Just in Time, Part 1

nsumed with a fear that his murdered child, Dmitri, who had been heir to the throne, would rise from the grave to torment him, cannot bear the sound of the striking of the clock, which he feels to be a hammer beating upon his brain. He sees a vision of the murdered child, attempts to chase it away, and collapses before his throne, praying to God to have mercy upon his own guilty soul as the orchestra clamors appropriately. Although the libretto only describes this scene as involving a chair serving as the throne, dramatic stagings have sometimes placed the action at the top of a staircase that braver basses bodily hurl themselves down at the finale of this aria. And you thought the dropping of a crystal ball in Times Square was exciting, huh?

Next week, we'll continue to examine how specific times of day, and how they are conveyed, have special bearing upon opera plots.

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