The Complete Opera Book Part 98

Opera in three acts; music by Peter Ilitsch Tschaikowsky; text after Pushkin's tale by Modeste Tschaikowsky, the composer's brother; German text by von A. Bernhard. Produced at Moscow, March, 1879.

CHARACTERS

LARINA, who owns an estate _Mezzo-Soprano_ TATIANA } her daughters { _Soprano_ OLGA } { _Alto_ FILIPIEVNA, a waitress _Mezzo-Soprano_ EUGEN ONEGIN _Baritone_ LENSKI _Tenor_ PRINCE GREMIN _Baritone_ A CAPTAIN _Ba.s.s_ SARETSKY _Ba.s.s_ TRIQUET, a Frenchman _Tenor_

As the characterization of the opera as "lyrical scenes" shows, the poet offers no substantial work, but follows closely, often even word for word, Pushkin's epic tale, with which one must be fully acquainted--as is the case with everybody in Russia--in order to be able to follow the opera properly.

Act I. _Eugen Onegin_ has been called from a wild life of pleasure to his sick uncle, of whose property he takes possession after the uncle's sudden death. He has brought with him from the big city a profound satiety of all enjoyments and a deep contempt for the society of mankind in his solitary country seat. Here, however, he forms a friends.h.i.+p for a young fanatic, the poet _Lenski_. Through him he is introduced to _Larina_, a woman who owns an estate. Her two daughters, _Olga_ and _Tatiana_, correspond to the double nature of their mother, whose youth was a period of sentimentality in which she allowed herself to be affected like others by Richardson's novels, raved over Grandison, and followed the wild adventures of Lovelace with anxious thrills. Life later had made her rational, altogether too rational and insipid. _Olga_ now has become a cheerful, superficial, pleasureful silly young girl; _Tatiana_, a dreamer whose melancholy is increasing through reading books which her mother had once used. _Lenski_ is betrothed to _Olga_. _Tatiana_ recognizes at her first sight of _Onegin_ the realization of her dreams. Her heart goes out to meet him and in her enthusiasm she reveals all her feelings in a letter to him.

_Onegin_ is deeply stirred by this love; a feeling of confidence in mankind that he had not known for such a long time awakens in him. But he knows himself too well. He knows that every faculty as a husband is departing from him. And now he considers it his duty not to disappoint this maiden soul, to be frank. He refuses her love. He takes the blame on himself, but he would not have been the worldly wise man if his superiority to the simple country child had not been emphasized chiefly on this account. But _Tatiana_ only listens to the refusal; she is very unhappy. _Onegin_ remains her ideal, who now will be still more solitary, in spite of it.

Act II. _Tatiana's_ name-day is being celebrated with a big ball.

_Onegin_ goes there on _Lenski's_ invitation. The stupid company with their narrow views about him vex him so much that he seeks to revenge himself on _Lenski_ for it, for which he begins courting _Olga_.

_Lenski_ takes the jest in earnest; it comes to a quarrel between the friends. _Lenski_ rushes out and sends _Onegin_ a challenge. Social considerations force _Onegin_ to accept the challenge; a duelling fanatic landlord, _Saretsky_ stirs _Lenski's_ anger so severely that a reconciliation is not possible. This part in Pushkin's work is the keenest satire, an extraordinarily efficacious mockery of the whole subject of duelling. There is derision on _Onegin's_ side, too, for he chooses as his second his coachman Gillot. But the duel was terribly in earnest; _Lenski_ falls shot through by his opponent's bullet.

(This scene recalls a sad experience of the poet himself; for he himself fell in a duel by the bullet of a supercilious courtier, Georg d'Anthes-Heckeren, who died in Alsace in 1895.)

