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Leader (1850-1860), 1st May 1852, Edition Country of 2, Page 20, THE SUMMER EXHIBITIONS. THE WATER CO&OTJ...

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      French Plays. It Was A Treat To See' Reg...

      the heartiness , the effectiveness , ami the humour pervading ™ f , f 7 Ttaeiai good dramatic ' < invention" in Mind your own l ^ siMess , amidst iuXthaf is the common proper ^ of ^ e tage : ^* t ^^^ f effective exhibitions of that invention . Verdon lumself is a rare _ bit of painting , only marred by the want of truth in the denouement ^ It is aU v ^ rv w ell for a man to say " What light is this breaksin P" and by the aid of that light suddenly discover that he has not loved the woman whose marriage with another broke his heart , unsettled his reason , and made him a brute and a sot , —to say that this passion was all the while a love for her sister who didn't reject him , but loved him in silence : dramatic lights that '' break in" at the close of a piece have peculiar properties ( is not ¦ PnoLlinn , converted to Christianity in I Martiri , bj the sudden appearance

      of a dirty and disreputable sunbeam across the flats ?) but no audience will be brought to believe t / iat . I regret this , because Verdon is really a fine character , touched with a true dramatic hand , and affording the actor immense scope , of which Webster availed himself . His performance was natural , deeply affecting , and varied by skilful lights and shadows . I cannot tell you the story ; go and see the piece ; its faults are very forgettable , its excellencies are memorable . Keeley as the footman Smith , sublimated by money and marriage into Smythe , keeps the audience ma roar , and the effect of his acting is heightened by juxtaposition with Buckstone , who plays a faint version of Paul Pry , always minding other people s business and neglecting his own . Mrs . Stirling and Miss "Reynolds make the most ofL trifling parts . The dresses were good , the scenery pitiable , —rand not new .

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      Notes Theateical. On Issuing From The Di...

      NOTES THEATEICAL . On issuing from the Diorama of " Wellington ' s Campaigns , " one of our wits suggested that Messrs . Grieve should paint acompanionto it— " Bunn s Engagements . " Certainly Drury Lane ought not to be allowed to pass without some record . I beg to move that a collection of the " Bills" be deposited in some impregnable and incombustible place , that coming generations may know the resources of the English language , and the spirit and invention of English , enterprise . One of my correspondents with a naivete perfectly charming , wants to know why " Vivian does not give us the benefit of his opinion on the Brury Lane performances . " Is not that impayable—priceless P Imagine my witnessing one of those performances ! At my age ! No , excellent , but innocent Constant Reader , I have not courage enough for thai—but I read Bunn ' s play-bills , and I assure you , if the performances were likely to be half as amusing , I should not have imitated a discerning public , and carefully stayed away . . At the Marionettes ther § are some Ethiopian Puppets whose acquaintance I advise you to cultivate ; the splendour of . the decorations in Aladdin is something quite noticeable . I fancy most people prefer the puppets to the-legitimate drama , which now raises its head at the Pein-« cess ' s with . Charles Kean , at the Maeylebone with James Anderson , and at the Olympic with Henry Farren . Poor Legitimate Drama ! " E ' en in its ashes lives its—want of fire . " What rage is it possesses actors to play Shakespeare at all hazards P No sooner does a man discover that he has a strident voice and vigorous lungs than the page of Shakespeare flies open , and thus Brown , who would have been useful in the blood and thunder line , is wretched unless the public think him a " Shakespearian actor . " Vivian .

      Musical Gatherings. As I Was, Officially...

      MUSICAL GATHERINGS . As I was , officially at least , present on this occasion onl y as the critique Uond of " Vivian , " for whose " figurations" any remarks of mine would be a very sorry substitute , I shall only say that I " assisted at" the first performance of the new QUARTETT ASSOCIATION . on Wednesday , at Willis ' s Rooms , and that it was an admirable introduction of a series that promises to be as delightful as instructive to those who come to enjoy , and to those who come to learn and to enjoy . For is not Beethoven , or Cherubini , or Mendelssohn , " interpreted" ( to use a big word ) by such a quatuor as Sainton , Piatti , Cooper , and Hill , a " liberal education , " as well as a liberal feast P You know , or ought to know , the fire and brilliancy , the vigour and the passion , of the one ; the purity of tone , and the sentiment so delicate and refined of another ; the correct feeling and careful grace of a third ; and the modest mastery of the fourth j you know them as brothers together in that glorious . band of Costa ' s t hero we find them , seated at a table for a moment of repose , eniovinjr and giving enioyment to a select company of listeners , as they

