) The despairing Nemorino allows Belcore to enlist him in
the army. (Duet: “Twenty ducats? in shining gold?”) The maidens of the village
arrive, bringing the news that Nemorino’s rich uncle is dead and has made him sole
heir. (Chorus of girls: “Can it be possible?”) They all try to capture him, and
he believes the love potion is taking effect. (Quartet, Nemorino, Adina, Dulcamara,
Gianettina and chorus: “The dose has done me good.”) Dulcamara likewise offers
his love potion to Adina, but she refuses it, thinking she has lost Nemorino forever.
(Duet: “Oh, how cruel, this warm love.”) Nemorino (Romance: “Out of my
heart”) still loves her. Adina purchases his release from the army, which proves her
love, and they embrace. Belcore resigns his pretensions to Adina’s hand, and
Dulcamara, who pretends to attribute the happy result to the efficacy of his love potion,
does a good business in the village.
Opera in four acts by Massenet.
Text by Gallet.
CAST: Alim, King of Lahore—Tenor. Scindia, his
minister—Baritone. Timur, a priest—Basso. Indra—Basso. Sita-—Soprano.
Kaled, confidant of the king-—Mezzo-soprano. Place, India. Time, the eleventh century
during the incursion of the Mohammedans. First production, Paris, 1877.
The king of Lahore loves Sita, the niece of the high priest
Timur. His rival, Scindia, reports the visits of a lover to the temple, and Sita is
condemned to death. The king now declares that he himself had visited Sita, and desires to
make her his wife. The Sultan Mahmud makes an incursion into the country, and Scindia,
having slain King Alim in battle, ascends the throne. The God Indra hears Alim’s
prayers and allows him once more to visit the earth. Sita- is about to become the wife of
Scindia, when Alim appears in the guise of a beggar, and is recognised by her. As Scindia
attempts to carry Sita away from the temple, she kills herself, and she and Alim are
united by Indra after death.
ACT I. Before the temple of Indra. Scindia asks Timur
for the hand of Sita, and when refused, he brings an accusation against her virtue. Sita
is condemned to death.
Change of scene: The interior of the temple. Alim declares
that he has visited Sita in the temple, and asks her hand in marriage.
ACT II. Alim’s camp. Alim is defeated by Mahmud
and dies. Scindia takes possession of the throne and carries Sita away.
ACT III. Indra’s paradise. Ballet. Indra accedes
to Alim’s prayer to return to earth and Sita once more on condition that Sita’s
death shall forfeit his own life.
ACT IV. Before the palace of Lahore. Scindia has
defeated the Mohammedans and is about to marry Sita. When Alim appears and claims Sita,
Scindia has him arrested as a madman, but the priests protect him.
Change of scene: The interior of the temple. Scindia
attempts with violence to remove Sita from the temple, but she grasps Alim’s dagger
and stabs herself, according to Indra’s mandate. Alim dies with her. Apotheosis: Alim
and Sita are united in the paradise of Indra.
Comic opera in three acts by Leo
Delibes. Text by Goudinet.
CAST: Marquis of Moneontour—Basso. The Marquise—
Mezzo-soprano. Baron of Merlussac—Basso. Gautran, minister of finance—Basso.
Marquise de Flarambel—Soprano. Marquise de Bluette—Contralto. Javotte,
maid— Soprano. Mitou, professor of dancing—Tenor. Benoit, a peasant—Tenor.
Pacome, servant—Tenor. The four daughters of the Marquis of Montcontour—Soprani.
Place, Versailles. Time, 1688. First production, Paris, 1873.
The favourite parrot of Madame de Maintenon has disappeared,
and the Marquis of Montcontour has the luck to capture it. Presented to Louis XIV he
becomes confused, and in answer to the king’s question, says he has a son. The king-
orders him to bring him to court. What is he to do? He has only four daughters! But the
king has said it, and he must procure a son. Fortunately he finds a bright peasant boy,
Benoit, whom he adopts. The youth readily assumes the manners of a gentleman, plays many
pranks, lives the life of a grand seigneur, sets fire to the convent in which reside the
four daughters of the marquis, and even has the effrontery to ask for the hand of one of
them in marriage. Finally he fights a duel and is wounded. The marquis hurriedly takes
advantage of this accident to proclaim him dead, and the king consoles him for his loss by
creating him a duke. Benoit recovers speedily from his wound, and having fallen in love
with the maid Javotte, he contents himself with marrying her.
