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The actress Adriana Lecouvreur loves Maurizio, Count of Saxony, who is also pursued by the Princess de Bouillon. The Princess becomes Adriana’s rival and sends her poisoned violets. Adriana kisses the flowers and dies in Maurizio’s arms.
A tragic play portraying the life of the eighteenth-century French actress Adrienne Lecouvreur and the mystery surrounding her death.
The ballet opens with Bertram, Robert le Diable's father, entering the ruined cloister of Sainte-Rosalie. He summons the ghosts of nuns who have violated their vows. They rise from their graves. He orders them to seduce his son Robert into accepting a deadly talisman. The Abbess Helena orders the ghosts to waltz. In spite of their sacred vows, the nuns waltz. The dead nuns give themselves over to unholy thrills. Robert enters. The nuns hide, but return to prevent his escape. Robert stands terrified before a saint's tomb. The Abbess lures him towards the talisman in the saint's hand. Robert seizes it. The nuns continue their dance, fluttering like white moths. Their graves open and they sink into the earth. Stone slabs slide into place, covering the dead. A choir of demons is heard.
When the Great Mogul appoints his dog Barkouf governor of Lahore, Maïma, Barkouf’s former mistress, becomes his translator. She turns his barks into decrees granting the people’s requests and thwarting the corrupt vizier Bababeck. Barkouf dies in battle, and Saëb succeeds him as governor.
After a disastrous campaign in Morocco, Dom Sébastien returns to Portugal disguised, while his uncle Antonio seizes the throne. Sébastien and Zayda are arrested, and Antonio forces Sébastien to sign away Portugal’s independence in exchange for Zayda’s freedom. They attempt to escape with the poet Camoëns, but the lovers fall to their deaths and the Spanish fleet appears.
During the Silesian war, King Frederick escapes Hungarian soldiers with help from Conrad, who is in love with Vielka. They disguise Conrad as the king so Frederick can flee. Later, Frederick’s appearance prevents loyal soldiers from lynching Saldorf, and Vielka and Conrad are rewarded with permission to marry.
Russian Lieutenant Wladimir once disguised himself as a woman named Fatinitza, and General Kantschukoff fell in love with that identity. When the disguise is revived during a soldiers’ play, Wladimir and Lydia are captured by a Turkish governor; his wives help them escape. The General promises Lydia to another man, but a mistaken report that Fatinitza has been found and a forged story about her death lead him to give Lydia to Wladimir.
In Napoleonic Rome, Fiorella’s affections are divided between Rodolphe, a French officer and spy, and his friend Albert. Fiorella secretly helps Rodolphe evade the authorities, and the two friends shelter in a monastery during a storm, where Rodolphe vows not to marry her. Fiorella arrives in disguise and reunites with him; the police mistakenly arrest Albert, and papers that could convict Rodolphe are burned. Rodolphe and Fiorella are united, while Albert is consoled by Fiorella’s maid Zerbine.
At an inn near Terracina, Zerline loves the soldier Lorenzo, while her father favors a wealthy suitor. The bandit Fra Diavolo disguises himself as a marquis and steals from English travelers, but a scheme involving his accomplices exposes him, allowing Zerline to marry Lorenzo.
On pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the Queen of Spain and her husband stop at the cottage of miller Ginès, who is about to marry Giralda. Giralda loves a knight, Don Manoël, who bribes Ginès to take his place at the altar, then flees when the royal couple arrives because he is in hiding for a political crime. Confused events leave Giralda believing she has married Ginès and an older lord, Don Japhet. Manoël returns, the Queen pardons him, and he becomes Giralda’s husband.
Ginevra is promised to the Duke of Ferrara, but a poisoned veil leaves her in a deathlike trance and she is buried. She awakens in the Medici vault, finds shelter with sculptor Guido, and is reunited with her father, who agrees to their marriage.
A five-act historical opera about the assassination of Gustav III, King of Sweden. The source gives no fuller account of its plot.
Venetian admiral Lorédan lives with guilt over having cheated the senator Donato at dice, causing the senator’s death. His slave Haydée loves him and agrees to marry Malipieri when he threatens to reveal Lorédan’s secret, but a messenger reveals that Andrea, who has captured a Turkish ship, is Donato’s son and has killed Malipieri in a duel. Lorédan and Andrea reconcile; Lorédan marries Haydée, Andrea marries Rafaela, and Lorédan becomes Doge of Venice.
Set in Valencia in the early 17th century during Philip III’s expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain.
Nina and Teodoro love each other, but Nina is promised to Ernesto. Sigismondo and Camilla plot to frighten Ernesto away; he learns of their scheme and turns it against them. He finally agrees to Nina and Teodoro’s marriage, and Sigismondo renounces jealousy.