      discourse the utterances of the lords of harmony . Jleally , no meetings are so truly onjoyablo as those ; whoro the company is rare in numbers and in taste , the room spacious and cool , the Boats comfortable , and the attention not exhausted by a dreary surfeit of sweet sounds , but rather is poisod , sustained , and tranquillized . By tho aid of the excellent analytical programme supplied by Mr . Macfarren , I might , space permitting , venturo into more detail ; but I am warned to be content with tolling you that wo heard Cherubini s grand quartett in E flat ( quite now to an English audionco ) , of which I can only mention the Schorzo , brimming over with sweot Andalusia ' s wilful mischiof and caprice , love—languor and dofiant coquetry : —then a most elotrant sonata duo , by Storndalo Bennett , played by Piatti

      ami-tho composer with a quiot unpretending certainty ol strength and a delicacy worthy of Mondoksplm ' s friend , and disciple;—a sumptuous q . uartotfc in E flat , of Mendelssohn's ( led by Cooper with a fooling that was quite infectious ) , and , aa a finale , a quarto tt in E minor of Beethoven's ( containing a grand adagio ) led by Sainton with that breadth , abandon , and decision , which diefcinguiHli tho first violin of the [ Royal Italian opera . Altogether , a most delightful meeting . May it be tho first of many ! And I " left off with an appotito ; " for at oight o ' clock behold mo again ono of a vast audience in Exeter Hall , at tho invitation of

      THE NEW rniLHAKMONIO SOCIETY , Hpollbound by that sorcoror , Hoctor Borlioz ; . It was tho first time I had hoard hia " Jtomooand Juliot , " and I considor it an event in my musipal

      life . lib was a revelation . Talk about genius ! Xdon't know whatis genius if it is not in thiss dramatic syjnphbny : of Elector JBerlioz . "STou , cannot expect me to begin canting about the legitimate classical school , as the eminent tragedians of Pbrtman Market and the " Grecian " - do about the legitimate drama , or as musical itmateurs , who sleep first and go into raptures afterwards , are wont to do ;; -- 'i : s i ^ p ly ; a 8 lc ^ y 6 u--wiat ;^ iMifeii | 5 i-- |(^ ought to be ? If that be thehighest music which teansports niy ttptights beyond the reach of human language , which fills ine as Ilisten . with intense aspirations , which stirs the very depths of my being , which wafts me away entranced on waves of mysterious harmony , which to hear is at once a pang , a wonder , and . a joy , then I say is this symphony of Hector

      Berlioz a creation of genius . Suppose he departs from all rule , sets every precedent at defiance , and emancipates himself from every tradition 7—what do I care ! . , Is there Conservatism in art as in politics , or an orthodoxy in music as in religion P Hector Berlioz has all the Science and the learning of the past on his back , and . lie is bearing them away into undiscovered regions of wealth and beauty . How lie sways that tempestuous sea of souncl ; how he raises and stills the billows of harmony ; how he rules the thunder of the basses and rides on the whirlwind of the violins I But his music must be heard many times , to he perceived ; at first , one seems to wander in a wilderness of beauty . But for intensity of passion * whatcan surpass the lament of the lovers ; for wild prodigal fancy , what the dance of Queen

      MabP ¦ . . . , ¦ , ¦ ¦; . - . ¦ . . . .-, : ¦¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦ I can Only glance here at this mine of wealth . Certain I am that throughout the apparent recklessness and disorder reigns a most consummate symmetry , which one hearing ° Pi y ^^ discloses . But I am not surprised , at the comparative isplation of Berlioz as a composer , Ife is happy to liave lived to reap the firstfruits of $ . genius which will shed light and warmth on after generations . It is ah ^^ honour to England to have saluted him as that vast audience , in Exeter Hall , did on Wednesday evening . , ¦¦ ¦ ' What shall I say of Madame Pleyel , or o ^ the immense reception that greeted her appearance on the platform- ¦ ¦ "¦ *¦ Looking more proudly , more disdainfully beautiful than ever , with that sculpturesque form and queenly air . As she sat down to . the piano , after twice bowingto the audience and to the orchestra with , classic dignity , a sort of electric sympathy seemed to pass from her to the instrument : we felt tbe notes before she touched them , and then she begaii the Concert Stuck , as if it were a spontaneous inspiration . Allow me here ( in the absence of "Vivian ) to give you the words of the solid and brilliant critic of the Times ; to whom , as tie British elector who followed Burke ' s oration , I say ditto , ,