Fantastic opera in three acts, a
prologue and a closing scene, by Jacques Offenbach. Text by Jules Barhier.
CAST: The Poet Hoffmann. Olympia, Giulietta, Antonie,
Stella, his mistresses. Lindorf, Coppelius, Dapertutto, Dr. Mirakel, his opponents.
Luther, innkeeper. Na-thanael, Hermann, students. Andreas, servant to Stella. Schlemihl,
Giulietta’s admirer. Spalanzani, an apothecary. Councillor Krespel, father of
Antonie. The voice of the deceased mother of Antonie. Cochenilla. Pitichinaccio. Franz,
servant to Krespel. Students, etc. The tales of the German author E. T. A. Hoffmann,
translated into French, have been received with much favour; particularly those in the
style of Callot of ghostly, mysterious or enigmatical character. This induced Barbier to
write the text of this opera for Off enbach. The first production took place at Paris in
1880.
The action is as follows: The rich Lindorf loves the singer
Stella. Hoffmann formerly had a love affair with the artist at Milan, and when she sees
the young poet again at Nuremberg, her tenderness for him revives, and she writes to him
appointing a meeting-. Lindorf bribes Andreas, Stella’s servant, obtains the letter,
and resolves to make the poet drunk and then show him in that condition to Stella to
disgust her with him. The action of the introduction shows Hoffmann in the midst of his
friends, young students, at the inn of Luther. (Chorus of students: “D rig! Drig!
Drig-! Master Luther!” Hoffmann: “An ugly hump served him for stomach.”)
The same building contains the theatre in which Stella is to sing the rôle of Donna Anna
in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” (Hoffmann: “She had a lovely face”;
Chorus: “Luther is a splendid fellow.”) Between the acts. Lindorf succeeds,
Hoffmann is drunk and relates to his friends the story of his three love adventures with
the automaton Olympia, the Venetian courtesan Giulietta and the singer Antonie. Each of
these adventures takes up one act. The closing scene again shows Luther’s inn, where
Lindorf has brought Stella to witness the degradation of Hoffmann and thus win her for
himself.
ACT I. Hoffmann falls in love with the beautiful
Olympia. (Hoffmann: “‘Tis she! she sleeps.”) Spalanzani, a mechanical
genius, with the help of Coppelius, has con-strutted an automaton, which he exhibits to an
astounded public as his daughter. Hoffmann is enraptured and desires to possess her, so
Coppelius suggests that he write her an impassioned love letter. (Coppelius: “A doll
with china eyes.”) A meeting is appointed, but Olympia does not seem responsive.
(Olympia: “The birds in the trees”; Hoffmann: “Sweet avowal.”)
Coppelius, having- discovered that Spalanzani is cheating- him, in revenge informs
Hoffmann that he is about to marry a mechanical figure. (Chorus: “She dances in
time.”)
ACT II. The courtesan Giulietta is entertaining her
admirers at Venice. (Duet, Giulietta, Dapertutto: “Fair night, 0 night of love”;
Bacchic song: “Love, tender and dreamy”; Chorus: “Those who weep may go to
the devil.”) The favoured one is Schlemihl, the well-known character of Chamisso, who
casts no shadow. Hoffmann is madly in love with the voluptuous woman. Hoffmann: “The
sky lends thee its splendour”). Dapertutto, his enemy, who already owns
Schlemihl’s shadow, with the help of Giulietta, who is in his power, also acquires
that of Hoffmann. (Dapertutto: “Turn here, turn there, thus one catches larks.”)
The courtesan beguiles the lovelorn poet, and he barters his shadow for her love.
Giulietta, however, cruelly breaks her word (Giulietta: “Unlucky one, you did not
know”), and leaves him in the hands of his enemies. (Chorus: “Fair night, 0
night of love!”)
