Radio Digest (Mar 1928-Oct 1929)

64 RADIO DIGES T — Illustrated feated enemies. Spakos, an Egyptian freedman, arrives to announce Cleopatra. Marc Antony is not pleased, but the queen's beauty impresses him and he falls in love. Despite orders recalling him to Rome, he decides for Egypt with her. They enter the royal barge, to the chagrin of Spakos, himself in love with the queen. Antony wearies of his prize and returns to Rome to wed his former bethrothed, Octavia. An officer from Egypt arrives at the wedding festivities in the second act, with the intelligence that Cleopatra has consoled herself with Spakos. Antony becomes jealous, leaves his bride and hurries back to Egypt. In the midst of a riotous scene in Alexandria, Charmian arrives to tell the queen of Marc Antony's arrival. Spakos tries to detain her but she has him arrested and hastens back to the palace to welcome her lover. At a fete in the queen's garden Octavia, Antony's wife, arrives and begs him to return to Rome. He refuses and she returns alone. While he is warring in Egypt Spakos brings word of his death, whereupon Cleopatra, enraged, stabs him. Anthony returns, vanquished, and dies in the queen's arms. She then, overwhelmed by grief, applies a poisonous asp to her breast and dies. DON CARLOS. Opera in four acts. Music by Verdi; text by Mery and Du Locle. First produced in Paris, 1867. Story: Don Carlos, son of Philip II, King of Spain, is in love with Elizabeth de Valois, daughter of Henry II of France. Their love is mutual, but for reasons of state, Elizabeth is married, not to Don Carlos, but to Philip II and the young prince therefore finds himself in love with his own stepmother. He confides in Rodrigo, Marquis de Posa, who entreats him to leave the Spanish court. Do.n Carlos has a dangerous admirer in Princess Eboli, who learns that the queen has by no means ceased to love Don Carlos, though married to his father. Moved by jealousy she informs the King of the conditions of affairs, whereupon he orders his son Don Carlos thrown into prison. While his friend Rodrigo visits him there he is shot by the king's friends. Don Carlos is freed and goes to the monastery of St. Just to keep tryst with the queen. The king surprises them there, and his anger once more aroused he hands over Don Carlos to the officers of the Inquisition, who bear him away to death as the curtain falls. FAUST. Opera in five acts. Music by Gounod; text founded upon Goethe's tragedy. First produced in Paris, 1859. Story: Faust, a German philosopher, after a life of meditation, becomes disgusted with the smallness of human knowledge and his own inability to unravel the mysteries of nature. He summons to his aid the Spirit of Evil, who appears to him under the form of Mephistopheles. Through the supernatural power of Mephistopheles, Faust is restored to youth and endowed with personal beauty and luxurious garb. Mephistopheles, in a vision, reveals to him the village maid, Margaret, with whom the Faust falls in love. Margaret, noted for her loveliness, has been left by her soldier brother, Valentine, under the care of dame Martha, a worthy but not very vigilant personage. The maiden at first rejects the stranger's advances, but Faust, aided by the influence of Mephistopheles, urges his suit, and Margaret's resistence is at length overcome. Later, Valentine, Margaret's brother, who has learned of her betrayal, is killed in a duel with Faust. Overcome by the calamity of which she is the cause, Margaret's reason becomes affected and in a frenzy she kills her infant. She is thrown into prison, and Faust, aided by Mephistopheles, obtains access to the cell in which she is confined. They both eagerly urge her to escape, but Margaret, in whom holier feelings have obtained ascendancy, spurns their proffered aid, and expires. She is borne to heaven by ministering angels. FRA DIAVOLO. Comic opera in three acts. Music by Daniel Auber; text by Scribe. First produced in Paris, 1830. Story: Serlina and Lorenzo, her soldier lover, are too poor to marry. The girl's father, Matte., bag a rich suitor all ready, and plans the nupitals for the following day. There is a gay time at the inn. Lord Rocburg and his wife, I.ady Pamela, arrive. They have been robbed, and Lorenzo and his men go after the bandits. Another guest, the suave Marquis of San Marco (Fra Diavolo, the bandit), next comes in —to flirt with Lady Pamela, and to gain access to the noble Lord's money-belt. He is dis■ '! when Lorenzo returns with the jewels and news of the slain robbers. The young man is given