Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

ing the lady to be La Duclos, they determine to keep her a prisoner in the dark room, in revenge
for her fickleness. When Adrienne appears, and is presented to the Comte de Saxe, she is delighted
to discover that he is her own lover; and Maurice, anxious to protect the Princess's good name,
manages to whisper to Adrienne that it is not the actress Duclos who is hiding in the ante-room,
but another lady, who, for diplomatic reasons, he wishes to remain unknown, and he begs her to
guard the door of the room. Adrienne agrees to do so; and presently she gets an opportunity to
enter the anteroom, having arranged with Michonnet, who has accompanied her, to provide a way
of escape for the lady through the garden. The two women now meet, but in the darkness are
unable to learn each other's identity; and the Princess becomes furiously jealous on discovering
that her rival is so closely in the confidence of Maurice as to be sent by him to her assistance. She
nevertheless takes advantage of the means offered for escape, and so succeeds in avoiding
discovery by her husband. Michonnet presently returns to Adrienne a bracelet which the unknown
lady dropped on her way through the garden; and, on learning that Maurice departed with her, she
is filled with grief. Act 3 takes place in the salon of the Princess, who is giving a grand fête, at
which Maurice is present. On asking for some powder for her face, the Abbé brings her a box containing
powder, which the Prince hastily snatches away, declaring it to be a deadly poison from his
chemical laboratory. On hearing of its fatal power, the Princess is strangely interested, and
determines to secure some of the poison for the destruction of her rival, whose identity she does
not yet know. During the entertainment, however, Adrienne Lecouvreur appears, having been
engaged to recite; and then the Princess recognises the voice of the actress as that of the lady who
helped her to escape from her recent awkward predicament, and on seeing the tender glances
bestowed on her by Maurice she is filled with a raging jealousy. Her anger is increased when
Adrienne selects as her recitation the great speech of " Phèdre," in which the latter denounces her
hostess; and she determines on a speedy and terrible revenge. In Act 4 Adrienne is seen in her own
home, very unhappy, because of Maurice's recent absence from her side. Michonnet, still her
devoted friend and admirer, endeavours to comfort her; and some of her companions from the
theatre enter to bring her birthday greetings, and to entreat her to return to the stage, which she has
almost deserted of late. She promises to do so; and when they have gone, the devoted Michonnet
presents her with a casket containing her own valuable jewels, which she had recently pledged to
pay certain debts of Maurice's, and which the kindly manager has redeemed as a birthday gift.
Another casket is now handed to her by a servant; and in this Adrienne finds the faded bunch of
violets which she gave to Maurice, and, imagining its return to be the sign that he loves her no
more, she is filled with despair, and presses the dead blossoms passionately to her lips. By this
fatal caress, she brings death upon herself; for the violets have been sprinkled by the Princess de
Bouillon with the deadly powdered poison made by her husband, and sent by her to her hated
rival. When, therefore, Maurice himself pres-ently enters to explain his unavoidable absence of
late and to declare his still passionate love for her, he is horrified at the sudden deadly pallor and
convulsive agony which seizes her; and, supporting her lovingly, he loudly calls for help.
Michonnet and others rush in at his cries; but the beautiful Adrienne is past all human aid, and,
with a last shuddering sigh, she expires in her lover's arms.
32. THE BARBER OF BAGDAD
Opera Comique in Two Acts. By Peter Cornelius
Libretto By the Composer