Returning from abroad, Philip Graham tells the barrister Sir George Carlyon that he is engaged to Rose Dalrymple. Sir George reveals that Rose is his niece and questions Philip about an earlier attachment to a married woman, exposing obligations that could threaten the new engagement.
Three-act French opéra comique by Daniel Auber.
Grand opera adaptation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke.
In Constance in 1414, Jewish goldsmith Eléazar has raised Rachel as his daughter. She falls in love with Prince Léopold, who is secretly a Christian and already married to Princess Eudoxie. When Eléazar and Rachel discover Léopold’s identity, they are arrested alongside him. At first Cardinal Brogni offers to spare them if they convert, but Eléazar refuses. He reveals that Rachel is not his biological daughter and that Brogni’s infant daughter survived the fire that destroyed his home years earlier. Eléazar can save Rachel by disclosing that she is Christian, but she refuses to convert. At the gallows, Eléazar tells Brogni that Rachel is his daughter and points to the boiling cauldron where she is to die. Eléazar and Rachel are executed.
In La Tarentule, Luigi suffers a bite from a venomous tarantula, and his only hope for a cure lies with Dr. Omeopatica, who demands Luigi's lover, Lauretta, in exchange for the remedy. To save Luigi, Lauretta reluctantly agrees, but she secretly devises a plan to outwit the doctor. As her plot unfolds, the lovers successfully reunite, and Dr. Omeopatica, thwarted, is ultimately sent back to his wife.
A three-act opéra comique by Daniel Auber and Eugène Scribe. The entry does not describe its plot.
Guido’s cat Minette is transformed into a woman by the conjurer Dig-Dig, who claims she contains a beautiful young woman’s soul. Minette behaves like a cat and repeatedly threatens to leave; Dig-Dig and Marianne eventually reveal that Minette is Guido’s cousin and Dig-Dig is his uncle’s intendant, prompting Guido to reconsider marriage.
Lieutenant Alexis Zouboff once escaped a Russian general’s advances by disguising himself as Prascovia. When he revives the disguise during an amateur play, he is captured with Olga by a Circassian sultan, but the sultan’s other wives help them escape. Back in Moscow, Alexis wins Olga’s hand, while their friend Lanskoi invents letters that convince Orsakoff that Prascovia has died for love of him.
In Scotland, Anna disguises herself as the White Lady to protect the Avenel estate from steward Gaveston. She guides the English officer Georges Brown to buy the estate at auction and later discovers he is the missing Julien Avenel. With the Avenel treasure revealed, Julien and Anna are reunited.
Fernand leaves a monastery to seek the woman he loves, Léonor, without knowing she is the mistress of Alphonse, King of Castile. After Fernand distinguishes himself in battle, the king agrees to his request to marry Léonor. She tries to tell Fernand about her past, but her messenger is arrested, and Fernand learns the truth only after the wedding. He breaks his sword and leaves her to return to religious life. The king’s wife dies, and Léonor arrives at the monastery exhausted. Fernand finally accepts her, but she collapses and dies in his arms.
The Marquise separates Hortense and Arthur, who love one another, and arranges Hortense’s marriage to Vernillac. Her poisoning scheme kills Vernillac, and she later poisons her accomplice Galifard. Before the Marquise can permanently separate the lovers, Galifard exposes her crimes and she is taken to trial.
Fenella, a mute woman seduced by Alfonso, reveals his betrayal to his bride Elvire and her brother Masaniello. Masaniello leads a Neapolitan uprising against Spanish rule, but refuses to kill Alfonso and protects him and Elvire. Poisoned by the rebels, Masaniello dies fighting as Vesuvius erupts; Fenella leaps to her death, and the nobles regain control of Naples.
Agnès and Rodolphe love one another despite the feud between their families. They plan to elope with Agnès disguised as the ghost of a murdered nun. Rodolphe mistakenly marries the actual ghost, who later reveals that she can be released only when her murderer is killed. At a wedding feast, she identifies Rodolphe’s father Ludorf as her killer. When Moldaw’s retainers plan to abduct Rodolphe, Ludorf impersonates his son and is murdered in his place. The nun accepts his sacrifice and ascends to heaven.
Singer Carlo Broschi protects his sister Casilda from the Spanish court and helps her lover Raphael by pretending to be the Devil and sharing his winnings. When the king orders Raphael’s death and the deception is exposed, Carlo secures their happiness by revealing the truth.
A three-act opéra comique by Daniel Auber with a libretto by Eugène Scribe.
Amina is engaged to Elvino in a Swiss village. Count Rodolfo, the long-lost son of the former lord, returns and recognizes the area. That night, Amina sleepwalks into his room; Rodolfo leaves without disturbing her, but villagers find her there and Elvino rejects her as unfaithful. Elvino plans to marry Lisa instead. Rodolfo explains that Amina is a sleepwalker, but Elvino demands proof. As Amina crosses a mill bridge in her sleep, she relives her grief at his rejection and safely reaches the other side. Elvino restores her ring, she wakes, and they reconcile.
