In the second act the pilgrims arrive at Sidenbourne. Dame
Margery helps the lovers to escape, and taking Cicely's place receives
the vows and sighs of her husband. In the third act the lovers have been
overtaken and caught by the irate Geoffrey, and Hubert is dragged to
trial before Sir Christopher. After an amusing trial scene, the knight
discovers that Cicely is one of the culprits, and at once pardons them
both. Geoffrey is persuaded to forgive the young couple, and all ends
happily, Stanford's music is a happy compromise between old and new. In
his use of guiding themes, and in his contrapuntal treatment of the
orchestra he follows Wagner, but his employment of new devices is
tempered by due regard for established tradition. He is happiest in
dealing with humorous situations, and in the lighter parts of the opera
his music has a bustling gaiety which fits the situation very happily.
In the more passionate scenes he is less at home, and the love duet in
particular is by no means entirely satisfactory. Stanford's next work,
'Savonarola,' was performed in London for the first time by a German
company under Dr. Hans Richter in 1884. Interesting as much of the music
is, the performance was not successful, partly owing to the almost
unmitigated gloom of the libretto. Far the best part of the work, both
musically and dramatically, is the prologue, which tells of the love of
Savonarola for Clarice, of her marriage, and of his renouncement of the
world.
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