ACT III. The wife of Krespel during her life was a
famous singer. Too great devotion to her art occasioned an illness, and the mysterious
Dr. Mirakel caused her death with his strange mixtures instead of curing- her. The
daughter of Krespel, Antonie, inherits her mother’s talent and devotion to music, but
her father, who sees her slowly fading, forbids her to sing. Hoffmann forms her
acquaintance. (Antonie: “Remembrance far too sweet.”) They love, but Krespel is
prejudiced against Hoffmann, for he too is fond of music, and may influence her to
continue her studies. (Duet, Hoffmann, Antonie: “ ‘Tis a song of love.”)
Against the will of Krespel, Dr. Mirakel obtains entrance to their apartments. A quarrel
ensues (Krespel, Mirakel: “Why, yes, I hear”), and by hellish arts the doctor
causes the apparition of Antonie’s dead mother to materialise and ask her to sing.
(Antonie: “Ah, what is this voice”; Mirakel: “You will sing- no
more.”) She does so, and falls dead. Krespel has lost his daughter and Hoffmann his
bride, but Dr. Mirakel triumphs. In Coppelius, Dapertutto and Dr. Mirakel, as in Lindorf,
we see Hoffmann’s enemy, who by various and mysterious methods always takes from him
the maiden he loves. He is really a fiend in different guises. Stella is reproduced in
Olympia, Giulietta and Antoine, so that these four characters, and those of
Hoffmann’s enemies, are all impersonated by one male and one female singer. The
character of Hoffmann, of course, is the same throughout.
In the epilogue Hoffmann is intoxicated and sings a ribald
song. (Hoffmann: “The last verse of the song is for her.”) He is left alone with
his bottle. (Hoffmann: “You are a]l that I have to embrace.”)
LES PECHEURS DES PERLES
(The Pearl Fishers)
Opera in three acts by Bizet. Text
by Carré and Cormon.
CAST: Leila, a priestess—Soprano. Nadir, a
pearl-fisher—Tenor. Zurga, a chief—Baritone. Nourabad, high priest—Basso.
Priests, priestesses, pearl-fishers, women, etc. Scene, Ceylon. Time, barbaric period.
First production, Paris, 1863.
ACT I. Shore of the island of Ceylon. A few scattered
huts and palm trees; in the distance an ancient pagoda. The people are assembled for a
ceremonial dance and festival. (Chorus: “On the strand.”) Zurga announces that a
chief must be selected. They name Zurga himself with acclamations. Nadir appears after a
long absence in the forest. (Nadir: “Plains and forests.”) Zurga welcomes him to
a home with the tribe, and the dance continues, followed by an incantation to drive away
evil spirits. Nadir and Zurga hold converse together, renewing- their friendship of former
days. Nadir reminds his friend of a visit to the temple, the calling- to prayer by the
Brahmins, the kneeling crowd, and the sudden appearance of a woman beautiful as a goddess,
who passed through the throng- and vanished. Zurga and Nadir both fell in love with her,
and quarrelled for this reason. As Nadir ends his tale a- boat draws near, and Zurga
relates how each year on a certain day a woman comes to pray on the rocks above the
village. No one dares approach her, or look upon her face, but her prayers protect and
help the tribe. Leila, closely veiled, steps from the boat, followed by Nourabad, the high
priest. The people await her in awe. (Chorus: “Deign to accept our gifts.”) They
ask her intercession with the spirits of the deep. Adjured by Zurga, she promises to
remain veiled, to pray for the tribe night and day, to invoke good and drive away evil, to
be pure in word and deed. Zurga, in his turn, swears that if she keeps her oath, she will
receive a pearl of great price, but if she breaks it, death will be her lot. Nadir, who
has watched the ceremony with deep interest, advances toward Leila, exclaiming, “How
hapless is her fate !“ She starts, and
Nourabad, observing this, tells her that even now, if she desires it, she may revoke her
vows. She adheres to her purpose, however, and solemnly repeats the oath. (Chorus:
“Brahma, divine Brahma, may thy hand protect us.”) Leila proceeds to the temple
with Nourabad; the people return to the shore. Zurga approaches Nadir, who stands gazing
after Leila. She looks back. Zurga grasps Nadir’s hand, and slowly follows the
pearl-fishers. The sun sets. Nadir, alone, confesses that he has discovered the identity
of the apparition in the temple, and following her, has heard her voice. He determines to
tell Zurga. (Romance, Nadir: “Once more I think I hear.”) Throwing himself on
the ground, he sleeps. The returning priests build a fire on the rocks. (Leila and chorus:
“0 Brahma, god, O sovereign master !“ Aria,
Leila: “In the cloudless sky sown with stars.”) Nadir awakens, recognising her
voice. He calls softly, and she subtly answers in her song. Under cover of the growing
darkness he hastens to her side.