An Italian-language opera adapting Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with roles including Prospero, Miranda, Ariel and Caliban. The entry does not summarize the plot.
A French grand opera by Fromental Halévy, with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, loosely based on Eugène Sue’s novel. The opera begins in Amsterdam in 1190 and makes the Wandering Jew, Ahasuerus, a leading character; no plot synopsis is supplied.
Daniel believes Bettly has accepted his love, but she reveals that friends forged her letter and rejects marriage. When her brother Max returns with soldiers, he conceals his identity and frightens Bettly into thinking she is at their mercy. Daniel offers himself to enlist in her defense; impressed by his courage, Bettly signs a marriage contract, and Max secretly signs too, ensuring their union.
Péki loves the poor farmhand Yan-Ko, who vanished into the sky on a bronze horse, and resists an arranged marriage to the polygamous mandarin Tsing-Sing. Yan-Ko returns but is later turned to stone along with Tsing-Sing and Prince Yang. Péki rides the horse to Princess Stella’s palace on Venus and obtains a magic bracelet that frees Yan-Ko and Yang, securing her marriage to Yan-Ko.
Count Ory disguises himself as a hermit to pursue Countess Adèle, while her page Isolier unwittingly reveals his own plan to win her. Ory later returns disguised as a nun with his men; when the crusaders return, Isolier helps expose the imposture and the men escape.
Novice nun Angèle slips out of her convent in a black mask to attend a royal birthday ball, where she meets Horace, who has loved her since their encounter a year earlier. After missing the convent’s curfew, she hides in Count Juliano’s house, where Horace recognizes her but keeps her identity secret. She returns to the convent and is freed from her vows by the Queen, allowing her to marry Horace; her rival Ursule becomes abbess.
In Spanish-ruled Flanders, the Duke of Alba discovers that the rebel leader Marcello is his long-lost son and arrests him. Marcello accepts his father to save Amelia and their fellow rebels, but Amelia remains determined to kill the Duke. At Antwerp, Marcello shields Alba from Amelia’s attack and is killed by her.
Grand opera set in the Harz Mountains and based on a German ballad.
In fifteenth-century Burgundy, Alice loves a stranger who saved her from drowning, while her guardian has arranged her marriage to Bertrand. The stranger is actually exiled Count Albéric, whose wolf-haunted village fears a werewolf. Alice rejects him when she believes he is the beast, but later declares her love even if he is; the count’s identity is revealed, and Alice and Albéric, and Bertrand and Catherine, become engaged.
At mason Roger’s wedding to Henriette, officer Léon de Mérinville explains he is going to rescue Irma, a young Greek held by Turks. Cloaked figures abduct Roger and his friend Baptiste, a locksmith. At the château, Léon and Irma are captured; Roger and Baptiste are forced to build a prison for Léon. The repentant Turk Rica tries to help the prisoners escape, but Baptiste’s cowardice leads to their recapture, and Roger and Baptiste are made to wall the three up alive. Blindfolded and returned home, the craftsmen are exposed by Henriette’s discovery that they had entered the Turkish ambassador’s château. Roger and Baptiste rush back, find the Turks gone and free the prisoners.
Bored Lord Evendale considers suicide, but his doctor persuades him to take a year away. In England, Evendale disguises himself while working for Dora’s uncle and falls in love with her; he is free to marry Dora when it emerges that Lady Evendale had previously married the doctor.
A French two-act opéra comique set in the Basque country. Its plot is not described in the entry.
The opera is based on an episode in M. Morton's Le Comte de Villamayor. The identified roles include Gasparillo, Teresita, Helena, Christina, Don Raphael, Don Ramiro, and the corregidor.
Jean de Leyde, a Dutch innkeeper, is drawn into an Anabaptist uprising after Count Oberthal abducts his fiancée Berthe and threatens his mother Fidès. The movement’s leaders proclaim Jean a prophet and king in Münster, where he takes power and later confronts Fidès. He repents and reunites with Berthe and his mother, but when imperial forces and the Anabaptists turn against him, Berthe dies and Jean destroys the palace, killing those inside.
In late 18th-century London, Sir James Turner discovers that gold has been disappearing from his home. Like the money-lender in Balzac's source story, Turner is found to have taken his own property while sleepwalking. Unlike the source character, he survives the discovery.
