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    216 The Leader and Saturday Analyst. [Ma...

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    We should observe that the season promis...

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    Entertainments. I Ko\'\U English Ofkjia,...

    has not otaly very pleasingly arranged his subject for stage and musical purposes , but his libretto , free from the abominable superfluity that makes weeping critic ' s shout for " the knife "— -not , good reader , to truncate the author , but his verse—If not equal to that of Mr . Leslie ' s late operetta , is on the whole a « far above libretto mediocrity as his accomr plished collaborateur ' s music is above the average of musical excellence .- — Premising that a superb overture preludes the opera , lefc us now give our reader a review of the action . The first scene is laid in a cavern on the Rhine , where , in common with Rhineberg ( Mr . Santley ); spirit-king , baritone , and a sort of subaqueous Prospero , who also keeps a Caliban and an Ariel of his own / we are apprised that Lurline ( Miss Louisa Pyne ) his fair daughter , has conceived a passion for a superjacent . mortal , Count Rudolph ; ( Mr , Harrison ) . The light thrown upon spirit life by both author and musician throughout their joint work is pleasing enough . The and

    Lorelei , though gifted with the power of a Circe , is a lovelorn maiden ; the Rhine-king is no tyrant fiend , but a particularly respectable , mild , and thoughtful " heavy fa t her , " disturbed in his watery ways by the dissipated habits of his familiar , the Gnome ( Mr . H . Corri ) , but otherwise so wrapt in paternal affection as to resign his wayward daughter , without reserve or soul-compact , to mortality and the love of the fast young Rudolph . Rhineberg ' a first recitative arid the air , " Idle spirit wildly dreaming , " is excellently and characteristically accompanied . Its melody is fluent a 3 * he stream ; and Mr . Santley sings this , as every piece allotted to him , to oerfection . The Gnome having been duly chastened , Lurline is called forth by her parent . Her first song , " The Spell , " in which she avows her Jove , is , as intended , the gem of the work . In the ensuing romance , " When the night winds sweep the wave , '' with its unearthly accompaniment , Lurline describes her mystic power to lure and to destroy , and again refers to her subjugation by the master spirit of Rudolph . Here is a specimen of both the composer ' s and the artist ' s genius ; and Rhinebery ' s

    answer * " How can a son of earth ensnare ? " superbly declaimed by Mr . Sautley , is no less remarkable . The pretty chorus , " Sail , sail on the miduiglit gale , " closes the first scene , and brings us to the bower of the lady Ghiva ( Miss ¦ Pilling ) -, a mortal with whom the penniless Rudolph is supposed to have been flirting before the spell of Lurline took possession of his soul . This scene , whiqh is comic throughout , possesses few passages of interest , if we except portions of the duo , " Haughty Rxdolph , " and the Count ' s part in the trip , "I think there ' s a saying of yofcj '' which was very well delivered by Mr . Harrison . la Scene 3 we have a revel of Rudolph and his free companions . Their chorus , " Drain the cup of pleasure , " makes a popular sensation . The wind ; iristruments in the succeeding dialogue are admirably effective . Mr . Harrison has the labour and the honours of a grand scena , within his range , and leading up to an elegant romance , ' ' Our lark in moonlight beaming , ' which he sings so feelingly , as to merit the redemand that nightly attends it . While he describes his sensations at the voice of Lurline , that voice is suddenly

    heard . She rises from the wave , places on his finger a ring , which confers li undrpwnability , " and compejs him , in the midst of a storni-rent finale , to seek a loveir ' a grave iri the whirl of waters . Act II . takes place iu the crystal dwelling of Lurline , whereunto Rudolph has descended . The opening is grand and mysterious ; passage after passage of great and varied beauty bring us to the ad populum cavatina , which Mr . Harrison well knows how to sing , " Sveeet form , that on my dreamy gaze . " Then follows a drinking song for Lttrline , in which we cannot see the sarrie beauties as do the all-powerful public , who encore it for Miss Pyne ' s Tocalization , when they should , dismiss it as far short of the composer ' s general mark of originality . An excellent buffo song , ¦ " As in this ciip , " which Mr . Corrij as the drunken Gnome , sings not only effectively but well , concludes this scene , and we again seek upper air and the fair Ghiva ' s toilette table . The song " Trobadour Enchanting , "

