The Press. — London, England, 1853-07-16 00:00:00

JULY 16, 1853. iu which the natives excel every other people. Every suit is a game, in which success falls to the lot of the most skilful and the most unscrupulous. The rest of his panThlet is filled up with a panegyric of tho Company's government, the topics of eulogy being selected with a g deal of tact and cleverness. He does not attempt a defetrLi ••! / * Totnis bill, but supports it as a measure of " moderate reform," principally on the ground that it will pave the way to more extensive changes." What these changes are, and why, if desirable. they should be indefinitely postponed. Dr. Nlurshmtu t prudently refrains from stating. Heads of an Analysis of the History of Greece. By Dawson W. Turner, M.A. Loudon : J. W. I'arker and Son, West Strand. 'lii copy of this work which has reached us is mis stitched, which accounts for a chronological discom fort we experienced in hearing of the expulsion of Hippias after the exilo of Thneydides. Apart front this little drawback, which may be only the excep tional feature of our particular copy, the compilation, so far as we have been able to examine it, appears to be accurate and well arranged, and to contain some well-selected notes iu the appendix. Speech on a Motion for Leare to bri►►y in a Bill, se., to Amend the Law Respecting Church Rates. By 11. Phillimore, M.P. A Pamphlet. London Ridgway. CoNTAixou the bill in the appendix. Logical Science Conxidered as an Educational Element. By John Murray, A.M.. LL.D. A Pamphlet. Dublin : Hodges and Smith. As inaugural address at the Royal College of Sur geons in Ireland in pursuance of the requirements of a professorship instituted on behalf of the army medical department, anti the merits of which, if space serves, we may consider further at leisure. Russia is Lust. By Adolph Berend. A Pamphlet. Berend and Co. AND the minimum of pamphlets—four pages only ; a dying suggestion that the internal difficulties of Russia impose a limit on its conquests. OUR LIBRARY Tthl.E. Zie Quarterly Review for June, 16:t. .1. Murray. 41:etoleiogerephy of E. B. Harlon. Longman, Brown, and co. B eke, his Speeches aw/ Writisgs. I;. lioutledge. Tar History of tleotland. fly Burton. Longman, Brown, and Co. Bookkeeping fur k'riendly Societies. U. and W. Spottiswoode. J nem& of Psychological .11edieine, Jelly. el. Churchill. The Educational Franchise.. A l'augahlit. llatchard and Ridgway. E 'port of the Law Association. !hall and Cockihaw. ttt puma. ADELI'H I THEATRE. AT the Adelphi on Tuesday, in The. Camp at Chub ham, Mr. A. Wigan was substituted for Mr. Leigh Murray, owing, we regret to hear, to the latter gentle man's indisposition. We mention this circumstance to remark upon Mr. Wigan's performance as cha racterised by an ease and naturalness of manner, though he was to some extent imperfeet in the dialogue. Keeley's superlative fun as the retired tallowehandler merits superlative praise ; and we could perceive from where we sate that it was appre ciated by the scene-shifters. GERMAN PLAYS. THIS week the German troupe has performed a modern comedy by Karl West, and Schiller's finest historical play. The comedy, Donna Diana, though modern, is by no means new. The subject of it is taken from an early Spanish play, setting forth how a certain countess plagued her suitors by haughty indifference to them and an avowed contempt fur the " tender passion ;" how a certain Don Cow, madly in love with her, was advised by her keen-sighted secretary to pursue a plan exactly the opposite of that which had failed with the others—a plan of meeting indifference with indifference, disdain with disdain (El deaden eon el desden)—a plan of cap turing the female heart by first piquing female vanity. Don Ciesar takes this excellent advice—is as insolent as youth, good looks, and want of passion can make him ; irritates, exasperates, and finally captivates the woman he has humbled ; and the story ends as stories end, "They married, and were very miserable for ever afterwards !" Herr Emil Devrient was cold and conventional in the part of Don Cesar. Herr Dessoir was fidgetty and not comic as the active scheming secretary Fran Stoke, as the haughty Donna Diana, looked and spoke more like a baue►tiniidchen than a lady, but was much applauded. Wilhelm Tell was both better played and better worth playing. These classic works have a very peculiar interest to the audiences. Not only are they familiar names ; and have been read in the early day THE PRESS. of learning German, but their position as classics in German literature excites in their behalf a curiosity which can follow no modern work. Tell is a grand historical picture, well studied, slowly elaborated, finely conceived, and executed with the passionate zeal of a poet enamoured of his subject. Never did we see a political play so deficient iu " clap-trap," so full of the politics every mind will accept ; anti, although thee word •• freedom " is somewhat