During the French Wars of Religion, Catholic noble Valentine and Huguenot Raoul fall in love, but Raoul mistakenly believes she is Count de Nevers’s mistress and rejects her. The Queen attempts to arrange their marriage to reconcile Catholics and Protestants. Valentine marries Nevers, while conflict intensifies between the religious factions. She warns Raoul of a plot against him, and he realizes her love. On the night of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Nevers is killed defending Protestants. Valentine joins Raoul and his servant Marcel in refusing to renounce their faith. They are killed by Catholic soldiers, and Saint-Bris realizes too late that he has murdered his daughter.
Portuguese princess Catarina becomes involved with bandits after she is forced to sell the crown diamonds. A more detailed plot is not provided.
In Roman-ruled Armenia, Polyeucte secretly converts to Christianity while his wife Pauline still mourns Sévère, the Roman officer she once loved and believed dead. Pauline discovers Christians worshipping in the catacombs and begs Polyeucte to renounce his faith. Sévère returns alive and learns that Pauline is married. After Polyeucte is arrested for his faith, he publicly destroys pagan relics. Pauline pleads with her father Félix and Sévère to save him, but Polyeucte refuses to recant. A vision leads Pauline to convert. At the amphitheatre, she joins her husband and the other Christians as they await execution.
In 1282 Palermo, Sicilian patriot Procida returns from exile and plans an uprising against French rule. Hélène, whose brother was executed by the French, joins him and Henri in plotting resistance. Henri learns that Montfort, the French governor, is his father; at a ball he saves Montfort from assassination, angering the Sicilians. Montfort pardons the rebels and consents to Henri and Hélène’s marriage. Procida intends to use the wedding as the signal for a massacre, and when the bells ring, the Sicilians attack the French.
In Lisbon, Vasco da Gama seeks support for an expedition and is imprisoned. Sélika, queen of a newly encountered land, saves him, but Vasco later joins Don Pédro’s voyage. Nélusko steers the ship into a storm and leads an attack on the Europeans, sparing Vasco. Sélika saves Vasco from execution and calls him her husband, but when he hears Inès’s voice, Sélika releases the lovers to return to Europe and takes her own life beneath a poisonous tree; Nélusko follows her.
During a storm, Alberto and Don Parmenione take shelter at an inn. Alberto is travelling to meet his betrothed, while Parmenione is searching for a friend’s missing sister. After the storm, they accidentally exchange luggage. Finding a portrait among Alberto’s papers, Parmenione decides to pose as Alberto and claim the bride. At Don Eusebio’s house, Berenice also disguises herself as a maid so she can judge her intended husband, while her friend Ernestina pretends to be Berenice. Parmenione courts Ernestina, and the real Alberto falls for Berenice. When both men claim to be Alberto, Berenice’s questioning exposes Parmenione’s deception. Berenice marries Alberto, and Parmenione marries Ernestina, who proves to be the friend’s sister he had sought.
Peter the Great, disguised as a carpenter, falls in love with Catherine, who disguises herself as her brother to take his place among drafted recruits. In a military camp, Peter mistakes her disguise for a man and orders her shot; when he realizes his error, she escapes and exposes a plot against the Tsar. Later, Peter restores Catherine’s sanity with her favorite tune and marries her.
Auber’s opera reworks Prévost’s story of Manon Lescaut, Des Grieux, and Manon’s wealthy suitors. The adaptation introduces the Marquis d’Hérigny as a figure representing several suitors from the novel and changes Lescaut from her brother to her cousin. Manon dies near the end of the opera.
A three-act French opéra comique by Xavier Boisselot with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Gustave Vaëz.
In a Basque village, innkeeper Manuelita waits for her fiancé Pépito, away in military service. Her childhood friend Miguel returns and falls for her. He tries to court her, but she rejects him out of loyalty to Pépito. Impressed by her virtue, Miguel decides to enlist so Pépito can return. Vertigo then delivers a letter revealing that Pépito has married his canteen keeper. Manuelita accepts Miguel, and Vertigo agrees to play his serpent at their wedding.
Robert seeks the hand of Princess Isabelle while his mysterious companion Bertram leads him into ruin. Bertram is revealed as Robert’s father and a servant of hell. Robert uses a magic branch to disrupt Isabelle’s arranged marriage, but breaks its spell; after Alice brings his mother’s warning, Robert rejects Bertram’s oath, Bertram is taken to hell, and Robert reunites with Isabelle.
At Queen Anne’s court, peace-seeking Bolingbroke and the Duchess of Marlborough maneuver over the War of the Spanish Succession, while both the queen and duchess are drawn to officer Masham, who loves Abigail. A glass of water becomes a signal in the competing schemes around the queen and the court.
Brama, a god in mortal form, frees an innocent man and becomes a fugitive in Cashmere, where he meets Zelica. She rejects the Grand Vizier and repeatedly shows her affection for Brama, who tests her loyalty by appearing interested in other bayadères. When Zelica faces execution, Brama reveals his divine identity and carries her to the heavens.
