Michaelmass

Saint Savior

But the young man feels more attracted to his voice than to both woods. Because singing shall determines his oeuvre, he concludes a far-reaching sales contract. He buys a recording of Handel Arias sung by Bryn Terfel, a welsh bassbaritone. This recording the inexperienced young boy as out of senses falls for. The superiors notice the desire of the young man and appoint him as cantor and head cantor in seminary church of Waldram and as cantor in church of his home parish. When in the beginning the organist of his home parish just can stand the first original singing of the aspiring young man, then the efforts of the organist soon bear full fruit. Two classmates meet the expectations in Waldram as organists and become musical trail section companions of the young man Michael (terzet Der, welcher wandert diese Straße voll Beschwerden). At this school the young man also has the art as his devoted muse and indulges regularly in performance to pleasure the audience. As supporting actor he can engage a class mate whom he can persuade of his mental greatness quickly (Duett Komm, mein Söhnchen, auf ein Wort). At an insidious visitation of the devil the young man falls prey to delusion and a never ending stream of consciousness against that he is defenceless till a few days before the premiere of his drama. At his appearance the devil drives his insidious play to a fatal climax, when he on stage robes all of the young man's memories that controlled him immediately before the performance and leaves him to the unsuspicious and irritated audience (aria Allmächt'ger Vater blick herab!). But the young man succeeds in distracting the unsuspicious audience with a trick by performing the clumsy loser and creating the impression of having intended exactly this performance (aria Teurer Sohn, sprach Mütterlein). After that the devil only is able to howl and gnash his third teeth. When the young man's maturity cannot by denied any longer and all the class mates after hard years are exhausted and weakened by school education, the young man persuades again with his performance of the spokesman of the examinees (aria Ja! Was auch ringsumher mir droht). To thank for the certification of his maturity Michael leaves Waldram (aria Dir töne Lob).

3rd Act