ACT II. Ruins of a temple. A terrace looking upon the
sea. (Chorus: “Darkness falls from the heavens.”) Nourabad advances toward Leila
and tells her her solitary watch will now begin. She-is trembling and fearful, but he
assures her that if she has kept her vow she need not fear. She tells him that once as a
child she had saved a fugitive from pursuit, and that she still possesses a chain which he
gave her in gratitude. Nourabad departs and the vigil begins. (Leila: “I tremble, I
fear.”) She hears the cries of wild beasts in the jungle, and in the distance,
gradually coming nearer, Nadir’s song. (Nadir: “O my beloved, a hidden flower
art thou !“) Leila joins in his song (Duet: “By this narrow path”), and
Nadir passionately declares his love. As they embrace, in ecstasy, Nourabad, who has been
secretly watching them, calls on the people (Chorus: “What voice calls us?”),
telling them that the priestess is false to her vow. He points to Nadir, who stands before
Leila, protecting her. The pearl-fishers advance, threatening him with their knives, and
demanding his punishment by death (Chorus: “No! Death! Death!”), but Zurga
impulsively steps forward and commands them to depart. As Nourabad tears off Leila’s
veil, Zurga recognises her. A storm arises in fury. The people kneel in prayer. (Chorus:
“Brahms, divine Brahma.”) Nadir is carried off, and the priests lead Leila away.
Change of scene: A tent by the sea. Zurga stands gloomily in the doorway (Recitative:
“The storm is calmed”), suffering-deep remorse for having condemned Nadir to
death. (Zurga: “O Nadir, when I gave thee over to death.”) He sinks on the
ground in despair. Leila is brought in by two pearl-fishers, who threaten her with knives.
Kneeling before Zurga (Leila: “I tremble, I falter”), she implores him to grant
her Nadir’s life. Zurga declares his love for her and his jealousy of Nadir. She
curses him. Nourabad enters to announce the coming sacrifice. Leila gives Zurga the chain
she received from the fugitive and asks him to send it to her mother. The people enter and
begin a barbaric dance. (Chorus: “When the sun shall pour his flame.”) Leila
returns conducted by Nourabad, and gazes steadily at her lover, who is in chains.
(Nourabad: “O sombre gods.”) A light is seen in the sky. The people hail the
dawn and advance, holding their knives aloft to strike. Zurga enters, carrying a battle
axe. He intercepts them, pointing to their camp, which is in flames. (Zurga: “No,
‘twas not the dawn.”) Terror-stricken the people hasten away to extinguish the
flames and save their families. Zurga exultantly declares that he is the incendiary. With
his battle axe he breaks Nadir’s shackles, and the lovers embrace. Nourabad, having
heard all, departs to inform the people. (Terzett: “O holy light.”) They return,
but Zurga, having planned the escape of the lovers, now prevents the people from reaching
them, until at last he is struck down by a knife thrust. Nadir and Leila appear on a rock
far above. Zurga encourages them to proceed, by calling to them; but falls back dead just
as they disappear. (Terzett, Leila, Nadir, Zurga: “No more fear, but sweet
embraces.”)
An opera in two acts by Giacomo
Puccini. Text by Ferdinando Fontana.
CAST: William Wulf—Baritone. Anna, his
daughter— Soprano. Robert—Tenor. Mountaineers, witches, forest spirits. Scene,
the Black Forest. Time, the present. First production, Milan, 1884.