The actress Adriana Lecouvreur loves Maurizio, Count of Saxony, who is also pursued by the Princess de Bouillon. The Princess becomes Adriana’s rival and sends her poisoned violets. Adriana kisses the flowers and dies in Maurizio’s arms.
A tragic play portraying the life of the eighteenth-century French actress Adrienne Lecouvreur and the mystery surrounding her death.
The ballet opens with Bertram, Robert le Diable's father, entering the ruined cloister of Sainte-Rosalie. He summons the ghosts of nuns who have violated their vows. They rise from their graves. He orders them to seduce his son Robert into accepting a deadly talisman. The Abbess Helena orders the ghosts to waltz. In spite of their sacred vows, the nuns waltz. The dead nuns give themselves over to unholy thrills. Robert enters. The nuns hide, but return to prevent his escape. Robert stands terrified before a saint's tomb. The Abbess lures him towards the talisman in the saint's hand. Robert seizes it. The nuns continue their dance, fluttering like white moths. Their graves open and they sink into the earth. Stone slabs slide into place, covering the dead. A choir of demons is heard.
When the Great Mogul appoints his dog Barkouf governor of Lahore, Maïma, Barkouf’s former mistress, becomes his translator. She turns his barks into decrees granting the people’s requests and thwarting the corrupt vizier Bababeck. Barkouf dies in battle, and Saëb succeeds him as governor.
After a disastrous campaign in Morocco, Dom Sébastien returns to Portugal disguised, while his uncle Antonio seizes the throne. Sébastien and Zayda are arrested, and Antonio forces Sébastien to sign away Portugal’s independence in exchange for Zayda’s freedom. They attempt to escape with the poet Camoëns, but the lovers fall to their deaths and the Spanish fleet appears.
During the Silesian war, King Frederick escapes Hungarian soldiers with help from Conrad, who is in love with Vielka. They disguise Conrad as the king so Frederick can flee. Later, Frederick’s appearance prevents loyal soldiers from lynching Saldorf, and Vielka and Conrad are rewarded with permission to marry.
Russian Lieutenant Wladimir once disguised himself as a woman named Fatinitza, and General Kantschukoff fell in love with that identity. When the disguise is revived during a soldiers’ play, Wladimir and Lydia are captured by a Turkish governor; his wives help them escape. The General promises Lydia to another man, but a mistaken report that Fatinitza has been found and a forged story about her death lead him to give Lydia to Wladimir.
In Napoleonic Rome, Fiorella’s affections are divided between Rodolphe, a French officer and spy, and his friend Albert. Fiorella secretly helps Rodolphe evade the authorities, and the two friends shelter in a monastery during a storm, where Rodolphe vows not to marry her. Fiorella arrives in disguise and reunites with him; the police mistakenly arrest Albert, and papers that could convict Rodolphe are burned. Rodolphe and Fiorella are united, while Albert is consoled by Fiorella’s maid Zerbine.
At an inn near Terracina, Zerline loves the soldier Lorenzo, while her father favors a wealthy suitor. The bandit Fra Diavolo disguises himself as a marquis and steals from English travelers, but a scheme involving his accomplices exposes him, allowing Zerline to marry Lorenzo.
On pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the Queen of Spain and her husband stop at the cottage of miller Ginès, who is about to marry Giralda. Giralda loves a knight, Don Manoël, who bribes Ginès to take his place at the altar, then flees when the royal couple arrives because he is in hiding for a political crime. Confused events leave Giralda believing she has married Ginès and an older lord, Don Japhet. Manoël returns, the Queen pardons him, and he becomes Giralda’s husband.
Ginevra is promised to the Duke of Ferrara, but a poisoned veil leaves her in a deathlike trance and she is buried. She awakens in the Medici vault, finds shelter with sculptor Guido, and is reunited with her father, who agrees to their marriage.
A five-act historical opera about the assassination of Gustav III, King of Sweden. The source gives no fuller account of its plot.
Venetian admiral Lorédan lives with guilt over having cheated the senator Donato at dice, causing the senator’s death. His slave Haydée loves him and agrees to marry Malipieri when he threatens to reveal Lorédan’s secret, but a messenger reveals that Andrea, who has captured a Turkish ship, is Donato’s son and has killed Malipieri in a duel. Lorédan and Andrea reconcile; Lorédan marries Haydée, Andrea marries Rafaela, and Lorédan becomes Doge of Venice.
Set in Valencia in the early 17th century during Philip III’s expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain.
Nina and Teodoro love each other, but Nina is promised to Ernesto. Sigismondo and Camilla plot to frighten Ernesto away; he learns of their scheme and turns it against them. He finally agrees to Nina and Teodoro’s marriage, and Sigismondo renounces jealousy.
