The Complete Opera Book Part 91

Peasants and Mob.

_Time_--Middle Ages.

_Place_--_Blue-Beard's_ Castle.

Act I. Hall in _Blue-Beard's_ castle. _Ariane_, sixth wife of _Blue-Beard_, is warned by voices of the crowd outside that _Blue-Beard_ has already murdered five wives. _Ariane_ has seven keys--six of silver and one of gold. When _Ariane_, intent only on opening the forbidden chamber, throws down the six silver keys, her _Nurse_ picks them up. With one she unlocks the first door. Instantly amethysts set in diadems, bracelets, rings, girdles, fall down in a shower on _Ariane_. And so, to her joy, as door after door swings open, she is showered with sapphires, pearls, emeralds, rubies, and diamonds. Now _Ariane_ opens, with the golden key, the seventh door.

Darkness, out of which come the voices of the five lost wives. Here _Ariane_ is surprised by _Blue-Beard_, who lays hold of her. The crowd, admitted by the _Nurse_, rush in to kill _Blue-Beard_, but are told by _Ariane_ that he has not harmed her.

Act II. A subterranean hall. _Ariane_ descends with the _Nurse_ into the depths of the blackness on which the seventh door opened. There she finds the five wives still alive but emaciated and in rags. She tells them that she has obeyed a higher law than _Blue-Beard's_, and that outside birds are singing and the sun is s.h.i.+ning. A jet of water extinguishes _Ariane's_ light, but she is not fearful. She leads the five toward a radiant spot at the end of the vault. She throws herself against the barred wall. It gives away. The sunlight streams in.

Blinded at first by its brilliance, the five wives finally come out of the vault and go off singing joyously.

Act III. Same as Act I. The wives are adorning themselves with the help of _Ariane_. She urges them to make the best use of their gifts.

_Blue-Beard_ is approaching. The people are lying in wait for him. The wives watch his capture. Bound and wounded, he is brought in. But to the astonishment of all _Ariane_ bandages his wounds and the others help her. Then she cuts the cords and frees him, but herself departs, although _Blue-Beard_ pleads with her to remain. But when she in turn implores the five wives to go with her, they decline, and she leaves them in the castle.

The allegory in this tale is that five out of six women prefer captivity (with a man) to freedom without him. The opera has not been popular in this country.

MONNA VANNA

Henry Fevrier's "Monna Vanna" was first sung in New York in 1914 by Mary Garden and Lucien Muratore. The opera is based upon Maeterlinck's play in which _Monna Vanna_ to save the starving Pisans goes to _Prinzivalle's_ tent clad only in a cloak and her long hair. The commander of the besieging army does not profit by the bargain, but treats her with the utmost respect while he discourses eloquently of his youthful love. The music is as commonplace as that of this composer's other opera, "Gismonda."

GISMONDA

Opera in four acts by Henri Fevrier with a libretto based on Sardou's famous play had its first performance in America in Chicago, January 14, 1919, with Miss Mary Garden, Charles Fontaine, Gustave Huberdeau, Marcel Journet, and other members of the Chicago Opera Company in the leading roles. The opera was given on the opening night of the same organization's season in New York, January 27, 1919, at the Lexington Theatre with the same cast.

The story follows that of the play. _Gismonda_, d.u.c.h.ess of Athens, promises to wed the man who succeeds in rescuing her little son from a tiger's pit, into which he has been pushed by a conspirator who wishes to help _Zaccaria Franco_ to seize the Duchy. _Almerio_, a young falconer, kills the beast and saves the child. But the proud though grateful _d.u.c.h.ess_ will not consider a peasant for her husband.

If _Almerio_ will renounce his claim _Gismonda_ promises to spend a night at his hut. When she discovers that _Zaccaria_ has followed her she slays him. _Almerio_ takes the guilt for the murder upon himself but _Gismonda_ makes public confession of her visit to his hut, hands over the wicked _Gregoras_, who had attempted to murder her little son, to justice, and proclaims the falconer her lord and husband.

MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO

"Marouf" was sung for the first time in America at the Metropolitan Opera House, December 19, 1917, with Frances Alda, Kathleen Howard, Leon Rothier, Andres de Segurola, Thomas Chalmers, and Giuseppe de Luca as the Cobbler, in the cast. Pierre Monteux conducted.

