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Amahl
Synopsis
Outside a bare cottage in the hills above the road to Bethlehem,
a young crippled shepherd boy plays his pipe and star-gazes. His mother calls
him, and he comes inside breathless with news of a great star overhead. Bitter
and skeptical of his tall tales, she worries about their poverty. Amahl soothes
her with his dreams of the joys of a footloose beggar's life. They are settling
in to sleep when, far in the distance, a slow, exotic procession makes its way
towards the house. There is a knock at the door. Amahl limps to open it, slams
it quickly, and runs back to his mother with the news: "There is a king with a
crown!" She is, once again, skeptical. Another trip to the door reveals a second
king, and a third trip all three. The mother, furious at Amahl's tale-telling,
opens the door herself....and greets three splendid kings and their page,
bearing dazzling treasures and seeking shelter. Amahl and their guests get
acquainted: gentle Melchior, wise black Balthazar, and Kaspar, slightly addled
and deaf as a post. Kaspar shows Amahl his box of magic stones.
The
mother is entranced by the gifts, which Melchior explains are for the Child. She
thinks of her own child, and the kings and mother weave a quartet of contrasts:
"The Child we seek has the moon and the stars at His feet," sing the kings,
while the mother sighs "...but no one will bring him incense or gold, though
sick and poor and hungry and cold." Neighboring shepherds arrive bearing gifts
of food, then dance for the royal guests. All bid good night, and the shepherds
leave the kings to sleep. Only the mother remains awake, staring at the gold and
meditating "Oh, what I could do for my child with that gold!" Desperate, she
reaches furtively for a handful of gold when the page awakes shouting "Thief!"
Amahl limps to his mother's aid crying "Don't you dare hurt my mother!" then
collapses in tears. Moved, Melchior offers to let them keep the gold: "The Child
we seek doesn't need our gold. On love alone He will build his kingdom." Even
Amahl is won over by the hope of a child-saviour and offers a gift of his own:
his crutch. As he reaches out with the crutch, he steps forward, miraculously
cured. Awe, jubilation and praise follow, and Amahl begs to go with the kings to
offer his gift in person. He and the mother part, and as Amahl rides into the
night with his new friends, he once again takes up his pipe and
plays.
Nancy Coons