Returning from abroad, Philip Graham tells the barrister Sir George Carlyon that he is engaged to Rose Dalrymple. Sir George reveals that Rose is his niece and questions Philip about an earlier attachment to a married woman, exposing obligations that could threaten the new engagement.
Three-act French opéra comique by Daniel Auber.
Grand opera adaptation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke.
In Constance in 1414, Jewish goldsmith Eléazar has raised Rachel as his daughter. She falls in love with Prince Léopold, who is secretly a Christian and already married to Princess Eudoxie. When Eléazar and Rachel discover Léopold’s identity, they are arrested alongside him. At first Cardinal Brogni offers to spare them if they convert, but Eléazar refuses. He reveals that Rachel is not his biological daughter and that Brogni’s infant daughter survived the fire that destroyed his home years earlier. Eléazar can save Rachel by disclosing that she is Christian, but she refuses to convert. At the gallows, Eléazar tells Brogni that Rachel is his daughter and points to the boiling cauldron where she is to die. Eléazar and Rachel are executed.
In La Tarentule, Luigi suffers a bite from a venomous tarantula, and his only hope for a cure lies with Dr. Omeopatica, who demands Luigi's lover, Lauretta, in exchange for the remedy. To save Luigi, Lauretta reluctantly agrees, but she secretly devises a plan to outwit the doctor. As her plot unfolds, the lovers successfully reunite, and Dr. Omeopatica, thwarted, is ultimately sent back to his wife.
A three-act opéra comique by Daniel Auber and Eugène Scribe. The entry does not describe its plot.
Guido’s cat Minette is transformed into a woman by the conjurer Dig-Dig, who claims she contains a beautiful young woman’s soul. Minette behaves like a cat and repeatedly threatens to leave; Dig-Dig and Marianne eventually reveal that Minette is Guido’s cousin and Dig-Dig is his uncle’s intendant, prompting Guido to reconsider marriage.
Lieutenant Alexis Zouboff once escaped a Russian general’s advances by disguising himself as Prascovia. When he revives the disguise during an amateur play, he is captured with Olga by a Circassian sultan, but the sultan’s other wives help them escape. Back in Moscow, Alexis wins Olga’s hand, while their friend Lanskoi invents letters that convince Orsakoff that Prascovia has died for love of him.
In Scotland, Anna disguises herself as the White Lady to protect the Avenel estate from steward Gaveston. She guides the English officer Georges Brown to buy the estate at auction and later discovers he is the missing Julien Avenel. With the Avenel treasure revealed, Julien and Anna are reunited.
Fernand leaves a monastery to seek the woman he loves, Léonor, without knowing she is the mistress of Alphonse, King of Castile. After Fernand distinguishes himself in battle, the king agrees to his request to marry Léonor. She tries to tell Fernand about her past, but her messenger is arrested, and Fernand learns the truth only after the wedding. He breaks his sword and leaves her to return to religious life. The king’s wife dies, and Léonor arrives at the monastery exhausted. Fernand finally accepts her, but she collapses and dies in his arms.
The Marquise separates Hortense and Arthur, who love one another, and arranges Hortense’s marriage to Vernillac. Her poisoning scheme kills Vernillac, and she later poisons her accomplice Galifard. Before the Marquise can permanently separate the lovers, Galifard exposes her crimes and she is taken to trial.
Fenella, a mute woman seduced by Alfonso, reveals his betrayal to his bride Elvire and her brother Masaniello. Masaniello leads a Neapolitan uprising against Spanish rule, but refuses to kill Alfonso and protects him and Elvire. Poisoned by the rebels, Masaniello dies fighting as Vesuvius erupts; Fenella leaps to her death, and the nobles regain control of Naples.
Agnès and Rodolphe love one another despite the feud between their families. They plan to elope with Agnès disguised as the ghost of a murdered nun. Rodolphe mistakenly marries the actual ghost, who later reveals that she can be released only when her murderer is killed. At a wedding feast, she identifies Rodolphe’s father Ludorf as her killer. When Moldaw’s retainers plan to abduct Rodolphe, Ludorf impersonates his son and is murdered in his place. The nun accepts his sacrifice and ascends to heaven.
Singer Carlo Broschi protects his sister Casilda from the Spanish court and helps her lover Raphael by pretending to be the Devil and sharing his winnings. When the king orders Raphael’s death and the deception is exposed, Carlo secures their happiness by revealing the truth.
A three-act opéra comique by Daniel Auber with a libretto by Eugène Scribe.
Amina is engaged to Elvino in a Swiss village. Count Rodolfo, the long-lost son of the former lord, returns and recognizes the area. That night, Amina sleepwalks into his room; Rodolfo leaves without disturbing her, but villagers find her there and Elvino rejects her as unfaithful. Elvino plans to marry Lisa instead. Rodolfo explains that Amina is a sleepwalker, but Elvino demands proof. As Amina crosses a mill bridge in her sleep, she relives her grief at his rejection and safely reaches the other side. Elvino restores her ring, she wakes, and they reconcile.