a reward which seems to make possible hit marriage. That night, the marquis and two followers, Beppo and Giacomo, conceal themselves in Zerlina's room to rob Rocburg in the night. Lorenzo arrives; discovered, the marquis makes both him and Rocburg believe that he has been conducting affairs with Zerlina and Lady Pamela. Both men challenge him. Next morning Zerlina discovers Beppo and Giacomo were in her room too. Lorenzo arrests them, and they are forced to betray their chief. He is led into a trap and is shot, whereupon it is found that Fra Divaolo and the marquis were one. All ends happily. FORZA DEL DESTINO (Force of Destiny). (Fort-zah del des-tee-noh.) Opera in four acts by Verdi. First produced in Petrograd, 1862. A brief summary of the story follows : Alvaro is in love with Leonora, and they are about to elope, when the latter's father, Marquis of Calatrava, enters. The Marquis and Alvaro engage in a conflict in which Alvaro accidentally kills the Marquis. Alvaro and Leonora then flee to an old abandoned hermitage. In the meantime Don Carlo, who is Leonora's brother, swears to avenge his father's death and through strange circumstance, he meets Alvaro and they become good friends. Later Don Carlo discovers his friend's identity and attacks him. In the fight which ensues Don Carlo is wounded. As the fight has taken place just outside Leonora's refuge, she rushes out only to receive the dagger from her brother before he dies. Alvaro's grief is so great that he suddenly becomes insane and leaps to death over a precipice. JEWELS OF THE MADONNA. By WolfFerrari. First produced in Berlin, 1911. . The story is set in Naples. Story : Maliella scorns the love of her foster brother, Gennaro, and is captivated by the bandit leader, Rafaele, during the celebration of the Madonna's feast day. In his ardent pledge of love, Rafaele declares that for love of Maliella he will steal the jewels from the statue of the Madonna. She is overcome by his lovemaking and when Gennaro rebukes her for associating with the worst character in Naples she tells him of the Camorra chief's offer to steal the jewels. Finally in despair Gennaro himself steals away and robs the statue of the valuable and beautiful jewels and lays them at the feet of the girl he loves. She decks herself out with the jewels and thinking only of Rafaele she is unaware that it is Gennaro who embraces her. She flees to the bandit's lair where she is spurned by the chief. Gennaro follows, Maliella flees, leaving the jewels scattered around the floor. As the angry mob arrives in pursuit of Gennaro for stealing the jewels they find him dead at his own hand with the jewels laid at the foot of the statue where he has prayed for pardon. LOHENGRIN. Romantic drama in three acts; words and music by Richard Wagner. First produced Weimar, August, 1850, under the direction of Liszt. Many of Wagner's most beautiful melodies come in the story of the son of Parsifal. Lohengrin, a Knight of the Holy Grail, who is sent to earth to protect Elsa, wickedly accused of the murder of her young brother by Tetramund and his wife, Ortrud. Lohengrin overcomes Telramund and wins Elsa as his bride. Upon her he lays the well known verboten that she shall ask no questions concerning his past. The unfortunate girl, under the influence of the powerful Ortrud, is filled with curiosity, and at last asks Lohengrin the fatal question. He satisfies her curiosity, but is compelled to return at once to Mont Salvat and disappears in the distance in his swan-drawn boat. The motifs in this opera are infinitely beautiful throughout. LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (Loo-chee-ah). (Donizetti.) Opera in three acts. Text by Cammerano. Music by Gaetano Donizetti. First produced in Naples in 1835. The plot of the story was taken from Sir Walter Scott's novel, "The Bride of Lammermoor." A brief sketch of the story follows: Lucia has been deeply in love with Edgar of Ravenswood, but her brother, Lord Henry Ashton, who was quite unaware of the love affair between them, has secretly arranged for her marriage to Lord Arthur Bucklaw, a wealthy nobleman. Ashton wishes this marriage as it would aid him in a financial way. Later, he learns of his sister's love for Edgar and in an underhand manner convinces Lucia that Edgar is not true to her. Due to the intense pleadings of her brother she finally, very much against her will, says that she will marry Lord Arthur. Then the wedding scene at which the famous sextette is sung. It is at this time the heartbroken Edgar arrives to