sono rowdy obtrusive, the meaning of it is never rhetori cal Idague, but a deeply-rooted sentiment connected with the whole traditional life of the country. It was carefully put on the stage ; the minor parts respecta bly filled ; the scenes of the conspirators had quite a choral effect, Herr Emil Devrient played Tell with ettective energy and manliness, looking very hand some, and gesticulating in a less mannered style than usual. His emotion during the famous seene of shooting the apple from the head of his son was less true, we thought, titan that displayed by Ron coni in the same situation ; but it was greatly applauded, as indeed was the whole pertOrmanee. Herr I)essoir made all admirable Gessfer. Frau Stolle was more at home iu the part of Tars wife than in that of the Spanish princess. Music. ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA. AFTER a third hearing of II PtVila we see no reason to change the opinion we have al►eady expressed. Mme. Tedesco is, however, without doubt an excel lent singer; and it must be confessed that though signor Tamberlik is, on the whole, inferior in this part to Mario, it is impossible for a►►y living artist to equal him in the delivery of the drinking song with which the opera concludes. The greatest of all lyric works, Don Giovanni, was produced for the first time this season, and met with its accustomed success. There is lie such satisfav • tory proof of the excellence of this masterpieee as the popularity it ever enjoys ; and however the hearer may know the melodies by heart, and be familiar with every bur of the accompaniments, he can never fail to derive pleasure from being present at its representation at Covent Garden. The cast of the ope n ra was very inferior to that to which the London public have for the last fifteen years been accustomed. Mine. AledOri is a good Donna Anna, anti she ►sang the music with energy and certainty ; but she lacks soul, and the tremolo which she con stantly introduced in the pathetic passages much impaired the effect of her singing. The cold and sore throat from which, as a handbill informed us, Mme. Ilosio was suffering, of course disarms all criticism as regards her pertivrmance of Elvira ; and we can only say that the extent of her indisposition unfortunately prevented her from singing any of the music in an audible manner. We were much disap pointed to find that Signor llelletti (for whose abilities we have a great respect ► did nothing with the part of Don Giovanni. Some allowance must no doubt be made for the nervousness consequent upon a first performance; but we confess we did not see the slightest indication of any power to impersonate the character, or to sing the tousle; and the coarse and inexpressive manner in which he gave the serenade called forth sounds of disapprolettion from a well-disposed audience, who could not bear to hear a favourite song so curiously marred. Signor Tam berlik was excessively good as Don Otto Ho, and sang "11 mio tesoro" with so much etteet that it was unanin► o nsly redemanded. M. Formes wants the vivacity and style which a character like Leporello demands: we should like to see Iton cool in the part. It would be the height of injustice not to notice specially Signer Tagliatico, who has established the fact that the part of 11 Commemlatore has great capabilities► in the hands of a real artist. We trust the day is not far distant when prime douse will leant that the part of Eirint, if properly rendered, is one of the best and most dramatic ever written, and undertake it without an intimation that they are conferring a favour 111)011 the manager and the public by making a mere attempt to sing the music. The retention of the air, " Non mi dir," is a great advantage to the action of the opera; but we much regret the omission of " Meta di voi," which was a most judicious restoration of the original Covent Garden management. The " busi ness" and "set" of the ghost scene has been im proved, but much remains to be done to milder the fate of the hero a warning to posterity-. NEW PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY. THE programme of the sixth and last concert, on Friday evening, the Nth inst., was as follows : PART " Genevera," I'. Ilunilt.--Quartett. with orchestral secomputiiments (Op. 121), Spolir—Hoinituza, Glover. M. lieichart —Concert Aria, Metidel4solus, Mile. Bitry—Sywphouy fur two Orcheatru*, Spoltr—Duett fur two Pi forte , ., with Orchestra, Muudvluolin twd Mvsateles, Wfe. (hays► sad Mies thatilar4. 259 Mar IL—Symphony (in 11), Ileadhoreu—Air, Mendelaanbn, M. Reiehart--Orertun., " Fidelio," !Jordanian-1184m Mendeh. 