The Three Musketeers

In true musketeer tradition, the opera opens with d’Artagnan and the Comte de Rochefort taunting each other and having a swordfight. D’Artagnan recovers after three days or so, and makes his way to Paris, where he hopes to become a musketeer. But he manages to upset three other musketeers shortly after arriving and they all make separate times to duel with him but d'Artagnan has scheduled all three musketeers to turn up at once! They are surprised that d’Artagnan could be so brash and brave as to fight three musketeers simultaneously! The duelling begins, but then one of the Cardinal’s men sees them and tries to start a fight. The four men forgive each other and stop duelling, in order to escape the Cardinal’s men. D’Artagnan has won the musketeers’ friendship, but another problem is about to present itself. D’Artagnan has fallen in love with his landlord’s wife, Constance, who is suddenly kidnapped, so he decides to go and save her, but cannot find her anywhere. He begins an affair with Clarice De Winter, who he discovers has kidnapped Constance, hoping to get some information about his beloved’s whereabouts from her.

Along the way, he is romanced by Clarice’s maid, Kitty, who falls desperately in love with him. Clarice tries to stab d’Artagnan one day after a fight with him in her bedroom, and he escapes her house disguised as Kitty, the maid! The three musketeers are then sent to England  to bring home a necklace which the Queen of France has secretly given to her lover, unbeknown to the King.

They bring the necklace back to France, and at a ball, d’Artagnan has a brief reunion with Constance, before she is kidnapped for the second time. He tries to track her down yet again, and finds her at a convent, but is dismayed to find her ill. Constance dies, but not before denouncing Clarice as her murderer, and telling d'Artagnan that she has been poisoned.  So D’Artagnan and his friends set off to find Clarice and make her pay for what she has done.

The Cardinal, who has always hated d’Artagnan, calls him in to discuss an urgent matter. He says that d’Artagnan has been so cunning and conniving, that he would make a great Captain in the Cardinal's Guards. D’Artagnan agrees, but is shocked to learn that he will be working with the Comte de Rochefort, the man he fought in the first scene. So d'Artagnan forgives him and befriends the Comte because they will be working together from now on.

The Black Tulip based on the book by Alexandre Dumas

The opera begins with Cornelius De Witte, a political prisoner, having just been tortured. An angry mob shouts and curses at him from outside the jail. Cornelius is helped to escape by Rosa, the jailer’s daughter, and by his brother, but as soon as he emerges from the jail, is killed by the raging crowd. Cornelius’ niece and namesake, a peaceful tulip-grower, is arrested soon after, but he does not know why. Before he is taken away, he picks up three seeds which he hopes will grow a black tulip, as there is a competition for the first person who can grow one, with a large sum of money as a reward. Cornelius’ neighbour Boxtel has discovered that Cornelius was trying to grow a black tulip, by spying on him with a pair of binoculars. Boxtel, also being an avid tulip-grower, and in hopes of winning the prize money, decides to steal the tulip seeds from Cornelius. Once in jail, Cornelius is told of his impending death sentence, but doesn’t count on the fact that Boxtel has disguised himself as the executioner. Needless to say, Cornelius’ life is spared, and he is moved to another jail. Rosa visits the prisoners regularly, and through his contact with the jailer’s daughter, Cornelius begins to fall in love, and tells Rosa of his black tulip seeds. One of the tulips is destroyed by Gryhpus, the head of the jail, when he discovers Cornelius has been growing it in his cell. Rosa plants a tulip for Cornelius in the prison garden, but Boxtel has befriended Gryphus, and therby gained access to the jail. He steals the tulip and takes it to the tulip society to claim the prize. Rosa finds out though, and she tells the tulip society the truth, showing the black tulip seed to them. As she does so, she discovers the note the seed was wrapped in, was actually a letter by Cornelius’ uncle freeing him from his crime. Rosa is overjoyed, and Cornelius is released from jail and taken to meet with the tulip society. Boxtel is exposed as a fraud and goes to jail, and Cornelius and Rosa marry.    

Trilby, based on the book by George Du Maurier

Trilby, a young artist’s model living in 1860’s Paris, meets three young art students, Little Billee, Taffy, and the Laird, who all fall in love with her. Trilby also falls in love, but with only one of the artists, Little Billee. Through them, she is introduced to Svengali, an evil hypnotist, who too falls under her spell, though not surprisingly, as any man who sees Trilby can’t help but be charmed by her. Little Billee proposes to Trilby at a Christmas party, and she accepts him. But when Mrs.Bagot, Billee’s mother, comes to Paris after hearing of the engagement, she is horrified to learn her son intends to wed an artist’s model, and endeavours to stop the wedding. Trilby runs away after promising Mrs.Bagot never to see Little Billee again. Little Billee is heartbroken and falls into a deep decline. Unable to forget his beloved Trilby, he returns to England.

The White Cat

The White Cat tells the story of Ferdinand, a young prince, and his three brothers, who are sent on a quest for a year to find the cleverest and handsomest little dog in the world, in order to win their father's kingdoms. Ferdi becomes lost in a forest during a storm, and stumbles upon the palace of the enchanted White Cat Princess, who invites him to stay with her. The time passes so merrily that at the end of a year, Ferdi remembers the quest he was sent on, and tells the White Cat that he will surely lose the kingdom, because he has not yet found a dog. The White Cat gives him a dog inside a walnut and when Ferdi cracks it open in front of the king, a beautiful little dog jumps out and dances. The king does not yet want to part with his kingdom, so he sends the three brothers on another quest for a year. This time to find a piece of cloth so fine it will fit through the eye of the finest needle. So Ferdi goes back to the White Cat's palace, spends another charming year with her, and then tells her he has not found any pieces of cloth. The White Cat gives him another walnut, and Ferdi goes back to his father's kingdom. Ferdi cracks open the walnut and out comes a piece of cloth which passes through the eye of the finest needle in the country ten times! The king still does not want to give up his kingdom, so sends the brothers on one more quest, this time to find the most beautiful woman in the world. So Ferdi naturally goes to see the White Cat again. And he spends yet another year with her. At the end of the third year since his quests began, he tells the White Cat he must find a beautiful woman to take with him to meet his father, if he is to win the kingdom. The White Cat tells Ferdi to cut off her head and her tail and reluctantly, Ferdi does. Amazingly, the White Cat is transformed into the most beautiful woman in the world. She hides herself in her cat skin and everyone laughs at her, teasing Ferdi that he has only found a cat, not a woman. Ferdi says that he will marry this cat, and at the end of his speech, the cat turns back into a woman. The king finally gives Ferdi his kingdom, and Ferdi asks the White Cat to marry him. But the White Cat says she already has six kingdoms of her own, and she gives one to the king, one to each brother, and keeps three for herself and Ferdi.