Fra Diavolo, Daniel François Auber – Opera Plot

Daniel François Auber’s French, opera comique, Fra Diavolo

• Fra Diavolo composed: 1829
• Fra Diavolo’s first performance: Opera Comique, Paris, Jan. 28, 1830
• Fra Diavolo’s libretto: Eugène Scribe, based on Leseur’s opera la Caverne
• Fra Diavolo’s setting: Naples, Italy; 18th Century
• opera comique, in three acts
• Language: French

The Main Characters of Fra Diavolo

• Zerlina, daughter of Matteo (soprano)
• Fra Diavolo (tenor)
• Lord Cockburn, an English nobleman (tenor)
• Lady Pamela, his wife (mezzo soprano)
• Beppo, a bandit (tenor)
• Giacomo, a bandit (bass)
• Matteo, an innkeeper (bass)
• Lorenzo, a young soldier (in love with Zerlina) (tenor)

The story of Fra Diavolo

Act I of Fra Diavolo
The bandit, Fra Diavolo, encounters an English nobleman and his pretty and susceptible wife, Lord Cockburn and Lady Pamela. They are at the inn of Terracina, kept by Matteo, whose daughter Zerlina is loved by Lorenzo, a young soldier. There is a search party looking to capture Fra Diavolo, as the opera begins. In the first scene the English couple enter in great alarm, having narrowly escaped the robbery of all their valuables by Fra Diavolo's band. The bandit himself, who has followed them on their journey disguised as a marquis, has been particularly attentive to the lady, enters the inn just as Lord Cockburn has been scolding his wife for the attention she has given a stranger. They argue. Fra Diavolo enters, and learns the trick by which the Lord and Lady saved the most of their valuables. Diavolo, enraged at thefailure of his band, lays his own plan to secure the valuables himself. While Diavolo speaks with Zerlina, she, mistaking him for the Marquis, tells him the story of Fra Diavolo. To further his scheme, Fra Diavolo seduces Lady Pamela by serenading her. The Lord interrupts the serenade. Fra Diavolo eludes the search party, who have returned, and they resume their search for him. Diavolo escapes, leaving him to perfect his plans for the robbery.

Act II of Fra Diavolo
Zerlina is in her chamber about to retire. She leads the Lord and Lady Allcash to their room. Before Zerlina returns to her chamber, Fra Diavolo and his companions, Beppo and Giacomo, hide in a closet, and Fra Diavolo sings a beautiful serenade, which had been agreed upon as a signal to his comrades that the coast was clear. Zerlina enters says a prayer and retires to
sleep. The robbers, in attempting to cross her room, partially awake her. One of them rushes to the bed to stab her, but falls back awe-stricken as she murmurs her prayer and sinks to rest again. The noise of the carbineers returning outside interrupts the plan of the robbers. They hide in the closet again. Zerlina rises and dresses herself. The Lord and Lady rush in to find out the cause of the commotion. Lorenzo enters to greet Zerlina, when a sudden noise in the closet disturbs the company. Fra Diavolo, knowing he will be detected, boldly steps out into the room and declares that he is there to keep an appointment with Zerlina. Lorenzo challenges Diavolo. Diavolo promises to give him satisfaction in the morning, and escapes. One of his comrades, however, is captured, and to secure his own liberty agrees to betray Diavolo.

Act III of Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo once more among his native mountains. He exults in his liberty, and gleefully looks forward to a meeting with the Lord and Lady which he anticipates great personal profit. His exultation is interrupted by the entrance of the villagers dressed in festival attire in honor of the approaching wedding ceremonies. Lorenzo, Beppo, and Giacomo, have developed a scheme to ensnare Fra Diavolo and compass his death. Lorenzo declares Zerlina's innocence Fra Diavolo meets his doom at the hands of the carbineers,.