Astrolabe

The opera is based on the scandal that gave rise to the phrase “Por bem” and the Sala das Pegas in the Palace of Sintra. Queen D. Filipa, a disciple of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and very intelligent, refuses to allow the incident to have more serious repercussions.

Prologue: Filipa dreams, remembering what she learned from her master, Chaucer.

Scene 1: She is in the room singing to her child (the lullaby melody is derived from Marie’s Song from Wozzeck).

Scene 2: Suddenly, the Queen’s three ladies (Susana, Matilda, and Etelvina) interrupt the calm, abruptly recounting that the king was caught kissing a lady of the court and that it is a scandal. Filipa responds by asking them to remain calm.

Scene 3: Filipa is alone, shaken, trying to understand everything that happened.

Scene 4: Matilda, her English lady-in-waiting, who is almost a friend, enters. They talk. The need to support Matilda strengthens Filipa’s spirit.
There is a small interlude with a flute solo.

Scene 5:The King enters and tries to apologise; his attempts are pathetic in the face of her strong attitude.

Scene 6: Filipa prays; in a dream, she speaks with Father William. The problem is minimised before the immensity of the world and religion.

Scene 7: Filipa sings to her child again. D. João enters, and the two decide to carry on without making more of it.

Epilogue: Filipa again recalls Chaucer’s teachings, through the three female voices (a reference to the three female voices in German opera…)