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Leader (1850-1860), 17th May 1851, Edition Town of 1, Page 470, Untitled Article

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      dialogue may move amidst mere mediocrities , rising occasionally into hnmour , and the Comedy , nevertheless , be sparkling , animated , amusing . Take your subject out of Life , as we all know it , take your characters from reality , construct your story with the severity demanded by dramatic art , and you may safely dispense with wit ; I do not say that wit—if you have it—will not be & , charm the more , but I say that it is an exquisite superfluity : it is at the best , no more than the flying buttress to the building .

      The French writers , at any rate , have always bestowed their labour upon the perfection of the construction and the representation of character rather than upon witty dialogue ; perhaps , because wit is so abundant in France . The result is appreciable whenever we see their comedies . Our dramatists , on the contrary ( with the single exception of Bulwer , who fortunately cannot be witty , and , therefore , is forced to throw his strength

      elsewhere ) , have the Congreve model before them , and are nothing if not epigrammatic : any materials , however carelessly gathered , are thought good enough so that the " jokes" be abundant Constructing a story as the development of some idea—grouping around that the characters which will most clearly set it forth—and subordinating the writer to the dramatist—these are processes which , however necessary , our dramatists disdain or overlook .

      But I need not lecture . Scribe ' s two comedies are there to prove the force of what I can but vaguely intimate . What gaiety , what comedy there is in La Camaraderie , and how little wit ! Is not the subject one taken from the breathing realities around us ? Do we not all recognize the wholesome satire of cliquishness , and recognize , moreover , how Scribe has arranged all his lights so that their rays converge towards his central purpose , — how , in short , he has worked up a mere * ' notion " into a work of " art "; Une Chaine — though less gay , trenching , indeed , upon the painful , but never overstepping the boundaries of comedy—is also a study of construction . How admirable the idea ! A voun « r composer has formed a liaison with a great

      lady . She " pushes" him in " the world . " She fosters his reputation . Happy man ! lucky dog A countess at his feet—" the world" attentive to him—iOVe and glory mingling in one ! So thinks many a " neglected genius " who would fain be " recognized . " There cannot be a greater mistake . As to reputation I will say nothing for the present , I have only to direct your attention to the point illustrated by the dramatist , viz ., the destruction of that young man ' s happiness by this very liaison . A chain is round his neck ; no matter if it be golden , you cannot gild the slavery ; this Countess who has made his reputation will not hear of his marriage—he loves his young and pretty cousin , rich and loving , —but there is a chain round his neck ! The exhibition of that

      social position , its dangers and inconveniences , Scribe has given in Une Chaine ; and whoever wishes to see the economy of means in the production of effect should analyze this piece . Take away Hegnier and Lafont , and the piece was indifferently acted . M . Francisque , who has the grotesque pretension of playing the lovers , is absolutely intolerable—bad as our stage is in that

      department , we can show nothing so bad . But Regnier and Lafont cover a multitude of sins . The gaiety , verve , nature , and intelligence of Itegnier , and the gentlemanly ease and quiet of Lafont we shall seek in vain for on our own stage . This is , unhappily , Regnier ' s last week ! Ravel , we hope to shout at noon ; and for Rachel we have only a fortnight to wait ! One fortnight ! " Gallop apace , ye fieryfooted steeds . "

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      KKNSINUTON GARDENS . Do you ever follow women , pursue them through the winding crowd , now losing night of them , now on tin ; track again , till they finally bailie you ?—or follow them till they meet their brothers ? Do you ever devote ; your listless days to that exciting and not perilous steeplechase ? A certain tournurt arrests your eye and quickens your steps . liy George , what a woman ! you mentally

      exclaimand a vision of ripe five ami-twenty , with the lingering freshness of Youth just vanishing into the accomplished coquetry of experienced Beauty , rises before your mind ' s eye—and you turn your head to gaze on a woman who might be—your good mother ! Mutton dressed like lamb ! Or perhaps you are more fortunate -tlu ; face is beaming , bright , and roguish—your glance is met b y liquid tenderness , through which a mnile is peering . You followand get into a scrape , . lust as Frank Traill did .