    which Miss Pilling sings with pure simplicity that better fits the strain than her supposed character , is the most strikingly tuneful morceau of the opera . Its first division insists upon , being remembered , and its piquant refrain , as well as Us easiness , will make it , we are bound to say , the favourite . But of this the music sellers will presently be the best judges . After thus prettily invoking Rudolph , Miss Ghiva is informed that he is drowned ; but being requested ( sio in orig . ) to " share the sports , " stifles her sorrow to the sound of a brisk and noisy chorus , and with plume and javelin seeks a distraction she hardly needed in the hunting-field . And now down we go again to Rhinefjerfs mysterious halls , where , in a very conventional , shoppy ballad , Mr . Santley discourses eloquent music about «• A father ' s early love , " and then , by way of change , attacks his Topsy of a Gnome . This latter reveals the presence of Rudolph in the cavern ' s recesses , where . Lurline has bestowed

    him ; and the puzzled father , to rid himself of the mortal , invokes " earth ' s fond memories to enthral him . " Here we muat observe that to lay an opera scene beneath \\\ q waves is well enough | but to show a portion of the company singing in the Rhine-bed as easily as larks and as dry as bones , and , at the same time , another party in a , boat on tho water love ] , i . e ., in mid air across the stage , is an undue wrench pf the imaginative faculty . But , the' smile once passed , how we arc soothed and charmed by the effective mediaeval cbrale of BUrschen in tho boat aloft , who mourn their comrade ' s loss , and * as Jthineberg intended , attract hia attention . He enters dcapondingly . Lurline , unselfish ever , urges him earth word , Paterfamilias Rhineberc / is Indignant ; but tho maiden hna her why , Their argument , which Qrxls in the departure of Iho Count once moro U > his palace , with a boat load of treasures , is the basis of a superb finale , in which principals , band , and chorus , are taxed to tho utmost , and which

    produce a truly noble result . This finale , , though many are struck with its Verdiesquo character , was , wo believe , written before the flower of that rnaeatro ' a fame , demands again and again our remembrance and all honour aa a specimen of the English School of Opera . The opening Bcene of Act IU . is a most beautifully painted view from Rudolph ' * Castle . The { Jaunt ' s address to " My homo 1 my heart ' s flrat homo , " a regulation pattern ballad , demands notice only for the information of tho musiobuying world . Its sentiment and the situation are alike conveyed by tho little _ wc have quoted . Rudo / ph is welcomed by ( rhiva with con * fiidorablc coldness , tjUs drowning-, as aha thought , for lovo of nor , had boon genteel j but hia rqappoarance as a poor lover dtapole tho charm . Ilia bachelor friends , however , nlipyr better fooling , and Uu soon makes them acquainted with th , e trioasuroa of the deep . ' . Their joyful and original qhorua is concluded by a' UefuUlftit tonor solo , " Go 1 from thia heart Its

    message hear , '' in which Rudolph conveys by the return Gnome his kind remembrances to Lurline ' ere he settles down to enjoy his old home and his old associations . A grand orchestral symphony succeeds , enveloping , as it were , sundry Voeal pieces . of imrnense merit and varied character , and concluding with a grand scena , in three movements for Xur &' ne . Here Miss Pyne , seized by an extent of dramatic energy we ' liaye not been used to mark in her , rises beyond herself , and produces , especially in the socalled prayer , " Oh , Thou , to whom / ' a thorough sensation . The poor perturbed sprite has once more sought her Rudo / ph ' s side , but hot unwatched by her parent . Rhinebery appears ; declaims ( per Santley ) very nobly against her . penchant for a mixed marriage ; then joins her , Lib a ( an attendant sprite , Miss Cruise ) and the Gnome , in a beautiful unaccompanied part song , "Though the world , " and dismisses her , if not with a blessing , still without such an awful curse as might have been expected from a more ardent spirit . The climax now comes on apace ; Rudolph and Lurline meet once more . Their union has been decreed by fate . Nor earthly joys on

    the one side , nor father ' s will on the other , may defer it . In a long scene , displaying all the composer ' s mastery of instrumentation , and the best points of both the principal artists , the nymph and her lover complete their betrothal . The life of the former ^ threatened for a moment by a troop of thievish assassins , is preserved by his supernatural connections ; and old Rhineberg , before the last grand repetition of the dominant air , " Flow on 1 Flow on ! " gives his blessing and his daughter amidst a burst of drums , symbols , and full horns . We have not space to descant ; as is perhaps due , upon the obligations of tbe composer to Mr . Mellon and his admirable band , nor upon the lavishness with which all . possible scenic appliances have been brought in aid of his work by the energetic and liberal management of this now well-accredited English Opera House . But enough has at least been said to show our conviction that the production of " Lurline" is a fine-art event of the first order , and that the work itself must far extend the already great reputation of the composer of iC Maritana . " .

