Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

More documents

Recommendations

Info

fervent prayer for the return of her husbands love she retires to rest. When she is asleep, Othello, goaded to the deed by Iago, comes into the room with intent to destroy her; and after awakening her with a kiss, he passionately accuses her of infidelity with Cassio. The unhappy Desdemona in vain protests her innocence; for the Moor is beside himself with jealous passion, and seizing the cushions and bedclothes, he smothers the wife whom he loves so dearly that the thought of her supposed infidelity is more than he can tolerate. Emilia entering, and beholding the dreadful deed which has been done, shrieks for help; and when several officials and lords enter with Iago, she discovers the perfidy of her husband,, and revealing to Othello the fact that he has been deceived, is slain by her furious husband for her boldness. In despair at having thus been enticed into slaying the sweet innocent wife he loved so well, the Moor seizes his dagger, and, stabbing himself, falls dead at the feet of the cruelly wronged Desdemona. 177. RIGOLETTO Grand <strong>Opera</strong> in Three Acts By Guiseppe Verdi Libretto By Piave (Adapted from Victor Hugos Tragedy " Le Roi sAmuse") First Produced Venice, March, 1851 Chief Characters Gilda, Maddalena, Rigoletto, Duke of Mantua, Count Monterone, Count Ceprano, Sparafucile THE scene is laid in Mantua, where the gay, licentious young Duke of Mantua lives a life of great extravagance and frivolity. In all his love intrigues he is assisted by his jester, Rigoletto, a dissolute and unscrupulous hunchback; and in the opening scene, the Count Monterone appears at Court to demand the restoration of his daughter, the Countess Ceprano, who is the latest victim of the vicious young Duke, who treats him with tyrannical insolence and orders him to be conveyed to the dungeons. Rigoletto callously makes fun of the outraged father; but he is terrified when the latter utters a deadly curse upon him as he is being led away. Even the gay courtiers hate Rigoletto, since he has assisted in bringing dis-honour on many of their families; and having learnt that he visits a mysterious and beautiful maiden, they hatch a plot to steal her away, and actually entice the Jester to help in the abduction by leading him to suppose it is the wife of Count Ceprano whom they are seizing. This unknown maiden is in reality Rigolettos daughter, Gilda, whom he loves passionately and has kept hidden safely, as he thinks, from the sight of his covetous royal master; but, unknown to the Jester, the Duke has seen Gilda at Church, and, in the disguise of a student, he has already made love to her and gained her affections in return, frequently visiting her in secret. Rigoletto, unaware of the plot against him, assists in the proposed abduction, allowing himself to be led blindfold to his own house, against the walls of which he holds the ladder, whilst his companions bring out the fainting Gilda, and dash off with her to the Palace, leaving him behind. As he snatches away the handkerchief from his eyes, and, seeing where he is, realises that his beloved and innocent daughter has been conveyed with his connivance to the chamber of his infamous master, he becomes nearly mad with rage and grief; and he rushes to the palace, wildly demanding the restoration of his daughter, only to meet with laughter and scorn, such as he has himself so often meted out to like sufferers. Finally, Gilda escapes from the Dukes room and returns to her father, whose entreaties, however, are powerless to keep her from still thinking kindly of her royal sweetheart, whom she loves passionately, in spite of the deception he has practised upon her. Rigoletto now determines to be revenged upon the ravisher of his daughter,
