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V Eotal Italian O *> eka . — The Cerent-garden season which was clouded from its birth by the lamented death of Madame Bosio , terminated on Saturday last . It has presented , among stock operas , the " Troyatore , " the " Traviata , the " Martha , " and the " Othello , " with a strong cast—Tamberlik , Grisi , Ronconi , and Gardom . The « Maria di Rohan" and the " Gazza Ladra —both noticed in these columns-have been the ^ revivals ; the first falling , as it deserved , rather flatly , the last being well sung , and , especially as regards the overture weU layed . The onenew work a
, very p _ host in itself ( and already noticed here at length ) , which , had it been produced sooner , would alone have made a grand season , has been the " Pardon de Ploermel , " here called Dinorah , of Meyerbeer . The well-accustomed vocal stars have been Grisi , Mario , JSTantier-Didiee , Tamberlik , Ronconi , Gardoni , Graziani . Madame Penco , who came with great opinions in her favour from Paris , has some way to make before she can be recognised as of the first magnitude , and Madame liOtti Santa , still more . The house has been prominently favoured ,, in spite of the constellation at the rival Opera , by the fashionable -world , who have thronged it night after night with matchless assiduity , and this circumstance the
must have cheered , in no small degree ,, worthy manager , under the painful conciousness that his programmes , imtil the appearance of " Dinorah , " within the last fortnight , lacked novelty ; his list of artists was sadly decimated ; and his appliances generally , still suffering from the effects of the fire which destroyed an amount of theatrical plant only recoverable by immediate and disastrous extravagance , or by years of patien ^ accumulation . We cannot close tliis brief notice of the season—necessarily so brief because there is so little to chronicle —without a -word in high praise of the interior arrangements , in which respect nothing that could contribute to the convenience and comfort of the audience seems to have escaped attention .
Adelxum Theatre . —Mr . Benjamin Webster , an admirable artist , and the zealous manager of this theatre , rallied a crowd of admirers round him on Saturday night last ; when Mr . Planche ' s excellent piece , " An Old Offender ^ " was revived at first price , as if to afford a better opportunity for distinction than he has hitherto enjoyed here , to the talented comedian , Mr . J . L . Toole . This gentleman s delineation of Cymon Purefoy , the simpleminded Templar—who is compelled , by force of circumstances , to accept the position of a " first burglar , " and leader of a gang of ruffians—was , in all respects , admirable , and was admitted , by the majority of the critical world , to entitle him to than that of low
Mr . Toole is at home as Cheap John , and in Ms assumption of the barrister ' s paraphernalia is no less laughable than in his pourtrayal of mingled imprudence and apprehension on finding himself too near the precincts of the court and the haunts of the javelin men for his own comfort . Paul Bedford — though a little toned down ^ -is Paul Bedford still , as the Kinchin , and the rest of the characters are fairly represented . Mr . Byron ' s thorough Burlesque , " The Babes in the Wood , " continues its career ; and here , again , Mrs . Mellon—who , as Sir Rowland Macassar , has to contend against an unbecoming costume ^ reminds us of her excellent Sardanapaliis the
Mrs . Billington is ; perhaps , too fascinating as strong-minded Lady Macassar ; but this , if fault it be , is surely on the right side . Miss Kelly and Mr . Toole are so amusing and so truthful as the enfans terribles of the nursery , that we might almost imagine , as missions are the fashion , that they intend to instruct , as well as amuse , the young idea by their excellent caricature of nursery " fractiousness . " As we have , on a previous occasion , noticed this sacrilegious version of the nursery legend , we can at present give no further space to it than is required for its general recommendation " to parents and guardians . "
higher rank in his profession a mere comedy man . The second piece of the evening was a new translation from the French , called " One Touch of Nature ; " and the public have reason for regretting that the announcement on the bill— " this night only "—has been so strictly adhered to . As the leading character , Holder , an ex-tailor , since a theatrical hanger-on , serving , for the time being , a certain dramatic author , Mr Beaumont Fletcher , JSlr . Webster has room for the display of histrionic talent of the highest order , and on Saturday not in vain invoked his genius . The main incident of the play is the discovery by Holder of a long-lost daughter in Miss Constance Belmour , a self-willed
actress , whom he is deputed by his employer to familiarise with a certain part in a new play ( that of the father ) , to which she has so strong an objection as to desire its excision ; and , in spite of a little risibility excited by the sartorial memories , by comparing which the parent and child recognise their relationship , Mr . Webster contrived to invest it with a most pathetic character . This eminent actor ' s skill in costume , minute detail , and theatrical " makeup " are so proverbial that we need no further refer to it than by saying that it was brought to bear upon Ins performance of Holder , while his rendering of the various . emotions of the queer , loving , old enthusiast were such as may entitle the his The
