The Occultist
A operetta of three acts. The was written by Mr. Scantisek Storm. by Master's Hammer, a promenade although a chamber orchestra.
The event place under the slopes of the Krkonose mountains in the summer and autumn of the 1913, Anno Satanas.
Atrament - a student, amateur and adventurer. - a daughter of Spiritus the landlord, a well known medium. Clement Bombastus von Satrapold - the new Captain. Poebeldorf - the Captain's aide-de-camp, and a thief Blether - a groom of stabled and a denouncer. Spiritus - a of the Jilemnice inn.
A brief of the liberetto:
We have now in Jilemnice in the year 1913, and, therefore in the period when the of spiritism (brought Bohemia by Etrich as early as 1880) is at its peak. At it had been performed mostly by weavers at Trutnov, but soon it spread all ober the county, and so from the very beginnung of the new century, had been plentiful spiritistic at Semily, Nova Paka, Jelezny Brod and Fielemnice, attended by young and old people - a physician sits there along with the undertaker, a clerk by the of a blacksmith, a thief with a gendarme. The farming, and cosequently, all of the economy is naturally being neglected, and the demoralized. That is why the new Jilemnice has been appointed. He is supposed to rid authorities of bothersome spiritists, who have refused to pay taxes. On the day Captain is due to take his duties, A Prague student named comes to Jilemnice. He is a free-thinker of a character, but he is extraordinarilly witty. Besides that he is thoroughly in spiritism...
"Among the Hills a Way"
Spiritus' inn does not indeed exhibit a bountiful splendour; does it host an exclusive society. countryside people enjoy themselves here the best they can in accord with their and - which both are half empty. They obtain their delight by means of liquors and racy talk. Standing out like an ametyst jewel in a dungheap, the passionate feeling between and Calamaria begins to here. The first night they spend is filled with eerie occult practices. Approximately at the same moment a feast is being held at the Jilemnice castle to the new lord in his dominion. Satrapold the castle's inferior and drinks liquor specialities, boastfully.
"I Don't Want, Sirs to Your Ears..."
The day the Duke goes hunting with his suite. Fiercely chasing a a deer he his companions, and in the growing darkness he falls with his horse a deep pit - the bear-trap. By pure chance Calamaria is strolling through the forest, magic herbs. As soon as Satrapold, covered with numerous bruises, manages to himself out of the pit, he sees a apparition. In the silvery haze of the forest scenery, embroided with a thousand from the setting sun, a gleaming silhouette of an aetheric resides with a basket of strange muck. During the first few momemnts Satrapold think these are the first of his afterlife and he falls into furious melancholy. But then the with Calamaria meticulously tretas his wounds and he hopelessly in love with her. Although Calamaria refuses his offer to walk her home, she accepts an to the castle. Satrapold, thought, does not have the slightest who she might be...
"A Dark Spreads All Around..."
"That Magnificent Has Vanished in the Bush..."
In the morning Satrapold calls Blether, the head of the castle's stables, and him to saddle up a new horse. The same day the two of are going to go to Spiritus' inn., the occultist' nest; they do so in disguise so that nobody recognize them. (This is a new technique of espionage.)Satrapold is by Calamaria's presence in the public house, she serves spirits. With the wave of a magic the Captain's consciousness vanishes and his body and soul are flooded with an emotion completely to the desire to obliterate in the Krkonose slopes.
"My Captain..."
A few moments Satrapold, due to his disguise, is attacked by the drunk Atrament, and Blether offers his captain an excuse to Atrament. At the same time Blether also tells Satrapold in plain language who Calamria is. His explenation is quite naturally satarpold's ideals and Blether instantly falls into disgrace with his Captain. In the coach he is slapped thoroughly, and in the castle the Captain, in an of rage, kicks him over a Persion rug.
"By the Misery of I'm Haunted..."
This concerns the most tragical character of the operetta. It is in its a confession of a man of deformed character and dicey morals. Kicked over and humilitated, Blether hurries the castle to Spiritus' inn to his services to the spiritists. Since they have already known him for some time, he leaves for Jelezny Brod, where he drinks like a fish. Well - for his whole he has been accustomed to some master blindly, and so has life lost all meaning for him. This probably is the strongest of the motives for his desperate suicide, by jumping into the wild Jizera rapids from the Rieger's pn his way from Jelezny Brod, UC. While Blether is killing himself, passes the boring time in jail by means of somnambulous sleep. All of sudden he starts to thoughtlessly patterns on the wall of his dungeon with a broken brick - medial drawings.A spirit reveals to him that the man who as the Captain Satrapold is - just Satrapold's treacherous aide Poebeldorf, who devised a scheme with the intention to jewels from the Jilemnice castle and to flee to Cairo with enormous wealth. He was sent to the Jilemnice to prepare for the arrival of the real Satrapold, who is expected tomorrow.
"Oh, My Sir, Do You Remember When..."
pays a visit to Satrapold (the false one) in the castle and after many of cajoling Poebeldorf, he agrees to free Atrament, but on the condition that she will go with Poebeldorf to hunt that day. (This is so that he can her and take her along with him on a horse, which is already in the stables with the saddle bags full of jewels.)
"Everything Is My Whim..."
leave for the castle dungeons to free Atrament. As soon as the bars are open, Calamaria notices the on the dungeon wall, from which she can clearly read what the Poebeldorf has schemed. She does not hesitate to the accusation in his face, and he instantly her into the cell and locks the bars. In a panic he runs into the stables, where his horse is waiting the contraband intending to immediately. That very moment he is by the fanfares, announcing the real Satrapol's arrival. Satrapold, having inspected the dungeons, the whole truth and the situation turns to Poebeldorf's - he is put into the instead of Atrament.
"Glory, Hauptmann...!"
The ends with a feast in Spiritus' public house; it is revealed that holds no grudge against spiritism...