Rasputin Act 2

The Story:

In Act 2, Tsar Nicholas and the Tsarina Alexandria lament their stressful life, and we learn of the incompetence and bureaucracy of the palace and the horrible affliction of their young son, who suffers from hemophilia.  Their friend Anna brings word of the miraculous healing powers of the holy man from Siberia, and he is invited to the palace, where he ministers to the boy.

Click to hear an MP3 file containing a short excerpt from Act 2. (1.0MB, 1m29s)

Palace official: I fear for Russia!  Ever since the massacre at the Winter Palace, where peaceful citizens were met with gunfire, the Tsar has been despised.  “The Bloody” they call him.  And the revolts!  In Moscow, Warsaw, Kiev, Odessa, and Kronstadt!  Whole villages have been shot, and still the unrest grows.  Nikolai is content with playing billiards, and the Empress with her needlework.

Click here to download another MP3 file containing an excerpt from Act 2. (2.07MB, 3m6s) (This was recorded with a live singer.)

Alexandria: Anastasia!  You were with the Duchess yesterday.  Did she say anything of this peasant?
Anastasia: Rasputin?  She spoke of nothing else!  He is a man of God, and teaches salvation wherever he goes.
AL: What does he look like?
ANA: She says he dresses like a peasant, rough cloth and large boots.  His hands are immense, with coarse fingers that one would expect in a man who worked at farming and tended horses.  He is tall, and his voice, when he addresses his followers, is rich and deep.  And his eyes!  And his eyes!
AL: Have you seen him yourself?
ANA: No, but Stana has.  She told me all about them.  They are like no other eyes in the world. He can look into your soul.  You can hide nothing from him.
AL: I am afraid of this man.
ANA: But in one glance you will lose your fear.  He is to be completely trusted.  Stana says he is of the Russian people, and wants only the well being of Russia.  (Repeat last solo.)