    The VocAr- Association will repeat Mendelssohn ' s Psalm , " Hear my Prayer , O God 1 " on Thursday evening ,. March 8 th , at St . James ' s Hall , with Madlle . Parepa and choir of 200 voices . Miss Arabella Goddard will perform " The Harmonious Blacksmith , " and " Where the liee sucks . " These attractive performances terminate at a quarter past ten o ' clock . A . new , and this time . admittedly original work by Mr . Tom Taylor , entitled " The Overland Route , " has been played at the Hay ; market for the last week with immense success . As being less a work of fiction than a dramatised journal it renVmils us of the author ' s hippodr ' ame . of " Garibaldi ; " but this must by no means be received in any depreciatory sense . The dialogue is smart and the characters numerous . The scene is laid on board the Peninsular and Oriental stearner , between Aden and Suez . The leading personage is Tom Dexter , a steerage passenger enliste ^ , vice the ship ' s doctor indisposed , to attend to the ailment ?* . of the cuddy passengers . Tom Dexter ( Mr . Charles Mathews ) is no third class passenger pur sang , but a gentlemanly " Bob Sawyer , " who has rolled his

    stone round the world without gathering that moss which the proverb deems so ornamental and indispensable to stones proper . He recognises in the crowd about him a number of old faces . Mrs . Sebriyht ( Mrs Charles Mathews ) is the wife of an old friend , and her he saves from indiscretion , if not worse . He serves every one . at some pinch or other , and is at every one ' s elbow in time of doubt or trouble , lie is first fiddle and first favourite in the saloon , and when the " Simoom" gets upon the " Mazaffa reef" he comes out a hero ; supplies the disabled skipper ' s place as handily as he did that of the doctor , and keeps the company in order until the arrival of assistance . The guerdon of his services is the heart and hand of Miss Colepepper ( Miss M . Ternan ) j daughter to Mr . Colepepper , Commissioner of Badgeripore ( Mr , Chippendale . ) The last-named gentleman , with Mr . Buckstone anil Mr . Goinnton , are admirable in the characters they assume ; and the same shpuld , in fact ) be said of all the artists concerned , who are , however , too numerous to catalogue here . The scenery is remarkably excellent , and adds not a little to the completeness of the ensemble .

    216 The Leader And Saturday Analyst. [Ma...

    216 The Leader and Saturday Analyst . [ March 3 , 1860 .

    We Should Observe That The Season Promis...

    We should observe that the season promises no lack of novelties in the guise of vocal and character entertainments . We shall take note , in our next number , pf several who must this week give way before the surpassing importance of " Jjurline ;" This Chiusty Minstrels have reappeared at the Polygraphic Hall , under the able management of Mr . Montagu , after a long and successful provincial tour . Their repertory includes a new and most pleasing song , by Mr . Raynor , to words by one whose song words are always graceful and inspiring , Mr . John Oxenford . As gppd wine needs no bush , these minstrels seem to need no herald to convene their admirers , for all the / Elhiophilea of London rully round then ) with a will that is intense , and in numbers that seem to stretch tho little hall to bursting .

    It is but natural that Engliahinon " should manifest some interest in a county which has been so long closed to our trade , and with which we now expect to open extensive und important commercial relations . Hence tho announcement of some illustrated lecturqa on Jai'an , by a scientific gentleman who has resided so many years in tho ISaat as Dr . Maogowar ) , drew together nt Willis ' s Rooms on Thursday afternoon an audience eager to acquire . correct und recent information on so populous and important < r country . Having only just returned from Japan ladon with spcoimona of the skill and ingenuity of this curious people , and of tho varied products of tho country , besides being thoroughly conversant with their language , Dr . Macgowan wn » enabled to oominunicato a great deal of useful and general information , which he proposes to follow up in a second lecture t'his day , ¦¦

    At Madamis Tussavu ' s all who arc curious to know anything about the personal appearance of celebrated men will have an opportunity of gratifying their curiosity , by Booing a full length figure of the late Lord Mncaulny , and which , within , the last fow days , has been placed in tho gallery of the Baker Street Bazaar , It is inferior to none of its prodflccBswrs , either fox correctness af omrJUue or truth -of character and All who had tUe advuwbage of bio lordship ' s acquniajtaiifla wUl Admit tue likeness .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), March 3, 1860, page 20, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_03031860/page/20/