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Ariane and her sister Phèdre both love Theseus, but he chooses Phèdre. After Phèdre is killed by a falling statue of Adonis, Ariane visits the underworld and persuades Perséphone to restore her sister. Theseus again chooses Phèdre and abandons Ariane on Naxos, where sirens lure the grieving woman into the sea.
In ancient India, the gods appear in human form to challenge the spread of Buddhism. Ariane follows Bacchus, believing him to be Theseus, the man she loves. She sacrifices herself to save humanity, and Bacchus becomes a god.
In ancient Corinth, Hylas pauses at the home of Briséïs and her sick mother, Thanastô, before seeking his fortune in Syria. Hylas and Briséïs swear to love each other beyond death. Thanastô prays for the salvation of the pagans around her, while Briséïs worries about Hylas and her mother. The Catechist promises Thanastô’s salvation if Briséïs follows him; bound by her mother’s vow to remain a bride of God, Briséïs goes with him. In the projected final acts, Hylas returns after a shipwreck, Briséïs kills herself and invites him to die with her, and he follows her into the grave.
When Danish raiders attack a Saxon village, Gwendoline pleads with their leader Harald to spare her father, Armel. She and Harald fall in love and marry, but Armel plots revenge; as the Danes are attacked, Harald is killed and Gwendoline takes her own life beside him.
Oberon curses Princess Isoline to become a man on her wedding night. She is kept in a castle but dreams of Prince Isolin, and the two fall in love. Oberon and Titania alternately manipulate them: Isoline believes she is ugly and rejects Isolin until she sees her reflection in his dagger. After a battle, Queen Amalasonthe consents to their marriage. Titania’s magic transforms the bride into a boy and the groom into a girl at their first kiss, allowing the pair to sail to Cythera. Oberon and Titania reconcile.
A four-act, five-scene comic opera by Reynaldo Hahn with a libretto by Catulle Mendès. The roles include Louise de La Vallière, Louis XIV, and the Archbishop. No plot description or exact premiere date is available in the reviewed text.
Based on Catulle Mendès’s dramatic tale set in Renaissance Italy.
Rodrigue is engaged to Chimène, but a quarrel between their fathers leaves Don Diègue too old to fight. He orders his son to avenge the insult. Rodrigue reluctantly kills Don Gomez, who dies in Chimène’s arms naming his killer. At court, Chimène demands justice while Don Diègue pleads for his son’s life. Rodrigue offers himself to Chimène, who cannot kill or forgive him. His father urges him to live and fight the Moors, and Rodrigue agrees, hoping to die in battle.
Ariane and her sister Phèdre both love Theseus, but he chooses Phèdre. After Phèdre is killed by a falling statue of Adonis, Ariane visits the underworld and persuades Perséphone to restore her sister. Theseus again chooses Phèdre and abandons Ariane on Naxos, where sirens lure the grieving woman into the sea.
In ancient India, the gods appear in human form to challenge the spread of Buddhism. Ariane follows Bacchus, believing him to be Theseus, the man she loves. She sacrifices herself to save humanity, and Bacchus becomes a god.
In ancient Corinth, Hylas pauses at the home of Briséïs and her sick mother, Thanastô, before seeking his fortune in Syria. Hylas and Briséïs swear to love each other beyond death. Thanastô prays for the salvation of the pagans around her, while Briséïs worries about Hylas and her mother. The Catechist promises Thanastô’s salvation if Briséïs follows him; bound by her mother’s vow to remain a bride of God, Briséïs goes with him. In the projected final acts, Hylas returns after a shipwreck, Briséïs kills herself and invites him to die with her, and he follows her into the grave.
When Danish raiders attack a Saxon village, Gwendoline pleads with their leader Harald to spare her father, Armel. She and Harald fall in love and marry, but Armel plots revenge; as the Danes are attacked, Harald is killed and Gwendoline takes her own life beside him.
Oberon curses Princess Isoline to become a man on her wedding night. She is kept in a castle but dreams of Prince Isolin, and the two fall in love. Oberon and Titania alternately manipulate them: Isoline believes she is ugly and rejects Isolin until she sees her reflection in his dagger. After a battle, Queen Amalasonthe consents to their marriage. Titania’s magic transforms the bride into a boy and the groom into a girl at their first kiss, allowing the pair to sail to Cythera. Oberon and Titania reconcile.
A four-act, five-scene comic opera by Reynaldo Hahn with a libretto by Catulle Mendès. The roles include Louise de La Vallière, Louis XIV, and the Archbishop. No plot description or exact premiere date is available in the reviewed text.
Based on Catulle Mendès’s dramatic tale set in Renaissance Italy.
Rodrigue is engaged to Chimène, but a quarrel between their fathers leaves Don Diègue too old to fight. He orders his son to avenge the insult. Rodrigue reluctantly kills Don Gomez, who dies in Chimène’s arms naming his killer. At court, Chimène demands justice while Don Diègue pleads for his son’s life. Rodrigue offers himself to Chimène, who cannot kill or forgive him. His father urges him to live and fight the Moors, and Rodrigue agrees, hoping to die in battle.