[2] Productions in a further seven cities followed (including Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Leipzig),[3] but critical response was mixed and, together with changing audience tastes and the complexity of the score, the work failed to maintain its place in the repertoire.

Lola tells him the story of the curse surrounding the castle which for generations has led each of its inhabitants to rape a woman and soon afterwards die insane.

The Miller, Eva’s father, tells the local Priest that his mill burned down during the night, the latest in a series of arson attacks that seem to happen at the same time every year.

Sensing the onset of the madness, Peter implores Eva not to dance at the wedding and pleads with his mother to bind him in chains.

During the wedding festivities, Peter escapes from the house and attempts to force himself upon Eva but is overcome and strangled by Heinrich just as Christobald sends the castle up in flames.