and he bribes Sparafucile, a bravo, to murder the Duke on his next visit to a certain lonely inn. Sparafuciles sister, Maddalena, however, loves the Duke, who has also paid her attention; and when he retires for the night, she begs her brother to spare his life. Sparafucile agrees to do so, if any other stranger shall arrive, whom he may murder instead and pass his dead body off as that of the Dukes when Rigoletto comes for the sack into which it is to be placed. Meanwhile, Rigoletto brings Gilda, disguised as a page, to the outside of the inn, bidding her listen at the keyhole to the tender speeches made by her faithless lover to the pretty Maddalena; but Gilda, in spite of this proof of his perfidy, still loves the Duke, and refuses to leave the spot, though her father desires to send her to another city for safety. When Rigoletto retires for a short time, she listens again, and overhearing the plot to murder the Duke, who has now gone to the chamber upstairs, she determines to save him. She therefore boldly knocks at the door of the inn; and Sparafucile, on opening it and seeing as he supposes a youth outside, he stabs the new-coiner on entering. He then places the still body of the stranger in a sack, which he hands over to Rigoletto when the hunchback presently appears and demands his victim. Rigoletto drags the sack to the river side, and is about to cast it into the water, when he hears the voice of the Duke singing gaily as he walks by in the distance with Maddalena; and furious at the deception which has been played upon him, he tears open the sack, and is horrified on beholding the pale features of his beloved daughter, who recovers for a few moments, and then expires in his arms. Over-come with grief and dismay at this dreadful fulfilment of Monterone s curse, the despairing hunchback falls senseless beside the corpse of his murdered child. 178. LA TRAVIATA <strong>Opera</strong> in Three Acts By Guiseppe Verdi Libretto By Piave (Adapted from Dumas "Dame Aux Camélia") First Produced Venice, March, 1853 Chief Characters Violetta Valéry, Flora Bervoix, Annina, Alfred Germont, The Elder Germont, Baron Duphol THE scene is laid in Paris, and the first act takes place in the house of the beautiful courtesan, Violetta Valéry, who, although she knows herself to be the victim of the fatal disease of consumption, and has not long to live, yet determines to indulge in every possible pleasure. Amongst the guests enjoying her hospitality is Alfred Germont, a young man of good family, from Provence, who loves her passionately; and Violetta, loving him also, determines to give up her present life, and retires with him to her country house, where they spend a long time together in deep happiness. During the absence of Alfred one day, however, his father arrives, and entreats the courtesan to renounce his son, since her connection with him will bring disgrace on their family, and already prevents his sister from making a suitable alliance; and Violetta is so overcome by the evident distress of the elder Germont that she gives him the promise he requires, and, leaving a letter of farewell to her lover, she returns to Paris and tries to drown her grief in the excitements of her old life. In Act 2 Alfred follows her to the house of her friend, Flora Bervoix, who is holding a ball; and seeing her accepting the attentions of Baron Duphol, a former admirer, he is furious, and thinking this to be the real reason for her desertion of him he insults her openly before all the guests, and is
Page 1 and 2:
TWO HUNDRED OPERA PLOTS By Gladys D
Page 3 and 4:
56. Iphigenia in Aulis 57. Iphigeni
Page 5 and 6:
Offenbach 118. La Belle Hélène Pa
Page 7 and 8:
Wagner (Richard) 180. The Flying Du
Page 9 and 10:
Madame de la Tour, and wishing to p
Page 11 and 12:
his suspicions thus confirmed, and
Page 13 and 14:
7. THE CROWN DIAMONDS Opera Comique
Page 15 and 16:
challenges the Marquis to fight wit
Page 17 and 18:
Bertrand; and the unhappy young wif
Page 19 and 20:
they desire in order to compromise
Page 21 and 22:
had two sons. At the opening of the
Page 23 and 24:
circumstance a means of avenging he
Page 25 and 26:
establish his identity. When the Ca
Page 27 and 28:
Romantic Opera in One Act By George
Page 29 and 30:
ings forth the hidden treasure, tog
Page 31 and 32:
Libretto By Mosenthal, adapted from
Page 33 and 34:
26. ODYSSEUS' RETURN Grand Opera in
Page 35 and 36:
y Despoina, who has managed to esca
Page 37 and 38:
insults upon her, she is unable to
Page 39 and 40:
ing the lady to be La Duclos, they
Page 41 and 42:
lovers, asks the irate father to co
Page 43 and 44:
35. THE KING HAS SAID IT Opera Comi
Page 45 and 46:
moment,. the angry Nilakantha appea
Page 47 and 48:
partner, and willingly hands her ov
Page 49 and 50:
takes her to some luxurious rooms,
Page 51 and 52:
amongst the guests, and has also sw
Page 53 and 54:
Court, where he sees Lady Henrietta
Page 55 and 56:
First Produced Dresden, October, 18
Page 57 and 58:
50. NANON Opera Comique in Three Ac
Page 59 and 60:
part). Elizabeth is horrorstruck at
Page 61 and 62:
condemned to death. He has, however
Page 63 and 64:
obtained the love she craved for, t
Page 65 and 66:
Grand Opera in Three Acts By Christ
Page 67 and 68:
stand with his sweetheart, May. The
Page 69 and 70:
plot having been evolved by the lib
Page 71 and 72:
Gringoire suddenly appears with Pho
Page 73 and 74:
with remorse and grief, since her l
Page 75 and 76:
Bertram becomes more jealous of him
Page 77 and 78:
calling himself Samuel, and thus ma
Page 79 and 80:
eloved ones are in greater danger t
Page 81 and 82:
74 THE FOLKUNGS Grand Opera in Five
Page 83 and 84:
elease of the noble prisoner; and F
Page 85 and 86:
78. MAIA Opera in Three Acts By R.
Page 87 and 88:
First Produced Hamburg, 1846 Chief
Page 89 and 90:
Here he sees Undine, a lovely but m
Page 91 and 92:
victim; and whilst the flames leap
Page 93 and 94:
defend her; and though Brian, now r
Page 95 and 96:
88. CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA Tragic Ope
Page 97 and 98:
trick which has been played upon hi
Page 99 and 100:
is overlooked by the King, who best
Page 101 and 102:
the convent as a brother and re-nou
Page 103 and 104:
since he has the means to provide h
Page 105 and 106:
Chief Characters Charlotte, Sophia,
Page 107 and 108:
two of the inhabitants, a male and
Page 109 and 110:
etween the Catholics and Huguenots
Page 111 and 112:
and despairing Bertha to the tyrant
Page 113 and 114:
lovers. 106. THE STAR OF THE NORTH
Page 115 and 116:
108. MUGUETTE Opera Comique in Four
Page 117 and 118:
fact that he is pursued by another
Page 119 and 120:
however, their trials are not over,
Page 121 and 122:
determination to die rather than be
Page 123 and 124:
himself an arrant coward. The situa
Page 125 and 126:
good looks and gallant bearing of a
Page 127 and 128:
In Act 2 we are taken to Venice, wh
Page 129 and 130:
it to the test. When he has gone, R
Page 131 and 132: her. The disguised Prince obeys wit
Page 133 and 134: First Produced Turin, February, 189
Page 135 and 136: jealous anger of her rough friends
Page 137 and 138: husband, and trustfully expecting h
Page 139 and 140: 131. LA TOSCA Tragic Opera in Three
Page 141 and 142: sent to tempt him from is enterpris
Page 143 and 144: her transitory suspicions, and next
Page 145 and 146: character, and is herself leading a
Page 147 and 148: shackles of Rome and proclaims hims
Page 149 and 150: Opera in Three Acts By Max Schillin
Page 151 and 152: Chief Characters Mary, Agnes Micha,
Page 153 and 154: 146. JESSONDA Opera in Three Acts B
Page 155 and 156: een sentenced to a weeks imprisonme
Page 157 and 158: 151. THE QUEENS LACE HANDKERCHIEF O
Page 159 and 160: chamber window she listens to his p
Page 161 and 162: lineage, they are desperately poor
Page 163 and 164: Comic Opera in Two Acts By Sir Arth
Page 165 and 166: Chief Characters Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sin
Page 167 and 168: everyday young man " at once, on pa
Page 169 and 170: disguise, however, is presently pen
Page 171 and 172: considerations of rank, wealth or a
Page 173 and 174: Leonard, who manages to slip out of
Page 175 and 176: In Act 5 the funeral procession of
Page 177 and 178: in this beautiful and charming lady
Page 179 and 180: a plan to elope with the willing El
Page 181: him. Adelia, on searching for the m
Page 185 and 186: prisoner and thrust into a dungeon
Page 187 and 188: scheming Telramund, whom he defeats
Page 189 and 190: 183. PARSIFAL Sacred Festival Music
Page 191 and 192: Loving One who shall crush his own
Page 193 and 194: symbol of Evil; and in revenge for
Page 195 and 196: leaping flames-to be awakened by th
Page 197 and 198: as they exultingly carry it away a
Page 199 and 200: from Brangaena, and come at once to
Page 201 and 202: match, unable to conquer her passio
Page 203 and 204: THE story is founded on an old Germ
Page 205 and 206: fearing she has been deceived. When
Page 207 and 208: to be Chief Ranger, but also covets
Page 209 and 210: First Produced Berlin, March, 1821
Page 211 and 212: Aïda Verdi Alceste Gluck Amber Wit
Page 213 and 214: Gioconda, La Ponchielli Gipsy Baron
Page 215 and 216: Mikado, The Sullivan Moloch Schilli
Page 217: Trumpeter of Säkkingen, The Nessle
show all

Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?