Act III. Twenty-six years later. _Onegin_ has restlessly wandered over the world. Now he is in St. Petersburg at a ball given by _Prince Gremin_. There, if he sees aright, Princess Gremina, that accomplished woman of the world is "his" _Tatiana_. Now his pa.s.sion is aroused in all its strength. He must win her. _Tatiana_ does not love him with the same ardour as before. When she upbraids _Onegin_ that he loves her only because she has now become a brilliant woman of the world it is only a means of deceiving herself and her impetuous adorer as to her real feelings. But finally her true feeling is revealed. She tells _Onegin_ that she loves him as before. But at the same time she explains that she will remain true to her duty as a wife.

Broken-hearted _Onegin_ leaves her.

PIQUE-DAME

THE QUEEN OF SPADES

The libretto of Tschaikowsky's "Pique-Dame" was first prepared by the composer's brother Modeste for a musician who later refused to use it.

Tschaikowsky wrote it in six weeks, during a stay in Florence. The libretto is that of the well-known story by Pushkin. _Herman_, the hero, a pa.s.sionate gambler, loves _Lisa_, whom he met while walking in the summer garden in St. Petersburg. He learns that she is the granddaughter of "the belle of St. Petersburg," famous in her old age as the luckiest of card players. So strange is the old lady's appearance that she has been named "The Queen of Spades." The two women exert conflicting influences over _Herman_. He loves _Lisa_, while the old woman awakens his gambling impulses. It is said that the old _Countess's_ success at the card table is based upon her secret knowledge of a combination of three cards. _Herman_ is bent upon learning the secret. Although _Lisa_ loves _Herman_ she engages herself to _Prince Yeletsky_. With the hope of forcing the old woman to reveal her secret, he hides in her bedroom one night. When she sees him the shock kills her, and _Herman_ learns nothing. Half-crazed with remorse _Herman_ is haunted by the old _Countess's_ ghost. The apparition shows him the three cards.

When he goes to her house the night after her funeral and plays against _Prince Yeletsky_, he wins twice by the cards shown him by the ghost. He stakes everything he possesses on the third card but he turns up, not the expected card, but the queen of spades herself. At the same instant he sees a vision of the _Countess_, triumphant and smiling. Desperate, _Herman_ ends his life.

Tschaikowsky enjoyed his work on this opera. He wrote as follows to the Grand Duke Constantine: "I composed this opera with extraordinary joy and fervour, and experienced so vividly in myself all that happens in the tale, that at one time I was actually afraid of the spectre of the Queen of Spades. I can only hope that all my creative fervour, my agitation, and my enthusiasm will find an echo in the heart of my audiences." First performed at St. Petersburg in 1890, this opera soon rivalled "Eugen Onegin" in popularity.

LE COQ D'OR

THE GOLDEN c.o.c.k

Opera pantomime in three acts with prologue and epilogue.

Produced in May, 1910, at Zimin's Private Theatre, Moscow.

Music by Rimsky-Korsakoff.

CHARACTERS

KING DODON _Baritone_ PRINCE GUIDON _Tenor_ PRINCE AFRON _Baritone_ VOEVODA POLKAN (the General) _Baritone_ AMELFA (the royal housekeeper) _Contralto_ THE ASTROLOGER _Tenor_ THE QUEEN OF SHEMAKHAN _Soprano_ THE GOLDEN c.o.c.k _Soprano_

"Le Coq D'Or" was Rimsky-Korsakoff's last opera. The censor refused to sanction its performance during the composer's lifetime and his difficulties with the authorities in this matter are supposed to have hastened his death. When the work was given in Petrograd it was thought to be over-taxing for the singers who are obliged to dance, or for the dancers who are obliged to sing. M. Fokine ingeniously devised the plan of having all the singers seated at each side of the stage, while the dancers interpreted, in pantomime, what was sung. In spite of the protests made by the composer's family, this was done in Paris, London, and New York.

The opera is composed to a libretto, by V. Bielsky, based upon a well-known poem by Pushkin. In a preface to the book the author says: "The purely human nature of Pushkin's 'Golden c.o.c.k'--that instructive tragicomedy of the unhappy consequences following upon mortal pa.s.sions and weaknesses--permits us to place the plot in any region and in any period."