ACT I. A forest scene in summer. Robert, a young
peasant, has fallen heir to the property of a relative in Mayence. But before he goes to
claim his fortune, he and Anna announce their betrothal at a parting- feast. (Chorus:
“Long live the happy pair.”) The guests join in a dance, and Anna’s old
father trips a lively measure with the rest. (Chorus: “Here we go, turn and
whirl.”) Anna is about to place some flowers in Robert’s travelling-bag (Anna:
“Were I but you, little flowers!”), and Robert seeing the tears in her eyes
beg-s for a smile. (Anna: “Vainly I try my grief to hide.”) She tells him she
dreamed he had forsaken her, and he laughs at her fears. (Robert: “My angel, why
should you doubt my love”; Anna: “Thy soft, sweet words drive sorrow from my
breast.”) Robert’s friends come to tell him it is time to depart (Chorus:
“Quick! Quick! Forward!”), and he bids Anna a loving farewell. All kneel in
prayer. (Chorus: “Angel of God, whose wings now stir the air.”)
ACT II. The same forest scene in winter. Once in Mayence,
amid gay scenes, with plenty of money, Robert forgets his betrothed and devotes himself to
pleasure. Anna waits for him in vain, and at last dies of grief. Her friends assemble for
her funeral. (Chorus: “Like a broken lily.”) The people of the Black Forest
believe that if a maiden is deserted by her lover the Villi, or witch dancers, lie in wait
for him in the forest and carry him away to their domain. They dance a-round him and
oblige him to dance with them, whirling and turning this way and that until he falls dead
of fatigue. Robert returns to his home a broken man. His money is gone and the evil woman
upon whom he has spent it has left him. He struggles through the cold and snow, while the
witches dance madly before him, and strange lights dazzle his eyes. William sits before
his cottage mourning- for his lost daughter. (William: “It cannot be his guilt will
go unscathed.”) Rising, he goes into the cottage. Robert crosses a bridge close by.
(Chorus: “He comes.”) He is overcome with terror and dread. (Robert: “Here
stands the cottage.”) He attempts to knock, but is unable to do so. He sinks to his
knees in abject terror and prays. (Robert: “O great God.”) Strange voices sound
in his ears. A funeral chant is heard within the cottage. He curses the influence that
caused him to forget his love for Anna, and as he speaks, she appears on the bridge. At
first he believes her to be alive, but starts back in horror when he finds it is an
apparition. She comes slowly forward (Anna: “Do you remember what you said among the
flowers?”) and denounces him for his betrayal. He stands as if spellbound, and the
witch-dancers whirl around the pair more and more swiftly, until at last they are carried
off in the air. (Chorus of witch-dancers: “Whirl and turn, turn and whirl! Now you
are ours.”) Robert, for a moment eluding them, tries to enter the cottage, but the
dread spirits pursue him mercilessly. Turning back he finds Anna in his path. She grasps
his arm and around him whirl the dancers faster and faster. With a last appeal to Anna he
falls dead. Anna vanishes followed by the chorus chanting a derisive “Hosanna!”
By Hector Berlioz. Text by the composer.
PART I
THE CONQUEST OF TROY
Opera in three acts.
CAST:
Priam—Basso. Hecuba—Alto. Cassandra—Mezzo-soprano. Polyxena—Chorus
part. Hector’s spirit—Basso. Andromache — silent. Astyanax — silent.
Æneas—Tenor. Ascanius—Soprano. Pantheus—Basso. Choroëbus—Baritone.
Place, before and in Troy. First production, Paris, 1863.
ACT I. The deserted camp of the Greeks before Troy.
The Trojans plunder the camp and gaze with much interest upon the mysterious wooden horse
which they find there. The prophetess Cassandra predicts misfortune, and in vain
endeavours to persuade her betrothed Choroëbus to save himself.
ACT II. Before Troy. The Trojans are engaged in
sports, and when the tidings of the death of Laöcoön are brought, they resolve to bring
the wooden horse into Troy, to conciliate Pallas, who has been insulted by Laöcoön.