character to rank among greatest successes . announcement of the revival here of Mr . Buckstone ' s famous melodrama of " The Flowers of the Forest , " was , it must be confessed , insufficient to draw a crowded house . The appetite for melodrama seems , in some measure , to have died out on this side of the Thames "; since the dosing' of the old Adelphi , and the dispersion , of the famous company that at its period of greatest ascension seemed to exercise a spell over a large and sympathetic public of its own . A fair sprinkling of the good , ordinary middlings decked the pit on Tuesday , but the stalls and dress circle told plainly that either the public sensibility , roused of old
by the magic of Celeste , Wright and O . Smith , was asleep , or that there was ho lively faith in the fitness of their successors . A sprinkling of theatrical virtuosi were led thither , as another class of anti ? quarians would be to the unrolling of a mummy or the opening of a crypt ; but the old Adelphi crowd was no more there than the old Adelphi enthusiasm . Will either return ? Probabilities are at first sight against it . For though the construction of such melodramas as the " Green Bushes" and the " Flowers of the Forest " may be profoundly scientific from the playwright ' s point of view , these pieces are too artless in another sense to captivate the general public , who have been used of late to the inlot and oth difficulties \
volutions of p er engineering a which our dramatic authors now rival , where they do not copy , their masters of the French school . But on the other hand were it possible again to assemble for the illustration of melodrama such an array of talent as contributed in the palmy days of the old Adelphi to the illustration of such pieces as we have named , a steady phalanx of votaries of the fullflavoured drama , who now seek tho pabulum of their predilection , in the eastern , transpontine , and suburban theatres , would bo found also ' reunited in tho Strand . We have not before us the Adelphi playbill of seven years ago ; and cannot , therefore , speak very accurately as to the cast of that day , but we can boar witness that Mrs . Alfred Mellon ( then Miss Woolgar ) has lost nothing of powor or intelligence siuco wo then admired her as the gipsy
boy , Lemuel . Mrs . BilUngton has an uphill part In Cynthia , tho Zingara , a character whoso every word aud gesture recalls tho spiritual performance of Madame Celeste , This lady , however , exerted herself commondobly , and should the revival bo destined to succeed , will doubtless contribute moro and more to its popularity , as her dumb show losos its prosont traces of artifice . She oven now rises horo and thoro , as , for instance , at tho close of Act I ., and , again in the socond Act , in her denunciation oi the unknown murderor , to the full pitch required for tho illustration of tho part , and , on tile whole , merits encouragement , Tho prominent diameter of this now edition is Mies Kato Kelly , who imulo an oxtremoly intorostlng Stavllaht Boss , dressing iu tho best Uvsto . singing her ballad stjumis prettily , ana leading tuo joyous country dance moat takingly .
Norfolk : and Norwich Thirteenth Triennial Musical Festival . —At a meeting of the general committee of management of the Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival , held at the residence of Mr . Roger Kerrison , the hon . secretary , on Friday , the 29 th day of July , 1859 , the Earl of Albemarle ( the chairman , the Rev . the Lord Bayning , F . W . Irby , Esq ., the Rev . Precentor Symonds , F . J . Blake , Esq . ( the treasurer ) , J . B . Morgan , Esq ., C . S . Gilman , Esq ., C . E . Tuck , Esq ., Sec , &c , being present , the following report from the sub-committee was presented and read : — " The Committee of Management of the Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival have to report to the general committee that they have duly considered the one important business delegated to them , the choice of a conductor ,
and have come to tho conclusion that considering the very useful services of Mr . Jules Benedict during many past festivals , and his entire competency as a musician of the first class , tljiey cannot do better than recommend him as the conductor of the next Norwich Festival . They also append to this recommendation that ho be requested to produce some novelty of his own composition as one of the features of the festival of 18 ( 10 . It is a subject of congratulation that tho guarantee fund has already amounted to upwards of 8 , 0001 ., and it is hoped that ,, by the exertions of members of the committee , it will speedily be raised to as much ( if not more ) as on tho last occasion . The
sub-committee oannot but express the greatest satisfaction at the success of the last Festival in spite of the numerous difficulties they had to encounter ; and they earnestly hope that by renewed exertions , and a determination to engage tho best available talent in tho country , the next may be attended with a still greater amount of pecuniary benefit . In futherance of this object it oannot fail also to be a subject of congratulation that the Earl of Albermarle , whose services were so valuable on the last occasion , has again kindly consented to accept the office of chairman of the general committee . —( Signed ) E . Copeman , Chairman . " Thereupon , on tho motion of
I * ord Bayning , it was unanimously re 8 olvod , r—•• That Mr . Jules Benedict be appointed tho conductor at tho ensuing 1 Festival , " It was also resolved unanimously ,- — " That ho be requested to produce at tho next Festival some novelty of his own composition , as ono of tho features of tho Festival } " and , " that tho engagement of the vocal and instrumental performers bo nr « t submitted for the approval of tho conductor . " "That tho thanks of tho mooting bo accorded to tho Earl of Albemar }© for attending upon this occasion , and for his ablo conduot in the chair . " Wo nro informed that Mr . Benedict has accepted the oflftce of conductor , and has intimated hie intention of writing a cantata for tho Festival of I 860 .
