The Press. — London, England, 1858-12-25 00:00:00

Dusit. ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA. Tiu new season of the Pyne and Harrison manage ment was inaugurated on Monday evening with the production of a " new and of iginal " opera, entitled Satanella, or the Power of Love, the libretto of which, founded on a French ballet, Le Diable Amoureux, is by Messrs. A. Harris and Falconer, and the music by Mr. Balfe. The principal characters were sus tained by Miss Louisa Pyne, Miss Susan Pyne, Miss Isaacs, Mr. W. Harrison, Mr. H. Corti, Mr. St. Albyn, and Mr. Weiss, whilst a numerous and efficient band were ably directed by Mr. Alfred Mellon. None can be more anxious than ourselves that this new and arduous undertaking should succeed, and if candour compel us to make certain obser vations, not perhaps of the most flattering descrip tion, they must not be taken as demonstrations of a hostile feeling, but rather as evidences of a genuine desire that the management of the Royal E nglish Opera should, while there is yet time, modify and improv e their general arrangements in such a manner and to such an extent as may satisfy the just re quirements of the musical public, and insure the permanent establishment of a National Opera worthy of this great country. Now, not only does the present Covent-garden coin pany require many changes and additions before it can be said to represent fully the executive °pert& c resources of this country, but works of a loftier cha racter and larger purpose must likewise be given before those who are acquainted with musical England's greatest creative ability can admit that all that could he done has been accomplished. We are not calling in question the talents or popularity of Mr. Balfe, who, although he has done nothing towards the foundation of a genuine National Opera, and cannot certainly in any way be regarded as its representative, is a clever and genial follower of the light and tuneful molern Italian and French schools ; but would simply state that the evident leaning of the Pyne and Harrison management to works of a super ficial, and decidedly foreign, and not even the highest foreign, character, agrees but ill with their national professions, whilst it unquestionably implies either that our composers are incapable of producing, or our public of appreciating, anything of loftier aim and greater originality. We should not be understood to make any per sonal and invidious remarks upon the composer of The Bohemian Girl, when we state our objection to the school to which Mr. Balfe belongs being upheld as the model of excellence, to which all British com posers must conform, if they would hope for encou ragement from the management of " The Royal English Opera," or success with the public. Mr. Balfe's music, fJr the most part tun !fat, fancifully and brilliantly instrumental, and eminently theatri cal, pleases the public very much, and will doubtless continue to do so, especially whilst no other is brought forward ; but still, as we have already ob served, it does not by any moans illustrate the pre. sent state of musical creative art in this country, and the constant performance of it uy the Pyne and Har rison management, to the exclusion of all other English composers, excepting Mr. Vincent Wallace, who belongs to the Balfe school, and imitates his Hibernian contemporary and countryman not a little, is not only unjust to many men of undoubted talent, but incompatible with the broad principle; upon which a National Opera should be conducted, and to some extent a libel upon our musical capability and taste. We must, therefore, upon national grounds, recom • mend a change of system to the Pyne and Harrison management, which as yet can scarcely be said to adequately represent the operatic talent of this country either in composition or performance. Mr. Balfe's new opera of Satanella, produce l with success on Monday evening, is in his usual fluent and tuneful style—neither better nor worse than most THE PRESS, DECEMBER 25, 1858. of the other operas which have flowed from his facile and prolific pen during the last twenty years ; but he has this time been singularly unfortunate in his book. We certainly did not expect to meet in Mr. A. Harris a Scribe, nor a Metastasio in Mr. Falconer, but were still not a little surprised to find that the management of the " Royal English Opera" had selected such balderdash as Satanella consists of as fit materials for Mr. Balfe to exercise his genius upon, and celebrate their opening night. The original story, though very wild and extraor dinary, is by no means unpoetical or unsuited to musical effect. A young nobleman, rendered des perate by the loss of all his property at the gaming table, suramona a foul fiend to his presence, and invokes his aid. The said fiend having a young lost creature in the shape of a female demon subject to his power, commissions her to fascinate the desperate nobleman, an 1 by getting him to sign a mysterious contract, draw his soul to perdition. The female imp, 'however, unfortunately—or rather we should perhaps say fortunately—falls really in love with her intended victim, and so of course can no longer entertain the idea of causing his destruction. Neither does the mute of this demoniacal lady stop here, for her beloved being betrothed to another whose passion, despite all Ina wanderings, he fully recipocrates, Satanella makes a most heroic sacrifice by tearing up the terrible contract which binds him to her, and consigning her self to eternal flames to save the object of her affec tion. Poetical justice, however, sternly demands that so amiable a demon should be saved, whilst inflexible morality is equally determined that no pardon shal be obtained, except by the most orthodox means; and so, in obedience to these two requirements, Messrs. A. Harris and Falconer have contrived to make the female imp accept a rosary from the bands of her rival, and, at the last moment, pray fervently for forgiveness. Her prayerr, are heard, and so in the last scene, instead of sinking through a trap down to the lower regions encircled by fierce red and yellow flames, as everyone expected she would do, the converted diablesse rises upwards in a cunningly contrived piec•s of stage machinery, with the purest of white lights shining brilliantly upon her happy face; whilst her quondam lover, and the rival she has treated so generously, now united for ever, follow with admiring eyes her heavenward flight. All this, as