Cassandra again warns the Trojans of impending- evil.
ACT III. Tent of Æneas. The spirit of Hector
announces to Æneas the doom of Troy, and directs him to repair to Italy and found a new
kingdom there. Pantheus and Choroëbus report the appearance of the Greeks, who have been
brought into Troy by the Trojans — concealed in the wooden horse, and who are
devastating- the city. Æneas takes his place at the head of the Trojan forces.
Change of scene: The sanctuary .of Vesta in the palace of
King Priam. Cassandra announces to the priestesses the death of Choroebus and the retreat
of AEneas. When the Greeks enter the sanctuary, Cassandra and the vestals choose death
rather than bondage.
PART II
THE TROJANS IN CARTHAGE
Opera in five acts.
CAST:
Dido—Soprano. Anna—Alto. Æneas—Tenor. Ascanius—Soprano.
Pantheus—Basso. Narbal—Basso. Jarbas—Tenor. Hylas—Tenor. Place,
Carthage. First production, Paris, 1863.
ACT I. A chamber in Dido’s palace at Carthage.
The Numidian King- Jarbas is about to force Dido to marry him, when Æneas and the
survivors of Troy come to ask for shelter. Hospitably received, Æneas calls upon his
companions to save Dido, as Jarbas is approaching with an army.
ACT II. The victorious Æneas returns, and is
received in state by Dido. He tells the story of Troy and wins Dido’s love. Mercury
warns him and calls him back to Italy.
ACT III. Hall of pillars in the palace. Narbal, who
knows of Æneas’s intention to found a state in Italy, does not believe that he will
remain in Carthage as the husband of Dido. He expresses this opinion to AEneas and
determines to warn Dido.
Change of scene: An ancient forest near Carthage. Dido and
Æneas take shelter from a storm in a grotto, where, in a panoramic scene, they see the
spirits of the woods.
ACT IV. The seashore, with the camp of the Trojans
and their vessels in the harbour. Warned by the spirits of the slain Trojans, Æneas
resolves to conquer his passionate love for Dido and to proceed to Italy. In vain Dido
endeavours to detain him, and when she finally leaves him in despair he goes on board his
vessel.
ACT V. A chamber in the palace of Dido. Dido sends
messengers to Æneas to delay his departure. When she hears he has left the harbour, she
resolves to die, and orders her servants to erect a funeral pyre.
Change of scene: Terrace by the sea and funeral pyre. Dido
curses Æneas and mounts the pyre. She announces prophetically that from her ashes shall
arise an avenger (Hannibal). She then stabs herself with the sword of Æneas. Dying, she
beholds in a vision the Roman Capitol with the inscription “Roma.”
L’ETOILE DU NORD
(The Star of the North)
Comic opera in three acts by
Meyerbeer. Text by Scribe.
CAST: Peter Michaeloff, carpenter—Baritone.
George Skawronsky, cabinet maker—Tenor. Katharine, his sister—Soprano.
Prascovia, his bride—Soprano. Danilowitsch, confectioner—Tenor. Gritzenko,
corporal—Basso. Reynolds, innkeeper—Basso. General Tschermeteff. Colonel
Kermeloff. Natalia and Eskimona, vivandières—Soprano and Mezzo-soprano. Ismailoff, a
Cossack. Place, Wiborg, the Russian camp and palace of the Czar at St. Petersburg. Time,
the eighteenth century. First production, Paris, 1854. The major portion of the music of
the opera is taken from “The Camp in Silesia” (see this opera).
ACT I. A village near Wiborg. The Czar Peter,
disguised as a carpenter, forms the acquaintance of Katharine, who is planning to don
masculine attire and enter the army in place of her brother George. He falls deeply in
love with her.
ACT II. The Russian camp. Military evolutions and
songs. Katharine, now a recruit, reports a conspiracy against the czar, which he subdues.
ACT III. The palace of the czar. Peter, amid all his
splendour, longs for Katharine, whom he believes to be dead. She is alive, but is
considered insane. Peter sends for her, but in order to awaken her memory has the garden
laid out in imitation of the village of Wiborg. When she sees Peter in his disguise as a
carpenter she rushes joyfully to his arms. He informs her that he is the czar, and by
marrying him the village maiden becomes czarina.
