Thomas Pasatieri - Washington Square

(1976)
Opera in two acts; libretto by Kenward Elmslie after Henry James's novel, Washington Square (1880).

Premiere

October 1, 1976, Michigan Opera Theater. Revised version premiere: October 13, 1977, New York Lyric Opera

Original Cast

Henry Holt, conductor
Nikos Psacharapoulos, director
Santo Loquasto, set and costume designer

Revised Version Cast

Victor De Renzi, conductor
David Alden, director

Synopsis

Act I: At an engagement party for Marian Harrington and Arthur Townsend, Catherine Sloper dances with Morris Townsend, a dashing young man who tries to draw her out of her shy shell. Her father, Dr. Sloper, joins the party. He chides Catherine for over-dressing, like a dollar princess. As Catherine leaves the party with her father and her aunt, Lavinia Davenport, Morris kisses her hand, with fervor.

Riding home to Washington Square in a carriage, Dr. Sloper, Lavinia and Catherine give voice to their secret thoughts. Catherine is overwhelmed by Morris's looks and manner. Lavinia congratulates herself for having invited Morris to tea; he is Catherine first beau. Dr. Sloper grouches how boring these two silent women are, drowsy as cows.

Morris comes to tea, and after a spate of small-talk, he leads Catherine to the piano, and she accompanies him as he sings "First Love."

Dr. Sloper interrogates Lavinia. Who has been smoking cigars and drinking his best Madeira? Lavinia informs him of Morris's visits. He tells her to invite Catherine's suitor to dinner.

Catherine and Lavinia sing "First Love" as Morris, who is looking for suitable employment, is brusquely rebuffed by Dr. Sloper. Incensed, Morris leaves, promising to meet Catherine the next day. Dr. Sloper orders Lavinia to stop meddling with Catherine's future. Lavinia stands up to him: he was unable to prevent his wife's death; his disapproval of Morris could prove deadly to Catherine.

Catherine and Morris decide to tell Dr. Sloper of their decision to marry. Catherine informs her father of her engagement to Morris, who is waiting outside to plead his case. Dr. Sloper and Morris argue heatedly, and Dr. Sloper refuses to give his approval. They part angrily.

Act II: Lavinia advises Catherine to elope with Morris at once. But arranging a secret ceremony is no simple matter, and winter is so picturesque-she counsels Catherine to wait.

Dr. Sloper harangues Mrs. Montgomery, Morris's sister, till she confesses that Morris is shallow and selfish, as he suspects. She warns him not to let his daughter marry Morris.

Morris asks Catherine to marry him at once. She warns him that her father will disinherit her. He asks her to be clever and charmingly feminine, in a daughterly way: perhaps Dr. Sloper will still give them his blessing. Nervously, Catherine informs her father she plans to marry Morris in the immediate future. He asks her to wait for half a year, and to take a trip with him through Europe in the interim. She agrees.

Marian and Arthur's wedding reception is in progress in the parlor. After joining in a wedding hymn, Morris urges Catherine to win her father's approval of their marriage: perhaps in Venice, on a moonlit night. Morris toasts Father and Daughter in such florid language Dr. Sloper loses his temper, and the wedding reception disintegrates into a family fracas. Marian, in a rage, hurls down her wedding bouquet. Morris retrieves it, and presents it to Catherine, suavely wishing her "Bon Voyage."

Act III: In Venice, Catherine writes to Morris, as, simultaneously, Dr. Sloper writes to his sister Elizabeth. His attitude to Morris hasn't softened. In Dr. Sloper's study, Morris and Lavinia read Catherine's letter. Morris is discouraged-his prospects of gaining access to her fortune remain slight. Drunkenly, he brags of his past amours. Lavinia dictates a final letter to him: instructions to Catherine to help her win her father's consent. In Venice, Catherine reads the letter. Dr. Sloper takes it from her, reads the instructions, and with icy fury, turns on Catherine. She realizes her father has never loved her.

Lavinia preens in a cashmere shawl, a coming-home gift from Catherine, who shows off her wedding veil. Morris comes to call, and Catherine embraces him happily. When he learns that Dr. Sloper is still against their marriage, he leaves abruptly "on business."

Catherine returns home, after a mysterious absence, and asks Lavinia where Morris is-why has he left town? Lavinia Drops hints about "a separation," and Catherine sees she's been jilted. Baiting her, Dr. Sloper asks her when she intends to leave his house. She confesses her engagement to Morris has been broken off. Alone, she traces her way through her longing for Morris, past her wishful imagining into a loveless present, and she faces up to the fact of her solitude. Free of manipulative men, she resolves to begin to become herself.

Epilogue: Twenty years have passed. Lavinia complains to Marian and Arthur how unfair Dr. Sloper's will was to Catherine. The information slips that Morris is coming to call, unbeknownst to Catherine. Arthur insists on leaving, but Marian wants to stay. After a marital spat, they both leave. Catherine enters, perplexed by Marian's mention of Morris; Lavinia confesses she has invited him. The doorbell rings. Transformed into a fat, balding nonentity, Morris asks her to forget the past. Catherine serenely spurns his advances, and bids him good evening. Catherine sings a fragment of "First Love": "I recall the day my innocent heart…," and then contentedly sits down in "her" chair.