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CRYSTAL PALACE . " The King is dead—Long live the King . " The series of Saturday " Operatic Concerts " is no sooner over than another of " Saturday Concerts " is announced , and , in fact , was inaugurated on Saturday last , on the occasion of Mr . Manns , the musical director ' s , benefit . On that occasion the vocalists were : Mademoiselle Artot , Madame' Louisa Vinning ( why " Madame" ?) , Mr . Sims Reeves , and Monsieur and Madame Weiss ( why "Monsieur" " Madame" ?); the instrumentalists being Miss Arabella Goddard , Mademoiselle Sophie Hiimler ( violin ) , Herr Engcl ( harmonium ) . Mademoiselle Artot sang Rossini ' s " Una Voce , " and Rode ' s air with variations , and in both pieces displayed the most brilliant qualities . She was encored after each performance , but contented herself with reappearing on the platr form . Nevertheless , Mademoiselle Artot would have
achieved still greater success if , instead of executing two morceaux in the bravura style , she had substituted for one of them the scene from the " Prophete , " which she sings so well , or any air which demands dramatic expression ratlier than fluent vocalisation . The public of the Crystal Palace would then have been able to form a just opinion of this artist ' s great talent ; whereas at present they have only been made acquainted with one phase of it . Mr . Sims Reeves sang a new ballad , " Forgotten all , " by F . Berger , and " Love sounds the Alarm , " from " Acis and Galatea , " He was much applauded , but was not in particularly good voice . Madame Vinning gave the " Last Rose of Summer , " re-demanded , and joined Mr . Reeves in the duet from " Linda , " and Mr . Weiss sang very spiritedly , his scena , " The Slave ' s Dream , " also re-demanded .
Miss Arabella Goddard played two pieces—a fantasia by Mr . Benedict , and a " Capriccio brilliant " by Mendelssohn . After the latter , she was recalled , and was loudly applauded ; indeed , Miss Goddard is never so successful as when she is performing the very best music . Mademoiselle Hiimler and Herr Engel executed fantasias on their respective
instruments . Madame Bighop , it is announced , is about to leave us again for America . She is to appear this day at tho second concert of the above series , with Mademoiselle Artdt , Mademoiselle Sophie Uiiraler , and a Signor Oliva , a tenor debutant of reported promise from Florence . Jlor Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Marie of Russia , accompanied by tho Princess Mane , and her Sons the Princes Nicholas and ISugcnlo , and
attended by the Baroness Bruunow and tho members of her suite , visited the Crystal Palace oil Wednesday . Sir Joseph Paxton and Mr . Grove , the Secretary of tho Crystal Palace Company , received the distinguished party and conducted them through the building . Upon leaving , tho Grund Duchess mtimatod her intention of again visiting the palace , on Monday next , to witness tho grout dwi > ay off the entire serios of fountains and casoadea-which is specially fixed for tlmt day .
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Madame Anna Bishop . — At a time when tho affectation of fushlon reserves nil its praiso for foreign siugere , it boconios tho English journalist to raiso his voice in behalf of native talontwhonover ho is afforded an opportunity . We thoroforo gladly seize tho ono prosouted by Mudwne Bishop ' s benefit , to take place on Monday next at the Royal Surrey Gardens ; and , since this talented lady is on tho nolut off loavlng for America , wo hope our readers will evince thoir appreciation of one of tho best singers England has produced , by availing thom-
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MUSIO AND THE DEAMA , ETC .
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Mb . 490 . *™ i « . ittMi . 1 THE LEAP EB . J 35 _
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 13, 1859, page 935, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2307/page/11/
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