      In weighing the claims of this wonderful artist , comparison is out of the question . Madame Pleyel is incontest ably the best pianist in Europe . There are other players of distinguished merit , each of wboin has a speciality , each of whom excels in some particular way that defines his idiosyncrasy ; hut Madame Pleyel is one of the few whose rare gifts place them above and wholly apart from thejest . The instrument upon which she performs is her language . She plays with a facility that presents no trace of study or preconsideration . The ars celare artem was never exemplified to more entire perfection . In respect of mechanism Madame Pleyel has acquired all that method can demonstrate , and assiduous practice insure . Her tone , powerful , rich , and completely under control , is susceptible of

      every gradation of intensity , without deteriorating from its quality . In passages of the utmost rapidity she can subdue it , with ease , to the softest pianissimo . In the management of the crescendo and diminuendo ( the gradual increase and diminution of force ) she stands alone , and ( Mendelssohn excepted ) we can remember no pianist who has approached her in this peculiarity . Her stylo is full of fire and impetuosity contrasted , when necessary , by the greatest delicacy and refinement . In the delivery of passionate phrases she displays an abandon and a depth ot expression which leave nothing to be desired j the ear , the judgment , and the feelings are equally satisfied . We have heard the majority of the renowned " virtuosi , " from Liszt and Littolf to the late Madame Dulelcen , attempt the Concert-stuck of Weber , but not one of them ever entered into it heart and soul ,

      and ( without taking liberties with tho text ) executed it with such perfection as Madame Pleyel . She plays it , as she does everything else , from memory , and with . so much ease and nonchalance that her performance , but for the symmetrical beauty of tho composition itself , would have all the appearance of a masterly improvisation . To leave details , Madame Pleyel ' s execution of the Concert-stuck was worthy of her fame , and fully justified the eulogy of the eccentric and exclusive Liszt , who , forgetting his own pretensions in the enthusiasm of the moment , alt ? r one of Madame Pleyel ' s performances , declared that she was not " la plus grande pianiste , " but " le plus grand pinnisto" in tho world . This , after all , in mw « tho most comprehensive and succinct , as it is unquestionably tho justest tribute to so prodigious a talent . Madame Ployel , in fact , is a gonius , not a pianoforte

      player . . ., The rest of the concert was of very secondary interest , though it comprised tho magnificont overtures of Egmont and JEwyanthe , splendiciiy given by the orchestra . The gentleman , however , who acted aa deputy x M . Berlioz , in conducting the latter overture , has to loam a little moro sobriety in the use of his hair , his shoulders , and his legs ; and to r ? r " ber that it is not tho business of the conductor to bo carried away by wj » orchostra , but to control it—to conduct ft like a master , not iilco a Erinnys . Tho selection from the Vestale was cold , and not very comI 0 7 " ably sung } the old air of Gluck was too abrupt a change wnmocliatoiy after Romeo and Juliet ; it was , to compare groat with small , l" ™* minuot after a mazurka . On tho whole , it was a concert for wlucn . w audience had reason , to bo grateful to the Now Philharmonic Sooioty . B Lifl Chat-Hpant .

      The Summer Exhibitions. The Water Co&Otj...

      THE SUMMER EXHIBITIONS . THE WATER CO & OTJB SOCIETY . . Tiuiee of the established exhibitions for tho summer have opened tbifl week , with what may bo callod tho established display of monC ' ^ senior is that of tho Wator Colour Society , small , compact , c < WV ' Tho names of tho principal artists , —Copley Fielding , 0 « Jlow , Pavid new , Alfred Taylor , the ffripps / W , Hunt , F . lewis ,---ftlmQst sufficei to 0 T » tt before you tho pictures themselves ; an , d to say tho truth , ne ^ tUer pi v «

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 1, 1852, page 20, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01051852/page/20/