_King Dodon_, lazy and gluttonous, is oppressed by the cares of state.

Warlike neighbours hara.s.s him with their attacks. Holding council in the hall of his palace with his Boyards, he asks the advice first of one son, then the other. But the wise old _General_ disagrees with the solutions suggested by the young princes. Soon the entire a.s.sembly is in an uproar. The astrologer then appears and offers the _King_ a golden c.o.c.k. The bird has the power to foretell events, and in case of danger will give warning. The _King_ is overjoyed. From a spire in the capital the bird sends out various messages. At its bidding citizens now rush for their weapons, now continue peaceful occupations.

_Dodon's_ bed is brought upon the stage, and the monarch relieved of all responsibility goes to sleep, after having been tucked in by the royal housekeeper. Suddenly the c.o.c.k sounds the war alarm. The rudely awakened sovereign first sends his sons, then goes himself. _Dodon's_ army fares ill. In the second act, the moonlight in a narrow pa.s.s reveals the bodies of his two sons. At dawn, _Dodon_ notices a tent under the hillside. The _King_ thinks it is the tent of the enemy leader, but to his astonishment, a beautiful woman emerges. The lovely _Queen_ lures on the aged _Dodon_, mocks at his voice, and forces him to dance, until he falls exhausted to the ground. Finally she agrees to become his bride.

The third act shows the populace preparing to welcome _Dodon_, There is a wonderful procession led by _Dodon_ and the _Queen_, followed by a grotesque train of giants and dwarfs. Soon the _Queen_ is bored. The astrologer returns, claiming a reward for his magic bird. He demands the _Queen_. _Dodon_ kills the astrologer by a blow on the head with his sceptre, but this does not improve his position with his bride.

With an ominous cry, the bird flies towards the _King_ and fells him with one blow from his beak. A thunderclap is followed by darkness.

When light returns both _Queen_ and c.o.c.k have disappeared. The people lament the death of the _King_. In the epilogue the resuscitated astrologer announces that the story is only a fairy tale and that in _Dodon's_ kingdom only the _Queen_ and himself are mortals.

MANRU

Opera in three acts. Music by Ignace Jan Paderewski. Book by Alfred Nossig. The first performance in New York was on February 14, 1902, at the Metropolitan Opera House. Mr.

Damrosch conducted. The cast included Mme. Sembrich, Mme.

Homer, Miss Fritzi Scheff, Alexander van Bandrowski, Mr.

Muhlmann, Mr. Bla.s.s, Mr. Bispham.

The opera had its first performance on any stage at the Court Theatre, Dresden, May 29, 1901. Before being sung in New York it was heard in Cracow, Lemberg, Zurich, and Cologne.

The scene is laid among the Tatra mountains, between Galicia and Hungary. The story ill.u.s.trates the gypsy's wanderl.u.s.t. The plot is borrowed from a Polish romance. _Manru_ has won the love of a Galician girl, _Ulana_, and married her gypsy fas.h.i.+on. After a time she returns to her native village among the Tatra mountains, seeking her mother's help and forgiveness. But her mother curses her, and she is the object of the villagers' scorn. They taunt her with a song which celebrates the inconstancy of all gypsies under the spell of the full moon. As she has already noticed signs of uneasiness in her husband, _Ulana_ seeks the help of _Urok_, a dwarf, who loves her and who is said to be a sorcerer. He gives her a magic draught by means of which she wins back _Manru_ for a time. Alone in the mountains, however, the influence of the moon, the charm of gypsy music, and the fascinations of a gypsy girl are too strong for him. He rejoins his companions.

_Oros_, the gypsy chief, himself in love with the maiden of _Manru's_ fancy, opposes her reinstatement in the band. But through the influence of _Jagu_, a gypsy fiddler, his wishes are overruled and _Manru_ is made chief in _Oros's_ place. The deposed chief revenges himself by hurling his successful rival down a precipice, a second after the distraught _Ulana_ has thrown herself into a mountain lake.

