Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-28
STORIES OF THE OPERAS.
Verdi's al Trovatore. F"

The scenes of the opera are laid In the
medieval days Of picturesque old Spain.
and part Of the story which precedes
the dramatic action is told by AZucena to
Manrico
Years before, the mother of Anlcena.
a gypsy. had been burned as witch by
an old Count di Luna. To revenge her
mothers death Azucena kidnapped one
of the two baby sons of the count and
afterward brought the boy, Manrico. up
as her own son and loved him dearly.
His brother. from whom he was separat-
ed in childhood, is now the Count di
Luna.
Manrico and the count. not knowing
each other as brothers. are bitter ene-
mics and rivals for the hand of the beau
tiful Countess Leonora. She is Won by
Manrico's bravery and skill in combat
and becomes betrothed to him. While he
Is away with the army he finds Leonora
has been told he is dead and she has de-
termined to become nun. Manrico has
tens to the convent and there meets the
count, who has himself determined to
seize Leonora. The two rivals, with their
supporters, figfu before the convent and
the count is routed. ManricO removes
Leonora before she has taken the vows
and they married
The count afterward captures Manrico
and his supposed mother, Azucena, and
they are cast in prison and condemned
to die. Leonora offers herself to the
count the price Of Manrico's life and
liberty. The count accepts, giving her
the order for Manrico's release She has
tens to him at the prison to tell him, but
in the meantime takes poison, deter
mined the count shall never have her
alive. After bidding farewell to Manrico
she falls dead at his feet. The count en-
tiers, enraged at being outwitted, and or
ders Manrico to immediate execution.
lnp incr frnr her oil rt, iv,
the prison cell, tells the count that he
has caused the death of his own brother.
1.-THE Tales of Hoffman,"
By Jacques Ofenbach. English transla-
tion by Charles Henry Veltzer
The young poet Hoffman,. in the first
act. or prologue. Is seated with a party of
friends carousing in a German rathskel-
Ter. The friends of the poet persuade
him TO tell them of his former love af-
fairs. After some hesitation he consents,
beginning as the curtain falls.
The three acts that follow picture the
episodes related by the poet.
Antonio. a beautiful young singer Of
Munich. afflicted with consumption. who
has been forbidden by her father to sing
lest it cause her death, is hypnotiZed by
Dr. Miracle. who possesses mystic pow
ers and makes the picture of the girl
dead mother on the wall come to life and
sing to her. Antonio is thus induced to
sing to the picture, which causes her
death just as Hoffman, and her father
rush in the room. while DR.. Miracle van
ishes through the wall with a diabolical
laugh.
The magnificent house of Giulietta. a
courtesan of Venice is next seen. The
woman fascinates Hoffman,, and through
the intrigue of her friends he Is forced
into duel and kills one of her lovers,
but as soon as he is about to claim the
beautiful Giulietta as the reward Of his
valor he sees her borne away over the
grand canal in gondola by another
lover.
The next act is in Italy. where Hoff-
mann. travelling with his friend Nicklausse,
meets an old Italian inventor, Spalanzani.
who has constructed mechanical doll so
wonderful that Spalanzani passes it off
as his own daughter. The doll is named
Olympia, and as Hoffman, looks at her
through magic glasses he falls in love
with her and asks for her hand in mar
riaSe. Just at this time Coppeltus. an
old Jewish peddler. who manufactures
wonderful glass eyes and lenses, quar-
res with SpalanZani over the payment
for Olympia's eyes. and actuated by re-
venge, the peddler smashes the wonderful
doll to pieces.
The epilogue then goes back to the
first scene in the rathskeller. and shows
Hoffman, and his friends still seated at
the drinking tables. AS Hoffman, finishes
his tales the poets muse appears at the
head of huge wine tank. and Hoffman,
swears allegiance to her only for. the fu-
ture.