The Story:
In Act 1, Rasputin has just returned from three years of wandering as a pilgrim, seeking the “mysterious death” that leads to reincarnation as the Savior, a belief held by the sect known as the Khlysty in spite of official prohibition. We witness a furtive meeting of this sect, with chanting, dancing, developing into an orgy in keeping with Rasputin’s teaching that sin is the way to Salvation. Then we hear a choir from the orthodox Church and meet Iliodore, the monk whose hatred of Rasputin is a recurring theme.
In Act 1, Rasputin has just returned from three years of wandering as a pilgrim, seeking the “mysterious death” that leads to reincarnation as the Savior, a belief held by the sect known as the Khlysty in spite of official prohibition. We witness a furtive meeting of this sect, with chanting, dancing, developing into an orgy in keeping with Rasputin’s teaching that sin is the way to Salvation. Then we hear a choir from the orthodox Church and meet Iliodore, the monk whose hatred of Rasputin is a recurring theme.
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Click to hear an MP3 file containing a short excerpt from Act 1. (1.07MB, 1m39s)
Peasant woman: No one can look at him without .... 2nd woman: Follow indeed! They follow him into the woods, that’s where! And there he wastes no time in “redeeming” them. Peasant woman: But have you met him yourself? I doubted, as you, until I came to his crypt. In a moment I was changed. I could no longer see through my own eyes. He said I saw through the eyes of God! Go to him! You will learn |