denounce Lucia for her unfaithfulness. He is evicted from the castle ind Lucia, whose mind has become deranged, iuddenly kills her husband and then dies. Edgar's sorrow is more than he can bear, so he stabs himself while in the churchyard at Ravenswood. MANON LESCAUT (Man-on Les-koh). (Puccini). Sung in Italian. Opera in four acts, the libretto, founded on Abbe Prevost's novel, being mainly the work of the composer. The Abbe Prevost romance has been treated operatically by several composers. Manon's brother, Lescaut, is escorting his sister to the convent where she is to complete her education. While Lescaut is carousing with companions, Manon meets des Grieux, who chances to be dining at the inn, dressed as a student. School not appealing to the girl, she agrees to elope, thereby spoiling the plans of Geronte, who had planned to abduct her. Manon tires of des Grieux and his poverty, and leaves him for Geronte; but when des Grieux, appears again she runs away with him. Geronte denounces Manon as an abandoned woman. She is condemned to be deported to Louisiana. Des Grieux and Lescaut try to rescue her, but the attempt fails and the former begs the commandant to permit him to accompany her. In the final scene the lovers are shown in a "desert" near New Orleans. Des Grieux leaves Manon to search for water, and returns just in time to see her die in his arms. MARTHA (Flotow). Opera in four acts by Friedrich Von Flotow. Libretto by Wilhelm Friedrich Reese and St. George. First produced in Vienna, 1847. The story: Lady Harriet, maid of honor to Queen Anne, has tired of the dullness of court life so she and her maid, Nancy, slip away, disguised as servants, to the fair at Richmond. Here, according to the old custom, they are brgained for by the two farmers, Lionel and Plunkett, and are taken away to a farm. They escape, however, in the morning and return to court. Life to Nancy and Lady Harriet is even duller than before, for in their adventure, Dan Cupid short four arrows true to the mark. Plunkett possesses a ring, which Lionel presents to the Queen and is restored to court as the son of the Earl of Denby. Plunkett and Nancy are reunited and they plot to -bring Lady Harriet and Lionel together, whom they know love each other. At a re-enactment of the Richmond fair, Lionel hears a sweet voice singing "Last Rose of Summer." He recognizes the owner as Lady Harriet, whom he knows as Martha, and sweeps her into his arms. MIGNON (Meen-yon). (Paris, 1866.) (Ambroise Thomas.) Opera in three acts; text by Barbier and Carre, based upon Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister;" music by Ambroise Thomas. First production, Paris, 1866; London, 1870; New York, 1872. The first act opens in the yard of a German inn. A group of actors, including the beautiful Filina, are on their way to the Prince's castle, where they are to give a performance. A strolling band of gypsies arrives, and Mignon, who is with them, is ordered to dance for the entertainment of the guests. The girl is weary, and on her refusal to dance, Giarno, the leader, threatens her. Lothario tries to protect the young girl, and Giarno turns upon the old man. Wilhelm, a wandering student, appears and rescues both Mignon and the harper, and to save the girl from further persecution engages her as his page. Wilhelm is invited by Filina to join the troupe in their visit to the castle. He consents, and the flirtation which follows arouses the jealousy of Mignon, who, touched by Wilhelm's kindness, has fallen in love with him. In despair she is about to throw herself into the lake when she hears the notes of Lothario's harp. She asks his protection, and rashly tells him she wishes the castle would burn to the ground. The demented old man, thinking only to please her, goes into the castle. Filina and the actors appear, and Filina sends Mignon to the castle for some flowers she has left there. Suddenly flames burst from the windows, and Wilhelm rushes to the burning building and carries out the unconscious Mignon. Wilhelm is soon cured of his infatuation for Filina and discovers Mignon's devoted attachment for him. The third act takes place in the palace of Lothario, who has instinctively returned to his ancestral home, bringing with him Mignon. They are accompanied by Wilhelm, who now realizes that he loves his youthful ward. The young girl is soon discovered to be the long lost child of Lothario, who suddenly recovers his reason. Father and daughter are reunited, while a blessing is bestowed on the young people by the happy Lothario.