Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-10

conua oNerhe8rS the matter and is sadly
shocked by Enzo's fickleness. The AnKelus,
(Curtain.)
The second act is called THE Roses -
II the reader will now kindly project his
astral body" to the deck of the good shin
"Hecate" he may fad things to interest
him. After the sailors have sung their
usual "Ho! Ho! He! He!' chorus, Barnaba
comes along and sings a really BEAUTIFUL
barcarole. Then EMO appears on deck.
and sings of course; then Laura comes.
and she sings. Now watch-Gioconda has
also managed to get on board
After singing a duet the gentle Gioconda.
very politely and quite unexpected, at
tempts to stab the loving Laura who has
stolen her EMO. But the resourceful Laura
quietly and unostentatiously displays the
Rosary and Gioconda remembers that
this lady helped to save her mothers
life, and she postpones the killing. Instead.
she gives her masque to Laura and order
ing her boat, sends her away, before the
arrival of the husband. Aloise. At the end
of this act, after a dramatic scene between
EMO and Giocondo, the former sets his
vessel on fire when he discovers that he
is surrounded by Venetian galleys.
The third act, which is called the House
of Gold" opens with the cheering inteui-
gence that Husband Aloise has decided to
become a widower; that is, he will poison
Wife Laura. When Laura enters upon the
scene she is told that she must take a
drink. and that quickly, even before the
serenade Of passing gondollers is silent.
This drink Is poison and is in direct vio-
lation OF the 'anti-treating" laws. and
so the giver, Advise, leaves the room.
Gioconda enters, just in time as usual, and
substitutes a sleeping draught for the
poison Laura drinks it, with the usual
result, and when the jealous husband re-
turns he opposes his wife to be dead. and
the scene then changes to a brilliant fes-
tive picture, and Barnaba drags in Ciaca.
whom he found praying. EMO, being ad-
ytsed of the death (supposedD of Laura,
sings OF his great love for her and gets
into sad trouble with her husband. He is
sliced by the guard, but Gioconda tells
BarAaba that she will "be his il he will
save EMO. lie says he will.
.
The fourth and last act is called The
Orfano Canal. the vestlbule of a ruined
palace. Gioconda receives her friends here.
- - ASA ANSAdNANNH
Enter two singers bearing the sleeping
Laura. Gioconda, again tempted to take
Laura's life, shows her developed noble
sense Of self-sacrifice and does not yield.
EMO happens in and ia about to have il
out with Gioconda, when Laura oppor-
timely aWakes and reveals the fact that
GioconGa is the one who saved her life.
Gioconda has provided a boat for the lovers
and they escape. She then pTays 10 the
Virgin for deliverance from the cruel prom
Use which she has been obliged TO make to
the wretch Barnsba, but the miscreant
hears her. and when he cOnfronts her with
her desire TO escape she replies that she
will fulfill her promise, but must first dress
herself be%comingly for such an event. She
stabs herself with a dagger and, singing
II have sworn To be thine; take me; l am
thine lin Italian, she expires, but not be-
fore she has been Informed by THE Bar
naba' that he had the pleasure of strang-
ling her mother the evening before.
While the tale is somewhat gruesome
(sfter the manner Of most grand operas,
the music is decidedly interesting. and If
this story has been told somewhat lightly
it has been with the intention of tightening
the gloom rather than with any idea of
flippancy toward eAher the text or the
music of the opera.
THOMAS J. KELLY.