Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

y Despoina, who has managed to escape from prison, and longs for vengeance against her
captors. She makes use of her arts of fascination on the young Telegonos, with whom she has now
fallen in love; and her love is very quickly reciprocated by the youth, who per-mits her to
accompany him at the head of his company of soldiers, and lead him to the royal forces.
Telemachus has meanwhile become reconciled to his father, and together they meet the stranger
who has dared to invade their land. Odysseus is struck by the resemblance of the young stranger to
the enchan-tress, Circe, but knows not that he is indeed his own son; and Telegonos meets him
boldly, and is quickly Overcoming him when the treacherous Despoina, fearing lest his strength
should fail him before slaying her hated enemy, picks up a fallen sword and stabs the aged hero in
the back. As Odysseus falls dying, she reveals to the combatants that they are father and son.
Telegonos is filled with horror at finding that he has thus been enticed to fight with his own father
and to innocently afford opportunity for this unscrupulous woman to murder him; and he is about
to rush upon her with his weapon, all love for her having vanished at this knowledge of her evil
character, when Despoina, having gained her revenge on Odysseus, and seeing that Telegonos'
love for her has departed, thrusts her own dagger into her heart, and drops dead at his feet.
Telegonos bends in grief over his dying father; and when Penelope and Telemachus also presently
join them, he confesses for the first time the truth of his relations with and enslavement by Circe,
the story of which he has kept from Penelope all these years that she might always believe him
faithful. The two brothers join hands; and after bestowing his blessing upon them and the faithful
and weeping Penelope the famous hero dies peacefully.
28. LORELEY
Romantic Opera in Three Acts By A. Catalani
Libretto By Carlo D "Ormeville and A. Zanardini
First Produced Turin, 1890
Chief Characters Loreley, Anna of Rehberg, Walter, Hermann, Rudolph (Margrave of Biberich)
THE scene is laid on the banks of the Rhine, about the beginning of the sixteenth century. Walter,
the young Lord of Oberwesel, is betrothed and about to be wedded to Anna of Rehberg, niece of
Rudolph, Margrave of Biberich; but in spite of the fair looks and purity of his bride-elect, he is
unhappy, being weighed down by a heavy secret. One evening, when strolling alone beside the
river, he met a strange maiden, Loreley, an orphan, who possessed wonder-ful beauty and powers
of fascination; and the pair mutually fell desperately in love with each other. They met frequently,
and enjoyed their secret love to the full, Walter never once speaking of his betrothal to the
Margrave's niece; and the innocent Loreley took joy in her handsome lover without suspecting that
he was bound to another. As the opera opens, it is the eve of the nuptials; and Walter, torn between
his love for Loreley and his duty to Anna, in distraction sends for his friend, Hermann, a
neighbouring baron, and telling him the whole story entreats his advice. Hermann himself loves
Anna, and would fain wed with her; but knowing that she has set her affections on Walter, he
persuades the latter to keep his word to the high-born maiden, and to renounce the unknown and
mysterious Loreley. When Loreley presently appears, therefore, after a last passionate love-scene
with her, during which his resolution nearly gives way before her magnetic charm, he tells her the
truththat he is betrothed to the Lady Anna, and that their wedding will take place in a few hours.
As he rushes away, distracted, Loreley, overcome with grief, falls in a swoon; whilst Hermann,