we have said, though wild and strange, is redeemed by a certain poetical sentiment—an ideality and picture•:gneness by no means unsugges tive to a composer of imagination, but the wretched stuff with which it is surrounded—the crowding together of puerile, pantomimic incidents without rhyme or reason, the introduction of several un• meaning characters, the forced association of all sorts of incongruous • Id utterly unnecessary events for the sa'te of melting mere conventional stage " effects," combined wiih the dissdvantages of a perfectly contemptible dialogue endless in length, and thoroughly doggrel verses, serve to obsure the story, and render that which might have been made interesting and attractive absolutely tiresome. Mr. Balfe has, nevertheless, contrived to enliven this mass of dulness with some very pretty and in teresting music. Witness the really charming canta bile, " The Power of Love," sung, and exquisitely sung too, by Miss Louisa Tyne, near the end of the first act, and the charming orchestration which pre cedes and accompanies it, efforts which our popular composer in his happiest moods has never surpassed. This piece, in fact, is the gent of the opera, and would alone suffice to save it from oblivion. The management deserves great praise for the careful and admirable manner in which the opera was performed upon the opening night, and we have observed with much satisfaction the judicious pruning to which the dialogue has since been subjected. So satisfactory a first representation we do not remember to have witnessed upon the English stage. Our eulogy, however, must not be wholly of a general character, for the perfectly beautiful singing of Miss Louisa Pyne from first to last—singing which no contemporary vocalists English or foreign could possibly surpass—de mands special acknowledgment of the most en thustastio kind. To her indeed is mainly to be attributed the success which the opera met with ; although our heat English baritone, Mr. Weiss, did all in his power to make an " " and bogie-like part effective, and Mr. Vi . Harrison, thanks to the consummate tut of Mr. Eslfe, was enabled to appear to unusual advantage as principal tenor. On the whole, we doubt that Satanella will prove very attrictive ; hut time will show; and " backed up " by the forthcoming pantomime, it may possibly have a fair " run." Re prams. THE CHRISTMAS PANTOMIMES. AT Christmas, Childhood holds high revelry. There are the " breakings up"—in themselves great epochs in the history of every school of young philosophy. Then there are the merry gathering+, at which boisterous boys and timid misses make friends and eat much cake. The home gatherings too—how pleasant are they ! Loving hearts all combining for one high purpose—universal hap - piness. Staid fathers aria sober matrons all intent on one end—the pleasure of those who are gathered round their hearths, forming a circle which is the apt type of " the English fireside." We have long had our national institu tions, " the Roast Beef of Old England," and the Christmas pudding ; but in the march of improve ment we have not hesitated to borrow another from our German neighbours. S.) the Christmas tree, with its wild profusion of trifles and bon•bens glittering in the light of mimic laaaps, forms the centre of many a merry group. Still, amongst all " the novelties of the season," the Pantomime, which has descended from times so very remote, that none of us, even though well versed in history, will attempt to fix a -late, exercises its sway over young and old. We have thought of our little friends in this festive season, and we ask them to put themselves under our guidance while we direct their footsteps to the realms of Fairy-land. COVENT GARDEN.—Who has not heard or Little Red Riding Hood, 0119 of the favourites of our child' hoed never to be forgotten, even if not perpetuated in the pretty figures which occupy so prominent a place in our ceramic manuractures ? By a happy idea the opening seen?, in the C went-garden pantomime suddenly shifts from the snlenlid edifice so recently raised to the ruins of the old theatre on the same site. The Genius of Music mourns, and a remedy for her grief is found in a pantomime, when our little friend with the little Red Cloak is again ushered into a positive existence. She loves a poor swain; but that evil genius Wealth interferes, and favours the suit of an old Baron, who, despite his fine clothes, turns ont to be a wolf, and is therefore made to occupy the very unenviable position of the Grandrar.ther, as the tale ran in our hot youth when George the Third was king. But our lupine friend does not succeed in the pantomime as he did in the " True History and Adventures of Little RA. Riding Hood, price Is. coloured, and 61. plain." He does not devour the trusting little lady, who after severe exposures to all the haphazards of a harlequinade, emerges from her new character as Columbine, and passes the remain • der of her days in happiness with Curio, alias Hat. lequin. Flexmore is the Clown ; Barnes, Pantaloon ; Young Payne plays Harlequin ; and. Miss Clara Morgan is Columbine. Daunt' LASE.—Robin hood ; or, Harlequin and Friar Tuck, and the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest, is the title of the pantomime at this house, from the pen of Mr. E. L. Blanchard. The scenery, by Mr. Beverley, opens in th 3 Hall of Harmony, where Music calls together her aides-de-camp, represented by Il I'rovatore, La 'l'raviata, Italian Opera, English Opera, Canterbury Hall, &c., and invokes their aid fur a pantomime for Mr. E. T. Smith. So we have the pantomime, and a very good one it promises to be, with such a groundwork as is furnished by the gay frolics of the great Outlaw of Sherwood. Amongst the most gorgeous scenes is the Retreat of the Wood Nymphs in the Fairy Regions of Blue Bells and Wild Flowers. The harlequinade is thus cast. Harlequin, Milano ; Clowns, Boleno and Delevanti ; Pantaloons, Tanner and Delevanti ; Columbines, Madame Boleno ana Miss Brown ; Harlequins, Mies Lamb ; added to which there is a juvenile pantomime troupe. THE PRlNcEss's.—The loves of Prince Diamond and the Princess Brighteyes are to be portrayed in the fairy legend sketched by Mr. Forrester, better known as Alfred Croninll, for representation at this theatre, under the title of The King of the Castle, with the usual addendum which indicates the reign of Harlequin. Thus runs the pretty fable --At a convocation of fairies, held, as is the wont of 1265