Third act. Kouma’s house. Evening. The Governor tells Kouma he loves her, but she does not respond. He threatens her, but she declares she would sooner lose her life than yield to him. He goes away in anger. Kouma’s uncle warns her that the young Prince has sworn to avenge his mother, and is coming to kill her that very night. She sends all her friends away and remains alone. She would rather die by the Prince’s hand than accept the Governor as her lover. She puts out the light, lies down on her bed, and awaits the end. The Prince comes, creeps to the bedside, draws the curtain aside, and drops his dagger, spell-bound by the beauty of the woman. A lengthy duet. The Prince becomes wholly entranced by Kouma’s charms.
Fourth act. A dark forest on the banks of the Oka. The cave of Koudma the Wizard. The Prince comes on the scene, attired as for hunting. He inquires of Koudma whether all is now ready for his flight with Kouma. He departs with his huntsmen. Enter the Wanderer, bringing the Governor’s wife, disguised as a beggar-woman. She has come to ask the wizard for some fatal spell to destroy Kouma. The Wanderer flees in terror, and the Governor’s wife enters the cave alone. A boat arrives containing Kouma and her friends. They land, leaving her alone to wait for the Prince. The revengeful wife approaches Kouma and offers her a refreshing drink, into which she drops the fatal poison. Kouma drinks. The Prince returns and rushes to embrace her. All is ready for their flight, but the poison has already done its work—Kouma dies in her lover’s arms. The Governor’s wife confesses her guilt, and the Prince in despair repulses her. Enter the Governor in search of the fugitives. He cannot see Kouma, and believes she is being hidden from him. Maddened with jealousy, he hurls himself upon his son and kills him. His wife curses him as a murderer. The body of the Prince is borne away and the Governor remains alone. A terrible storms breaks over his head. Overcome with remorse and terror, he falls down in a mortal swoon.
7. Pique Dame. First act. First scene. The Summer Garden in Petersburg. Spring. Chorus of nurses and governesses. Some of the “golden youth” of the capital appear on the scene. They speak of Hermann’s extraordinary passion for gambling. Enter Hermann and Tomsky. The former talks of his love for a distinguished girl with whose name he is not acquainted, although he often meets her in the street, accompanied by an old lady of forbidding appearance. Enter Prince Yeletsky, who announces his engagement to the very girl in whom Hermann is interested. Hermann is depressed because his poverty is a hindrance to his suit. While the sight of Liza always awakens his best feelings, that of her grandmother fills him with a vague horror. Tomsky tells him a tale to the effect that the old Countess possesses the secret combination of three cards, which accounts for her extraordinary luck at the gaming tables. Hermann, in his morbid mental condition, believes himself destined to acquire this secret at any price. A terrible thunderstorm still further upsets his mind, and he begins to realise with horror that he is capable of committing a murder. He resolves to put an end to himself, but not until he has declared his love to Liza.
Second scene. Liza and her young friends are amusing themselves with singing and dancing. The governess appears on the scene, and the merry party is broken up. Liza is left alone. She is not in love with her fiancé, for her imagination is entirely occupied with the mysterious young man whom she so often meets out of doors. Suddenly Hermann appears before her. He threatens to kill himself on the spot if she will not listen to him. Just as she has gathered courage to drive him away, the old Countess comes in, alarmed by the commotion in her grand-daughter’s apartment. Liza conceals Hermann. The sight of the old Countess brings back his idée fixe of the three cards. When Liza has succeeded in calming her grandmother, and has induced her to return to her room, she goes back to Hermann with the intention of dismissing him; but in the end his passion prevails over her scruples.
Second act. Third scene. A fancy-dress ball. Prince Yeletsky pays his addresses to Liza, who does not respond. Hermann is among the guests. At the sight of the Countess the insane longing to possess the secret of her luck comes over him again. In a tête-à-tête with Liza he implores her to let him visit her that night. She tells him how he may gain access to her room unperceived.
Fourth scene. The Countess’s bedroom. Hermann appears through the secret door. He hears steps, and hides himself again. The old Countess returns from the ball. She goes into her boudoir, and presently reappears in her night attire. She is tired and cross, and complains that in her youth parties were more amusing than they are now. She dismisses her maid, and falls asleep humming to herself an air from an old-fashioned opera. Hermann awakes her. She is so terrified that she dies suddenly, without having revealed her secret. Liza appears, and can no longer conceal from herself that Hermann only made love to her in order to carry out his mad scheme.
Third act. Fifth scene. Evening. The barracks. Hermann alone in his quarters is haunted by remorse. In his terror he rushes from the room, but is met on the threshold by the apparition of the Countess showing him the three cards. Sixth scene. Liza is waiting for Hermann near the Winter Canal. Midnight strikes, and Liza in despair is about to do away with herself when he appears on the scene. At the sight of her his madness subsides, and he thinks only of his love for her. But he soon begins to rave about the three cards, and no longer recognises Liza. In despair she throws herself into the Neva. Seventh scene. Hermann at the gambling tables. He wins on the first two cards shown him by the ghost of the Countess. When it comes to the third card no one will venture to stake against him except Prince Yeletsky. Instead of the expected ace, Hermann turns up the queen of spades, and loses all his winnings. The apparition of the Countess appears to him once more, and he stabs himself in a fit of madness.
8. Iolanthe. The blind daughter of King René of Provence lives among the Vosges Mountains under the care of her nurse Martha and her husband Bertrand. In order that she may not realise her blindness, the King has forbidden the word “light” to be used in her presence. The girl is sad without knowing why. Her friends bring her flowers and try to amuse her, but in vain. She falls asleep in the garden, and is carried into the castle by her nurse. The King arrives, accompanied by the famous Moorish physician, Ebn-Khakya. The latter says he must see Iolanthe, even in her sleep, before he can pronounce an opinion as to her sight. After a time he informs the King that she can only be cured by a great desire to see; therefore she must be made conscious of her condition. The King refuses to follow this advice. Robert, Duke of Burgundy, and the Knight, de Vaudemont, come by accident to the castle. The former has been betrothed from childhood to Iolanthe, and is now on his way to King René’s court in order to woo his future bride. He has never seen her, and is in no hurry to wed. They see the notice which warns them that it is death to enter the castle grounds. But Vaudemont catches a glimpse of the maiden asleep on the terrace, and is spell-bound. Robert tries to make him leave these haunts of witchcraft, but he refuses, and the Duke goes to summon his men in order that he may carry off his friend by force. A duet between Vaudemont and Iolanthe. He does not realise her blindness until she asks him, “What is light?” He breaks through the atmosphere of secrecy in which she lives. She knows she is blind and longs for light. King René is horror-stricken, but Ebn-Khakya reminds him that now her sight may be restored. To stimulate her desire, René declares Vaudemont must be put to death unless her blindness is cured. Iolanthe is prepared to undergo any pain to save Vaudemont, whom she loves. The physician leads her away. Robert of Burgundy returns with his men. He recognises King René, and begs to be freed from his obligation to marry his daughter. The King consents, and promises Iolanthe’s hand to Vaudemont. Her girl friends arrive on the scene and announce that the cure is successful. Iolanthe appears with bandaged eyes. Ebn-Khakya takes off the handkerchief, and her sight is restored. The opera concludes with a hymn of thanksgiving.
APPENDIX C
EXTRACTS FROM GERMAN PRESS NOTICES DURING TCHAIKOVSKY’S TOURS ABROAD IN 1888 AND 1889
Leipzig “Signale”