      He is an inveterate lady-hunter : Un Monsieur qux suit les dames ! Kensington Gardens is a regular battue for him ; and he there picks up little scraps of intelligence , as well as flirtation , which enable him to turn the tables on those who laugh at him when he does get into a scrape—as we see in the second act . In brief , Robert Brough ' s Kensington Gardens ( at the Strand Theatre ) is a lively little piece , taken from the French , and setting forth the hedges and ditches in that ladies * steeplechase I before alluded to . The dialogue has an airy gaiety which unhappily seems lost upon the actors , who know not how to render it with effect . But the piece succeeds in spite of the acting ; e ' est beaucoup dire ! Vivian .

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      LA DONNA DEL LAGO . Crowded houses two nights running open a prospect of something like the realization of those anticipations which every one formed of this season . Even the Exhibition must lose its gloss of novelty , and then the public will remember that Rossini has written music , and that Mario , Grisi , Tamberlik , are here to sing it . To musical organizations , La Donna del Lago was a treat ; not that the patchwork opera will stand criticism ; but it contains such wonderful writing , and was so wonderfully executed , that , after a course of Donizetti and Alary , the sense of delight overpowers criticism . Unluckily for me , I did not see Grisi as Elena ; on Tuesday she gave up the part to Castellan , who did her best 5 but her best is nothing to Grisi ' s worst . Castellan looked very pretty , and sang well ; those who are among her great admirers will say she was perfect . But it is impossible that I , who demand expression above all things , could ever be seduced by her plaintive dulcetness into genuine admiration . Angri played Malcolm Groeme with fire and discrimination . Her singing is more refined than it was , without losing the energy which delighted every one ; she has become steadier in cantabile , and more certain in fiorituri . Mario warbled with

      his accustomed and incomparable finish and sweetness ; Tamberlik startled the house as usual with his energy and execution , drawing forth a rapturous encore to the cavatina from Zelmira , bis voice telling with amazing effect in the concerted pieces , and rising in the chorusses above orchestra and chorus with a piercing beauty no words can describe . The orchestra was perfect . Often as Costa mustbepraised

      for the brilliancy , precision , delicacy , and power of his orchestra , until one is almost tired of saying the same thing , yet never , 1 fancy , did he deserve the lavish praises more thoroughly than on this occasion . I could sit out the evening and listen to nothing but accompaniments so executed . The chorusess also—though less satisfactory by reason of the untameable vulgarity of some of the voiceswent oil' with fine precision and effect .

      DON" GIOVANNI . There is no opera more certain of drawing ; a good audience than Don Giovanni . Accordingly Her Majesty ' s Theatre was crowded on Thursday , as it deserved to be . What can be said of this opera ? What phrase has not been studied a thousand times—what motive has not been examined , criticised , enjoyed ? It is familiar as household words , and yet eternally fresh !

      The execution was in many respects such as to suffice even the exigences of severe criticism . I never saw Sontag to such advantage as in Zerlina . The coy coquetry of her Ld , ci daremthe winning playfulness and tenderness of her " Batti , batti " ( though she slackened the tempo of the allegro , " Pace , pace , o vita mia ! " so as to damage the effect of contrast , and the gushing joy which Mozart has thrown out there ) , and the perfect vocalization of " Vedrai carino , " won for her three enthusiastic encores . She was in charming voice , and Hang like an accomplished musician . Fiorentini , as Donna Anna , wanted life and dramatic expression as usual ; hut Hang with unwonted vigour the

      ( liflicult recitative in which she describes the murder of her father . What a voice she has Jf any one would hut teach her to act Lahlache was , as usual , a droll and delightful Leporello : his " Madaininu il catalogo " being as good as ever 1 remember it . Coletti ia too heavy —voice and manner—for the gay libertine ; and Calzolari is not equal to such a part as Oltavio . Giuliani was a good Mlvira . There were aoine unnecessary omissionH , and Mr . Balfc's hurrying of the tempo in many places iniiNt " make the judicious grieve "; but on the whole the performance was capital , and deserved its applause . I forgot to say that ( larlotta and Ferraris danced the Minuet

      and Saraband in the ball scene j and that the choruses , though not perfect , were much stronger and steadier than last year .