An Italian-language opera adapting Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with roles including Prospero, Miranda, Ariel and Caliban. The entry does not summarize the plot.
A French grand opera by Fromental Halévy, with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, loosely based on Eugène Sue’s novel. The opera begins in Amsterdam in 1190 and makes the Wandering Jew, Ahasuerus, a leading character; no plot synopsis is supplied.
Daniel believes Bettly has accepted his love, but she reveals that friends forged her letter and rejects marriage. When her brother Max returns with soldiers, he conceals his identity and frightens Bettly into thinking she is at their mercy. Daniel offers himself to enlist in her defense; impressed by his courage, Bettly signs a marriage contract, and Max secretly signs too, ensuring their union.
Péki loves the poor farmhand Yan-Ko, who vanished into the sky on a bronze horse, and resists an arranged marriage to the polygamous mandarin Tsing-Sing. Yan-Ko returns but is later turned to stone along with Tsing-Sing and Prince Yang. Péki rides the horse to Princess Stella’s palace on Venus and obtains a magic bracelet that frees Yan-Ko and Yang, securing her marriage to Yan-Ko.
Count Ory disguises himself as a hermit to pursue Countess Adèle, while her page Isolier unwittingly reveals his own plan to win her. Ory later returns disguised as a nun with his men; when the crusaders return, Isolier helps expose the imposture and the men escape.
Novice nun Angèle slips out of her convent in a black mask to attend a royal birthday ball, where she meets Horace, who has loved her since their encounter a year earlier. After missing the convent’s curfew, she hides in Count Juliano’s house, where Horace recognizes her but keeps her identity secret. She returns to the convent and is freed from her vows by the Queen, allowing her to marry Horace; her rival Ursule becomes abbess.
In Spanish-ruled Flanders, the Duke of Alba discovers that the rebel leader Marcello is his long-lost son and arrests him. Marcello accepts his father to save Amelia and their fellow rebels, but Amelia remains determined to kill the Duke. At Antwerp, Marcello shields Alba from Amelia’s attack and is killed by her.
Grand opera set in the Harz Mountains and based on a German ballad.
In fifteenth-century Burgundy, Alice loves a stranger who saved her from drowning, while her guardian has arranged her marriage to Bertrand. The stranger is actually exiled Count Albéric, whose wolf-haunted village fears a werewolf. Alice rejects him when she believes he is the beast, but later declares her love even if he is; the count’s identity is revealed, and Alice and Albéric, and Bertrand and Catherine, become engaged.
At mason Roger’s wedding to Henriette, officer Léon de Mérinville explains he is going to rescue Irma, a young Greek held by Turks. Cloaked figures abduct Roger and his friend Baptiste, a locksmith. At the château, Léon and Irma are captured; Roger and Baptiste are forced to build a prison for Léon. The repentant Turk Rica tries to help the prisoners escape, but Baptiste’s cowardice leads to their recapture, and Roger and Baptiste are made to wall the three up alive. Blindfolded and returned home, the craftsmen are exposed by Henriette’s discovery that they had entered the Turkish ambassador’s château. Roger and Baptiste rush back, find the Turks gone and free the prisoners.
Bored Lord Evendale considers suicide, but his doctor persuades him to take a year away. In England, Evendale disguises himself while working for Dora’s uncle and falls in love with her; he is free to marry Dora when it emerges that Lady Evendale had previously married the doctor.
A French two-act opéra comique set in the Basque country. Its plot is not described in the entry.
The opera is based on an episode in M. Morton's Le Comte de Villamayor. The identified roles include Gasparillo, Teresita, Helena, Christina, Don Raphael, Don Ramiro, and the corregidor.
Jean de Leyde, a Dutch innkeeper, is drawn into an Anabaptist uprising after Count Oberthal abducts his fiancée Berthe and threatens his mother Fidès. The movement’s leaders proclaim Jean a prophet and king in Münster, where he takes power and later confronts Fidès. He repents and reunites with Berthe and his mother, but when imperial forces and the Anabaptists turn against him, Berthe dies and Jean destroys the palace, killing those inside.
In late 18th-century London, Sir James Turner discovers that gold has been disappearing from his home. Like the money-lender in Balzac's source story, Turner is found to have taken his own property while sleepwalking. Unlike the source character, he survives the discovery.