_Marouf_ is unhappy at home. His wife, _Fatimah_, is ugly and has a bad disposition. When she asked for rice cake, sweetened with honey, and thanks to his friend the pastry cook, _Marouf_ brought her cake sweetened with cane sugar instead, she flew into a rage and ran to tell the _Cadi_ that her husband beat her. The credulous _Cadi_ orders the _Cobbler_ thrashed by the police, in spite of protesting neighbours. _Marouf_, disgusted, decides to disappear. He joins a party of pa.s.sing sailors. A tempest wrecks the s.h.i.+p. He alone is saved. _Ali_, his friend, whom he has not seen for twenty years and who has become rich in the meantime, picks him up on the sh.o.r.e and takes him to the great city of Khaltan, "somewhere between China and Morocco." _Marouf_ is presented to the townspeople as the richest merchant in the world who has a wonderful caravan on the way. He is accepted everywhere and in spite of the doubting _Vizier_ the Sultan invites him to his palace. Furthermore, he offers him his beautiful daughter as a bride. For forty days _Marouf_ lives in luxury with the princess. He empties the treasury of the _Sultan_ who consoles himself with thoughts of the promised caravan which must soon arrive. At last the _Princess_ questions _Marouf_ who tells the truth. They decide upon flight, and the _Princess_ disguises herself as a boy.

At an oasis in the desert they are sheltered by a poor peasant.

_Marouf_ seeks to repay his hospitality by a turn at his plow. The implement strikes an iron ring attached to the covering of a subterranean chamber. The ring also has magic power. When the _Princess_ rubs it the poor peasant is transformed into a genii, who offers his services, and discloses a hidden treasure. When the _Sultan_ and his guards, in pursuit of the fugitives, appear upon the scene, the sounds of an approaching caravan are also heard in the distance. The ruler apologizes. _Marouf_ and the _Princess_ triumph.

The doubting _Vizier_ is punished with a hundred lashes.

Henri Rabaud, composer of "Marouf," is a Parisian, the son of a professor of the Conservatoire of which he is also a graduate.

His second symphony has been played in New York. He has to his credit a string quartet, other smaller works, and an opera, "La Fille de Roland," which was given some years ago at the Opera Comique. "Marouf"

was produced at that theatre in the spring of 1914. M. Rabaud, for several years conductor at the Grand Opera and the Opera Comique, was called to America in 1918 to be the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, succeeding Karl Muck, and Pierre Monteux who filled the vacancy for a few weeks before M. Rabaud's arrival from France.

LE SAUTERIOT

THE GRa.s.sHOPPER

"Le Sauteriot" (Gra.s.shopper) by Sylvio Lazzari, with a libretto by Henri Pierre Roche and Martial Perrier, based on E. de Keyserling's drama "Sacre de Printemps," is the story of a modern Cinderella, _Orti_, who lives in Lithuania. She is the natural daughter of _Mikkel_, whose wife _Anna_, lies dying as the curtain rises. The doctor gives _Orti_, or _Gra.s.shopper_ as she is known, some medicine to give the patient if she grows worse. Only ten drops though, because the remedy is a powerful poison. _Anna's_ old mother, _Trine_, tells _Orti_ the legend of the mother who prayed that she might die in place of her baby, and whose prayer was granted. Realizing herself despised and a drudge, _Orti_ prays to die instead of _Anna_.

_Gra.s.shopper_ is secretly in love with _Indrik_. But he has no eyes for her. All his attention is fixed upon _Madda_, _Mikkel's_ youngest sister. In the second act at a village festival, _Indrik_, who has quarrelled with _Madda_, fights with his successor in her affections, _Josef_. _Orti_ rushes in and seizes _Josef's_ hand as he is about to slay _Hendrik_. She is the heroine of the festival. _Hendrik_ pays court to her and leads her to believe that he will marry her. When a few days later she discovers that he has gone back to _Madda_, _Gra.s.shopper_ commits suicide.

M. Lazzari of Paris is by birth a Tyrolean, whose father was an Italian. But the composer has spent most of his life in Paris. He entered the Conservatoire at twenty-four, where his teachers were Guiraud and Cesar Franck. His operas "L'Ensorcelee" and "La Lepreuse"

were first sung in Paris. "Le Sauteriot" would also have had its first performance there. But the war made it possible for Mr. Campanini to acquire it for Chicago. It was presented there on the closing day of the season, January 19, 1918. The Chicago Opera Company gave New York its first opportunity to hear the work on February 11, 1918, when it was conducted by the composer.