American Opera

No really distinguished achievement has as yet been reached in the world of American opera. Various reasons are given for the delinquency. Some say that American composers are without that sense of the theatre so apparent in the composers of the modern Italian school. But whatever the reasons, the fact remains inalterably true.

The Metropolitan has housed several worthy efforts. Two of the most successful were Mr. Parker's "Mona" and Mr.

Damrosch's "Cyrano de Bergerac." After much fulsome praise had been bestowed upon both, however, these operas were promptly shelved. Others have taken their place. But the writer of a truly great American opera has yet to make his appearance.

THE SACRIFICE

Opera in three acts by Frederick Shepherd Converse.

Mr. Converse wrote his own libretto. The lyrics are by John Macy. The story takes place in southern California in 1846. Americans are guarding the Anaya mansion, and the American officer, _Burton_, a baritone, is in love with _Chonita_, the beauty of the household.

_Chonita_ has an old Indian servant, _Tomasa_, who hates the Americans, yet seems to realize that they will conquer. _Chonita_, praying in the Mission Church desecrated by the invaders, is told by _Burton_ that he has killed a Mexican. Her questions reveal that _Bernal_ is the dead man. But _Bernal_ is wounded, not dead, and he comes into the church. _Burton_ again a.s.sures _Chonita_ of his love and promises to do for her all that a man can do. "You wretched devil, 'tis I she loves," cries _Bernal_, and he rushes at _Burton_ with a dagger. _Chonita_ throws herself between the two, and is accidentally wounded by the American's sword. _Bernal_ is held a prisoner.

In the third act, _Chonita_ is in bed apparently dying. If she could only have her lover she would live, she sings; despair is killing her.

_Padre Gabriel_ brings her consolation, and sets a trap for the Americans. _Burton_ brings _Bernal_ that he may sing a love duet with _Chonita_. She pleads for _Bernal's_ freedom. "He is not a spy."

_Burton_ stands between love and duty. To give _Chonita_ happiness he is willing to die. The Americans are suddenly attacked and _Burton_, throwing down his sword, is killed by Mexican rescuers. _Tomasa_ looks at _Burton's_ corpse and sums up the whole tragedy: "'Tis true as ever. Love brings life and death."

THE PIPE OF DESIRE

Opera in one act by Frederick Shepherd Converse. Poem by George Edwards Barton.

The scene takes place in a wood during the first day of spring. Elves flit to and fro performing sundry occupations. One scatters seeds to the winds. Others remove dead leaves from flowers. They sing of the awakening of Nature from her sleep through the winter. _Iolan_, a peasant, is heard singing in the distance. The elves although reproached by the _Old One_ desire to show themselves to him. _Iolan_ tells them that he is to wed _Naoia_ tomorrow, and bids them come to the wedding. The _Old One_ reminds them that it is forbidden to show themselves to man, and adds that no good can come of it. _Iolan_ laughs at the _Old One_ and his Pipe. The _Old One_ plays for the elves to dance, but with misgivings. _Iolan_ still defies the power of the Pipe. The elves demand that the _Old One_ make him dance and respect its power. When he cannot resist the music, he s.n.a.t.c.hes the Pipe and breaks the cord which holds it. The _Old One_ tells him that it is the Pipe G.o.d gave to Lilith, who played it to Adam in Eden, and that the mortal who now plays the Pipe without understanding its secret will die when it becomes known to him. _Iolan_, however, puts the Pipe to his lips. At first only discordant sound, later beautiful music is his reward. _Iolan_ sees a vision of what he most desires. He is rich. He owns horses, goats, and wine. _Naoia_, his wife, comes to him through roses. His children play about the door of their home. He calls on _Naoia_ to come to him. She comes to him, bleeding. Because he played the Pipe misfortune has come to her. She dies and _Iolan_ soon follows her, while the sorrowing elves proclaim that they who die for love have accomplished their life.