Planetaria (Excerpt)
by chinkeeyong
Status: Public

This is an excerpt from a famous Solphosian opera, Planetaria. It was written by the librettist and composer Tristitas approximately a century prior to the present time, and revolves around the semi-mythical downfall of the Corindian Empire. Today it is considered one of the great classics of the Sophist canon.

Scenes I and II of Act I of Planetaria are presented here.



DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The Hierophant, who bears the Winged Staff
Death, a hunchbacked Titan
Sulfur, a Halitus of Phlogiston
Mercury, an Ooze of Quicksilver
Natron, a Golem of Calx

Air, who bears a Sword
Water, who bears a Vase
Fire, who bears a Stylus
Earth, who bears a Clock

A Chorus Metallis (comprising the Seven)

ACT I

ANCIENT KARDIAPOLIS. An illusory tableau of the heart of the Empire, at its height of glory. The shackled aurorae glimmer star-like in magnificent closed circles. CAIES, the glyph of exaltation, lies ascendant upon the stage.

SCENE I

AIR, WATER, FIRE, EARTH, and the CHORUS METALLIS enter the balcony. The Elements stand united while the Metals frame them. Slowly, the orchestra begins to play, and the frozen tableau begins to move.




The HIEROPHANT enters stage left, and the crowd parts for her.

ELEMENTS:
O Reason! Your journey has taken you far!
Across the aeons you stride unseen,
Queen of our domain.


ELEMENTS:
Your thousand wisdoms see all things to come,
And all that has passed, and all things between,
Queen of our domain.


The Hierophant has reached stage center, where she silently regards the audience.

ELEMENTS:
Your blessings on the song of the Primes,
on works, on every deserving Opus,
To stand the test of time.


ELEMENTS:
Lend your sight that pierces lies,
with your staff Azoth, pray shatter
All the mists of time.


ELEMENTS:
Pray tell, pray tell,
The history closed to our eyes.
Pray tell, pray tell,
The time that lies outside of time.


ELEMENTS:
The celestial words, the unseen land.


ELEMENTS:
Within the shadows, the guiding hand.


The Hierophant raises her staff, and there is silence.



The Hierophant spins the Winged Staff. Earth reverses the clock he bears, and the scene changes to the time of the Dark Age.


The Hierophant's staff illuminates the ceiling of the opera house, where DEATH is lurking above the audience.


Death raises its hand and all the periocha of Kardiapolis die.

SCENE II

Death rises into the ceiling and descends stage center, up-stage from the Hierophant. The Elements descend from the balcony. Fire and Water enter stage left; Earth and Air enter stage right.

Recitative

HIEROPHANT:
What manner of creature brings death to Kardiapolis?

EARTH:
It is alien of musculature.

FIRE:
It is an affront to creation.

WATER:
It defies understanding.

AIR:
It is not of this world.

HIEROPHANT:
You are not of this world.

DEATH:
Ha!
I have walked many worlds.
I have seen a thousand thousand suns burn into nothing.
The planetes, the wanderers are above such petty things.

HIEROPHANT:
You speak of the dimensions.

DEATH:
Perhaps I do.
Who is to know?

HIEROPHANT:
I must know.

AIR:
Beware, Hierophant.
Reason not with the interloper, for there is not a wisp of reason in its being.

EARTH:
You will be unraveled.

Death laughs.

DEATH:
I will destroy you and your Empire.
You will be ground into dust.

HIEROPHANT:
I will not go gently.

DEATH:
Why resist?
I have laid waste to a myriad worlds.
Your Empire is in tatters.
To end it would be mercy.

HIEROPHANT:
Never.
Let my world go free.

DEATH:
I am Calamity.
You cannot stop me.

HIEROPHANT:
You presume that I stand alone.

SULFUR, MERCURY, and NATRON, avatars of the THREE PRIMES, appear surrounding Death.

Trinitas

PRIMES:
We heed your call.



PRIMES:
To safeguard all.




PRIMES:
We rally to ye.

ELEMENTS:
They rally to ye.

SULFUR:
You who would destroy this world
Know not the powers you'd unleash,
Nor worldly bindings untether.
Hubris will be your undoing,
Destroyer, your own strength
Rebounded endlessly upon you.


MERCURY:
Folly to besiege this world.
Our sword is deadly Knowledge,
Armed and tempered by Time.
Words unspoken will bind you,
Hold you at mercy of Reason,
And to nothing dissolve you.


NATRON:
Turn back now, Death, back from this world.
We are the firmament that binds,
For the paint, canvas in kind.
You would fight every corpuscle,
Wage war against our ageless spires
Though we'd ever outlast you.


PRIMES:
Turn back now, Death, back from this world.
Or face death you shall.

Recitative

HIEROPHANT:
You see now the magnitude of your task.

DEATH:
Indeed.
I will relish this contest.

HIEROPHANT:
You still proceed?

DEATH:
I still proceed.

ELEMENTS:
It still proceeds, Hierophant.

HIEROPHANT:
Then come and try.
Reason dictates you will fail.
If you best my challengers, against all odds, then I without regrets face the sword.

ELEMENTS:
Face the sword.

HIEROPHANT:
Face the sword, and consign this world to extinction.
For if the bedrock of Reason is no more, there is no more left to Reason.

Death laughs.

DEATH:
An agreeable game.
Then gird yourself, Hierophant.
Ensure your readiness to face my challenge.

ELEMENTS:
Its challenge.

DEATH:
My challenge comes.

DEATH AND CHORUS:
Soon...

Death rises into the rafters and exits. The Hierophant watches him depart.

HIEROPHANT:
Soon.

All exit. Curtains.

I'm starting to compose this and wanted an easy-to-locate place to store range information while I do.