LA REINE FIAMMETTE

QUEEN FIAMMETTE

"La Reine Fiammette," by Xavier Leroux, with a libretto adapted from his play by Catulle Mendes, had its first performance in America at the Metropolitan Opera House, January 24, 1919. The cast was as follows:

CHARACTERS

ORLANDA _Geraldine Farrar_ DANIELO _Hipolito Lazaro_ GIORGIO D'AST _Adamo Didur_ CARDINAL SFORZA _Leon Rothier_ PANTASILLE _Flora Perini_ MOTHER AGRAMENTE _Kathleen Howard_ VIOLINE _Kittie Beale_ VIOLETTE _Lenore Sparkes_ VIOLA _Mary Ellis_ POMONE _Marie Tiffany_ MICHELA _Lenore Sparkes_ ANGIOLETTA _Mary Ellis_ CHIARINA _Marie Mattfeld_ TWO BOYS { _Mary Mellish_ { _Cecil Arden_ LUC AGNOLO _Mario Laurenti_ CASTIGLIONE _Angelo Bada_ CORTEZ _Albert Reiss_ CESANO _Giordano Paltrinieri_ VASARI _Pietro Audisio_ PROSECUTOR _Paolo Ananian_ TWO NOVICES { _Phillis White_ { _Veni Warwick_

While this was the first operatic performance of Catulle Mendes's famous work, Charles Dillingham produced the play for the first time in America at the Hollis Street Theatre, Boston, October 6, 1902, with Julia Marlowe. Paul Kester made the English adaptation. The late Frank Worthing appeared as _Danielo_. Others in the cast were Frank Reicher, Albert Bruning, and Arthur Lawrence.

The story takes place in Italy of the sixteenth century, in an imaginary Kingdom of Bologna, whose ruler _Queen Fiammette_, young and capricious, has chosen as her consort _Giorgio d'Ast_, an adventurer.

It is this very man whom the Papal See has determined to elevate to the throne in place of the madcap _Orlanda_. But _Cardinal Sforza_ is not satisfied with the mere dethroning of _Orlanda_. He wishes her to be a.s.sa.s.sinated, and goes to Bologna to hatch the plot for her doom.

The _Prince Consort_ agrees to play his part and to involve several young courtiers in the scheme. It is decided to slay the _Queen_ during a fete at her palace.

_Danielo_, a young monk, is chosen to strike the blow. The _Cardinal_ tells him that after indulging in a pa.s.sing fancy for his brother, the _Queen_ has had the youth killed. The monk is only too eager for revenge. He has been in the habit of meeting a beautiful woman, whose ident.i.ty is unknown, at a convent. This is none other than _Fiammette_ herself who uses the convent for her gallantries. _Danielo_ confides his mission of vengeance to the fair unknown. But when he recognizes in the queen the woman he adores he is powerless to carry out his intention of slaying her. He is arrested by order of the _Cardinal_ for failing to keep his pact. The _Queen_ signs her abdication and hopes to fly with her lover, but the _Cardinal_ condemns both to the headsman's block.

LE CHEMINEAU

THE WAYFARER

Opera by Xavier Leroux with a libretto by Jean Richepin, performed for the first time in America at New Orleans in 1911.

A jovial wayfarer dallies with _Toinette_, one of the pretty girls working on a farm in Normandy. He loves her and goes his way. In despair _Toinette_ marries _Francois_. The wayfarer's child, _Toinet_, is born. Years later when _Francois_ has become a hopeless invalid, _Toinet_ woos _Aline_, the daughter of _Pierre_, a surly neighbour, who doubting the youth's origin refuses his consent to the match.

Suddenly the wayfarer reappears. _Francois_ expires, after commending _Toinette_ to the care of her former lover. But the call of the open road is too strong. The wayfarer refuses to contemplate domesticity.

Once more he takes his well-worn hat and goes out into the storm.

LE VIEIL AIGLE

THE OLD EAGLE

Raoul Gunsbourg wrote both the words and the music for his one act lyric drama, "Le Vieil Aigle" (The Old Eagle), which was first produced at the Opera House in Monte Carlo, February 13, 1909. The first performance of the opera in New York was given by the Chicago Opera Company at the Lexington Theatre with Georges Baklanoff in the t.i.tle role, supported by Yvonne Gall, Charles Fontaine, and Desire Defrere, February 28, 1919.