Camille Saint-Saën's one act opera was composed a decade or so before Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, and reflects a similar degree of western fascination with eastern exoticism. The featherlight story, which is more of a scenario, sees a young student drink absinthe in the hope of enjoying visions of Ming, the Japanese object of his affection.
SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM on March 17, 2017