Opera in five acts by Glinka. Text
by Baron von Rosen.
CAST: Ivan Susannin, a peasant in the village of
Domnin—Basso. Antonida, his daughter—Soprano. Sobinjin, her
bridegroom—Tenor. Wauja, an orphan boy, adopted by Susannin—Contralto. A Polish
commander—Baritone. Place, Domnin, Moscow, and the camp of the Poles. Time, 1613.
First production, St. Petersburg, 1836.
ACT I. The village of Domnin. (Introduction:
“The storm rages wildly.”) Sobinj in brings the news of the defeat of the Poles,
and woos Antonida. (Cavatina, Antonida: “All day long”; Scene and chorus,
Susannin: “This is no time to dream.”) She loves him, but refuses to be his wife
until the country has been pacified by the election of a new czar. The election has
already taken place, however, and the landowner, Romanow, has been selected. Thus nothing
stands in the way of the marriage. (Finale: “Blissful farewells.”)
ACT II The camp of the Poles. (Chorus of soldiers:
“God of War!” Festival; Ballet.) Upon
the news of the defeat of the Poles and the election of Romanow, the army advances upon
the monastery in which Romanow is living. (Recitative: “‘Whence comest thou
?“)
ACT III. Susannin’s hut. (Duet, Sobinjin,
Antonida: “The bird’s real mother”; Chorus of men: “We go to work.”)
The Poles endeavour to force Susannin to lead them to the czar, but the latter resolves to
save him. (Quartet, Susannin, Sobinjin, Antonida, Wauja: “You, dear children.”)
His foster son, Wauja, seemingly allows the Poles to bribe him to betray the czar.
(Finale, duet, Sobinjin, Antonida: “How—what do I hear?”)
ACT IV. Before the monastery. Wauja has ridden his
horse to death, in an effort to save the czar. (Aria, Wauja: “Death in the
field.”)
Change of scene: A wood. Susannin is compelled to lead the
Poles through the snow. (Aria, Sobinj in: “Brothers in the storm.”) They suspect
him of having- led them astray, and he resolves to die for the czar.
ACT V. Before the Kremlin in Moscow. (Scene and
chorus: “Russia, holy fatherland.”) The czar enters Moscow; he and the people
honour Antonida, Sobinj in and Wauj a, but grieve over Susannin, who has given his life for
the czar. (Finale: “Hail to Russia’s czar!”)
Japanese fairy tale in one act by
Franz Curti. Text by Wolfgang Kirchbach.
CAST: Kiki-Thum, a runner. Lili-Tsee, his young wife. Ming-Ming,
priest of Buddha. Lady Whiribottle, a travelling English lady. Taime, friend of Lili-Tsee.
An official. Place, a Japanese industrial village.
Street, showing craftsmen at work. Kiki-Thum, to the
accompaniment of the zither, sings in praise of his wife. (“Lili-Tsee, dear
dove.”) She listens, flattered, but coquettishly tells him he is only deceiving her.
To tease her, he sings the praises of her friend Taime and arouses her jealousy. Taime,
however, is delighted. (Terzett: “What? what does he say?”) Lili-Tsee reproaches
her, and while they quarrel (Duet: “Let Buddha”) Lady Whirlbottle, who has been
listening, appears and advises them to look into the mirror to determine which is the
prettier. As neither has ever seen a mirror before, she wishes to give them her own, but
cannot find it. (Aria: “How can I comb my hair.”) All three go to look for it.
When they have gone Kiki-Thum appears. (Song: “In Europe’s distant lands.”)
He finds the mirror on the ground, gazes into it and thinks he sees the image of his
father as he had known him in his youth. He takes the mirror (Aria: “Do I look on
thee?”), and, entering the house, conceals it in a flower vase. Lili-Tsee arrives
with Ming-Ming, who makes love to her, and tells her that her husband is unfaithful.
Kiki-Thum returns to see if the mirror is still there. His behaviour arouses the suspicion
of his wife, and when the sly pries