'lm and On4l—Fautaria, Oboe, M. Lavigne—Ahartire. " Berg. bold.' tivohr. I lowever we may believe the often-asserted propo sition that the New Philharmonic direl.tera are alone I►ossessed of the knowledge of art and depth of thought which render them capable of dictating to mankind upon the subject of music, it is perfectly clear that they are greatly wanting in that common sense which is absolutely essential to all thole) who profess to teach the general public the way to ascend the musical Parnassus ; for no person, however fauatiea per la swims, could peruse the programme of this concert without being satistird that it was in judiciously chosen, and that intense weariness must be the inevitable fate of any man bold enough to sit through the whole performantie. We have the g►eatest admiration for Dr. Spohr as a composer, and we derive infinite pleasure fr►nt hearing his works; but his music is often of so in volved and obscure a character that when heard for the first time it requires, to he in any way appre ciated, a fresh and most attentive audience. thcteti►re, the performance of such complicated and difficult music be unreasonably protracted, a species of mental exhaustion follows, and it becomes physically impossible for the hearer to follow the ideas or to see the ►ocauties which the talent of the writer would otherwise develop to his undembinding. The ex treme and absurd length of tho Philharmonic con eerts has always been a reproach to that society, and unless the New Philharmonie avoids, instead of emulating, the faults of the old s► ciety. they fail in their principal object, and they will diminish rather than increase their number of subscribers. Studies quartett with orchestral set ompaniments is a long and very intricate composition, and if analysed would be found to contain many thoughts and passages of great excellence. We doubt, how ever, whether in a room of the size of Exeter-ball a quartett could ever 1t effeetive; and in this matinee it is quite certain that the four perforiners, although they exerted themselves to the utmost, were com pletely drowned by the noise of the accompaniments. Similes symphony for two orchestras is also a very long and elaborate work placed es it, was in the same part of the programme with the quartett, it could not he listened to with any satisfaction, and, though unquestionably a work of originality and talent, it seemed to us, we are stiff) , to contestytornewliat tedious. We have rarely heard a symphony so ill plaid as Beethoven's symphony in Whether a sudden attack of ineapacity seized the orchestra, or whether they were exhausted with their previous labours, we do not pretend to say, but we can with confidence assert that all the movements were badly played, and that the execution of the scherzo was putatively a disgrace to the society. Mr. Horttley'm overture is a clever and plowing composition, only perhaps too slightly suggestive of Mendelssolm. The duett for two pianofortes was well played by Miss Goddard and Mlle. Clauss ; and the oboe solo was omitted without any cause assigned, though the length of the concert, three hours tutu twenty minutes, was ample excuse for any curtailment. It is sufficient to say of the singing that it was very indifferent, and discreditable to the directors, who might easily obtain the services of superior and more efficient talent. MUSICAL UNION. Tut: programme of the last concert of the Musical Union, on Tuesday last, was as fullOW1: Semtett, t! lotklor, Op. 140, Iwo violins, two violas, and two violoneulloN spokr—tiotarta In 1/, lip. 141, pianufortr, Ikellatoriess —Qoarlell, 11 Oat, Op. Is, No. 9, 11v4.1.11ovco—Nottutuu In A dm. Op. t.s, pionotiole, l'hopin----Solo, ,fol i o, 114/.lllil. The only pieces of music which were really well and satisfactorily executed were those performed by M. Halle : his reading and playing of Beethoven's sonata was as near perfection as need be, and we have no hesitation in reiterating our opinion that he is the pianist of the greatest ability now resident in London. The sestett of Spohr is a very clever coin position, 111141, of itself sufficient evidence that at the composer advances in years his genius is not one whit the less original and fertile. The quartett of Beethoven is too well known to require any elaborate criticism. We cannot speak favourably of the execu • lion of the chamber music: independently of those defects which we have had occasion to point out as flowing from Mr. Ella's system and which render the general execution of the music. at his concerts in • levier to the average of good London quartett-play i ng, it is perfectly clear that M. Bazzini is at best but a very second-rate player, and totally unfit to be en gaged to lead any quartett party of high pretensions. His tone is poor, his intonation excessively defec tive, and, if we are to judge by the solo of his own composition as well as by his style of playing, we should say that he had, in common with must of his countrymen, hut little " reverence for the classical purity of the great masters," and but a slight "percep tion of their varied beauties." By whatever process M. Bazzini may have acquired a reputation as a soloist abroad, it is sufficiently evident to any one of prac tical knowledge that he knows nothing of quartett