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      Unable to go to the Princess ' s on Wednesday to see Visitors to the Exhibition Accommodated , we must content ourselves with the critique of the Times : — " The notion , caught up with such avidity by our caricaturists , that one effect of the ' Great Exhibition' would be the frequent assemblage of a great number of heterogeneous foreigners beneath the roof of a single lodging-house , has been embodied in a dramatic form by the younger Mr . Brough . A commercial traveller ' s wife , during the absence of her kusband , has let her house to all sorts of outlandish , occupants , including a Yankee , a Red Indian , a who stowed

      Frenchman , and a Highlander , are away in the most uninviting parts of the premises , such as the chimney , the dog-kennel , and so forth . The husband , when he returns , is disgusted with the presence of the strange company , and the absence of his usual comforts , and at last gets rid of the nuisance by raising an alarm of fire . The chief drollery of the piece consists in the exhibition of those scenes of inconvenience , which , though made familiar by pictorial ait , are new to the stage . The piece met the greatest success which the author of an extravaganza could desire . A continued shout of laughter followed its progress from , beginning to end , and a roar of applause marked its termination . "

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      SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY . The very finest performance , in many respects , ever yet given of Mendelssohn ' s magnificent oratorio " Elijah , " took place at Exeter-hall on Friday , the 2 nd of May . The choral and instrumental forces appeared determined to redeem the character of our nation , and to prove that in our metropolis we could afford them as fine an interpretation of the works of the most celebrated masters as could be desired or exhibited on the face of the earth .

      The choral recitative , " The deeps afford no water , " was concluded , mirabile dictu , perfectly in tune , but the treble notes of the organ were used to assist the voices ; an interpolation for which we are indebted to the safe and discriminating taste of Mr . Brownsrnith . Why was this never thought of before ? The commencement of the duet , " Zion spreadeth , " would then never have had the grating effect which it has always hitherto inflicted upon the

      ear . In the present instance the whole chorus was magnificently executed , and the duet was remarkably well sung- by Miss Eliza Birch and Miss Williams . Sims Reeves ( his first appearance since his return from Paris ) was enthusiastically received , and sang the tenor music delightfully , though it will bear continued study . He had evidently reread his music since we last heard him , and produced in some of the recitatives novel and most

      happy effects . We regret that this otherwise perfect performance was slightly marred by what we cannot help denouncing as an ignoble pandering to fashionable prejudice . We are at a loss to imagine why the Sacred Harmonic Society should consider it necessary to have catching names amongst their principals in order to draw a full audience to hear such a work as " Elijah . " We have the highest regard for Miss Catherine Hayes as a vocalist , but she must herself feel that she is unequal to such music , and , being comparatively unaccustomed to oratorio performances , the completeness of the rendering is endangered . The last time we heard her in this

      work she seemed to have overlooked in the study the last small soprano recitative ( No 40 ) , and to be reading it at sight . On Friday the notes were correct enough , but the " recitative" does not begin till the ninth bar , and by her singing the preceding eigjht bars in recitative the band waa at variance with the singer . Mr . Costa ' s admirable tact , however , noon restored order , llerr Formes declaimed with great spirit and energy , but in two instances Hang major instead of minor intervals—errors which the great power of his voice rendered more glaring . In one instance Mr . Costa was obliged to retard the commencing minor phrase in the orchestra after one of these altered recitatives , that the > defect might he less observed .

      Miss Hayes and llerr I'ormcu are delightful in theiir places—the opera or concert-room ; hut it " m perfectly absurd to expect them to produce a proper elltjct in what ia foreign to them ; one being no more qualified to sing in f tnglish at a . l than the other to attack music for which she has not the physique . There are some of our FnglLsh vocalists , both bass and soprano , yet to he tried in the music of Klijah . " If the parts must he changed why cannot they have a hearing ?

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      470 « U * QLtrttV . [ Saturday ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 17, 1851, page 470, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1883/page/18/