Act III. Same as Act I. The wives are adorning themselves with the help of Ariane. She urges them to make the best use of their gifts. Blue-Beard is approaching. The people are lying in wait for him. The wives watch his capture. Bound and wounded, he is brought in. But to the astonishment of all Ariane bandages his wounds and the others help her. Then she cuts the cords and frees him, but herself departs, although Blue-Beard pleads with her to remain. But when she in turn implores the five wives to go with her, they decline, and she leaves them in the castle.
The allegory in this tale is that five out of six women prefer captivity (with a man) to freedom without him. The opera has not been popular in this country.
MONNA VANNA
Henry Février's "Monna Vanna" was first sung in New York in 1914 by Mary Garden and Lucien Muratore. The opera is based upon Maeterlinck's play in which Monna Vanna to save the starving Pisans goes to Prinzivalle's tent clad only in a cloak and her long hair. The commander of the besieging army does not profit by the bargain, but treats her with the utmost respect while he discourses eloquently of his youthful love. The music is as commonplace as that of this composer's other opera, "Gismonda."
GISMONDA
Opera in four acts by Henri Février with a libretto based on Sardou's famous play had its first performance in America in Chicago, January 14, 1919, with Miss Mary Garden, Charles Fontaine, Gustave Huberdeau, Marcel Journet, and other members of the Chicago Opera Company in the leading rôles. The opera was given on the opening night of the same organization's season in New York, January 27, 1919, at the Lexington Theatre with the same cast.
The story follows that of the play. Gismonda, Duchess of Athens, promises to wed the man who succeeds in rescuing her little son from a tiger's pit, into which he has been pushed by a conspirator who wishes to help Zaccaria Franco to seize the Duchy. Almério, a young falconer, kills the beast and saves the child. But the proud though grateful Duchess will not consider a peasant for her husband.
If Almério will renounce his claim Gismonda promises to spend a night at his hut. When she discovers that Zaccaria has followed her she slays him. Almério takes the guilt for the murder upon himself but Gismonda makes public confession of her visit to his hut, hands over the wicked Grégoras, who had attempted to murder her little son, to justice, and proclaims the falconer her lord and husband.
MAROUF, THE COBBLER OF CAIRO
"Marouf" was sung for the first time in America at the Metropolitan Opera House, December 19, 1917, with Frances Alda, Kathleen Howard, Léon Rothier, Andrés de Segurola, Thomas Chalmers, and Giuseppe de Luca as the Cobbler, in the cast. Pierre Monteux conducted.