During the French Wars of Religion, Catholic noble Valentine and Huguenot Raoul fall in love, but Raoul mistakenly believes she is Count de Nevers’s mistress and rejects her. The Queen attempts to arrange their marriage to reconcile Catholics and Protestants. Valentine marries Nevers, while conflict intensifies between the religious factions. She warns Raoul of a plot against him, and he realizes her love. On the night of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Nevers is killed defending Protestants. Valentine joins Raoul and his servant Marcel in refusing to renounce their faith. They are killed by Catholic soldiers, and Saint-Bris realizes too late that he has murdered his daughter.
Portuguese princess Catarina becomes involved with bandits after she is forced to sell the crown diamonds. A more detailed plot is not provided.
In Roman-ruled Armenia, Polyeucte secretly converts to Christianity while his wife Pauline still mourns Sévère, the Roman officer she once loved and believed dead. Pauline discovers Christians worshipping in the catacombs and begs Polyeucte to renounce his faith. Sévère returns alive and learns that Pauline is married. After Polyeucte is arrested for his faith, he publicly destroys pagan relics. Pauline pleads with her father Félix and Sévère to save him, but Polyeucte refuses to recant. A vision leads Pauline to convert. At the amphitheatre, she joins her husband and the other Christians as they await execution.
In 1282 Palermo, Sicilian patriot Procida returns from exile and plans an uprising against French rule. Hélène, whose brother was executed by the French, joins him and Henri in plotting resistance. Henri learns that Montfort, the French governor, is his father; at a ball he saves Montfort from assassination, angering the Sicilians. Montfort pardons the rebels and consents to Henri and Hélène’s marriage. Procida intends to use the wedding as the signal for a massacre, and when the bells ring, the Sicilians attack the French.
In Lisbon, Vasco da Gama seeks support for an expedition and is imprisoned. Sélika, queen of a newly encountered land, saves him, but Vasco later joins Don Pédro’s voyage. Nélusko steers the ship into a storm and leads an attack on the Europeans, sparing Vasco. Sélika saves Vasco from execution and calls him her husband, but when he hears Inès’s voice, Sélika releases the lovers to return to Europe and takes her own life beneath a poisonous tree; Nélusko follows her.
During a storm, Alberto and Don Parmenione take shelter at an inn. Alberto is travelling to meet his betrothed, while Parmenione is searching for a friend’s missing sister. After the storm, they accidentally exchange luggage. Finding a portrait among Alberto’s papers, Parmenione decides to pose as Alberto and claim the bride. At Don Eusebio’s house, Berenice also disguises herself as a maid so she can judge her intended husband, while her friend Ernestina pretends to be Berenice. Parmenione courts Ernestina, and the real Alberto falls for Berenice. When both men claim to be Alberto, Berenice’s questioning exposes Parmenione’s deception. Berenice marries Alberto, and Parmenione marries Ernestina, who proves to be the friend’s sister he had sought.
Peter the Great, disguised as a carpenter, falls in love with Catherine, who disguises herself as her brother to take his place among drafted recruits. In a military camp, Peter mistakes her disguise for a man and orders her shot; when he realizes his error, she escapes and exposes a plot against the Tsar. Later, Peter restores Catherine’s sanity with her favorite tune and marries her.
Auber’s opera reworks Prévost’s story of Manon Lescaut, Des Grieux, and Manon’s wealthy suitors. The adaptation introduces the Marquis d’Hérigny as a figure representing several suitors from the novel and changes Lescaut from her brother to her cousin. Manon dies near the end of the opera.
A three-act French opéra comique by Xavier Boisselot with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Gustave Vaëz.
In a Basque village, innkeeper Manuelita waits for her fiancé Pépito, away in military service. Her childhood friend Miguel returns and falls for her. He tries to court her, but she rejects him out of loyalty to Pépito. Impressed by her virtue, Miguel decides to enlist so Pépito can return. Vertigo then delivers a letter revealing that Pépito has married his canteen keeper. Manuelita accepts Miguel, and Vertigo agrees to play his serpent at their wedding.
Robert seeks the hand of Princess Isabelle while his mysterious companion Bertram leads him into ruin. Bertram is revealed as Robert’s father and a servant of hell. Robert uses a magic branch to disrupt Isabelle’s arranged marriage, but breaks its spell; after Alice brings his mother’s warning, Robert rejects Bertram’s oath, Bertram is taken to hell, and Robert reunites with Isabelle.
At Queen Anne’s court, peace-seeking Bolingbroke and the Duchess of Marlborough maneuver over the War of the Spanish Succession, while both the queen and duchess are drawn to officer Masham, who loves Abigail. A glass of water becomes a signal in the competing schemes around the queen and the court.
Brama, a god in mortal form, frees an innocent man and becomes a fugitive in Cashmere, where he meets Zelica. She rejects the Grand Vizier and repeatedly shows her affection for Brama, who tests her loyalty by appearing interested in other bayadères. When Zelica faces execution, Brama reveals his divine identity and carries her to the heavens.