Sergei Rachmaninoff "The Miserly Knight"

Synopsis

Scene One

The young knight Albert, a regular participant in tournaments and festivities, cannot appear at court because he has no new attire. His father is wealthy, but so miserly that the young man cannot count on his help. As usual, Albert turns to the moneylender, yet even he refuses to lend more money. Instead, he hints that Albert could poison his father and thus gain his inheritance. Enraged, Albert drives the moneylender away, refusing even the money he offers in apology. Now Albert has only one option left—he decides to seek protection from the Duke:
“…Let them compel my fatherTo treat me like a son, not like a mouseBorn in a cellar.”

Scene Two

The old Baron descends into the cellar where his treasures are kept. In the chests of gold lies all his happiness, the entire meaning of his existence. The awareness that everything is under his power intoxicates him. Even the thought of the dreadful secrets these coins hold—how many tears, sufferings, labors, and sorrows they witnessed before reaching him—does not darken his triumph. The old man revels in the sight of the amassed wealth that creates the illusion of power and dominion over the world:
“I reign!.. What a magical splendor!Obedient to me, mighty is my realm;Within it lie my happiness, my honor, and my glory!”
Only one thing troubles the Baron: the thought of an heir—his son—who would squander all these treasures for the pleasures of life:
“…Oh, if from the graveI could return as a watchful shadow,Sit upon my chest of goldAnd guard my treasures from the living, as I do now!”

Scene Three

The Duke’s palace. After hearing Albert’s complaint about his father, the Duke sympathizes and promises to speak privately with the old man. The Baron arrives. The Duke asks Albert to wait in another room. The Baron cannot explain why his son never appears at court. Pressed by the Duke’s questions, he slanders his son, accusing him of robbery and even of attempting to kill him. Furious, Albert rushes in and exposes his father’s lie. The Baron challenges his son to a duel. Angered, the Duke drives Albert away and rebukes the Baron.
The old man suddenly feels unwell; sensing death approaching, he thinks only of his chests of gold:
“…I can’t breathe!.. I can’t breathe!.. Where are the keys?My keys, my keys!..”
With his mind fixed on his treasures, the Baron dies.