The Press. — London, England, 1855-10-06 00:00:00

OCTOttli 6, 1855. Olusir. GRAND OPERA, PARIS. In the absence of any musical or theatrical subject of any moii.ent in this metropolis, a critique of the opera St. Claire (composed by the Duke of Saxe- Coburg, brother to Prince Albert), and performed last week with so much success at the Grand Opera, Paris, may not prove uninteresting to our readers. The following is abridged from the Journal des Debats, and was originally from the talented pen of Hector Berlioz. After an eulogistic introductory essay upon the difficulties of the art, and the honour due to a prince who loves music for itself, "the most exacting and the most treacherous of all arts," M. Berlioz gives a slight sketch of the libretto, which he characterises as extremely simple, and neither in novelty nor interest contributing much to the success of the opera. The period is about the eighteenth century, during the reign of Peter the Great, and the scene laid in Russia and Naples. The Czar's eldest son, Alexis, the husband of a beautiful princess, Charlotte, keeps a mistress, Eupbrosine (who does not appear in the piece), whose services he in vain endeavours to force on his wife as one of her ladies of honour. The princess, so quiet and submissive in general, obsti nately refuses to open the door of her palace to her rival. Alexis, furious against his wife for her per- sistence, determines upon her death, and speedily devises a plot for her destruction. It is necessary to go back for a few years, however, and relate how a young officer, Victor de St. Auban, had, before her marriage to Alexis, met the princess in Germany, on a tour through the romantic regions of the Hartz. lie fell in love with her of course, and she on her part was not quite insensible to the adoration of her travelling companion. Fate, however, soon separated them : the princess was married, and St. Auban re turned to his duties, as aide-de-camp to the Czar at Petersburg. At this time, being charged by the emperor with a message to the Czarewitch, St. Auban arrives at Moscow Kremlin, where Alexis and his wife held their Court. The prin cess immediately recognises him, and, in her misery, glad to find a friend on whose support she may rely, honours him with marked distinction. Victor falls more hopelessly in love than ever, and, wit nessing the brutality of Alexis to his wife, can scarcely contain his rage, and vows secretly to revenge her. Meanwhile Alexis matures his project for getting rid of the princess, and arranges a fete, at which she is to be poisoned. The fete takes place, and in the midst of joy and feasting every one is horror-struck at seeing the unfortunate princess fall from her seat, rise up convulsively, gasp once or twice, and fall again pale and deathlike. In the next scene, after a grand funeral, with all the impressive ceremonies of the Greek Church, just as the last hymn for the dead is chaunted, Aurelius, the physician, who has only administered a nat •cotic to the princess, mounts the steps of the monument to the side of the open coffin, feels the pulse of the dead princess, examines her face, and returns with strange doubts upon his countenance. Alexis, on his side, apparently repentant, dares to approach the corpse, which suddenly and slowly raises its right arm, and points menacingly towards him, at which he is struck with terror. During the last prayer, and just as the whole choir and priests were prostrating themselves before the altar, with their backs to the catafalque, the physician, suspecting a lethargy merely to be affecting the princess, mounts the steps, rapidly lifts the princess out, who, now survived and aware of her position, makes her escape cleverly, while he carefully ar ranges the drapery over the coffin, and then disap pears with the princess. The third act opens with a scene at Naples. The princess and her friend Bertha are living on the famous bay, in a villa which, if it is not so magni ficent, is at least more cool and safe than the Kremlin. Here, supplied with grapes by the vine dressers, and with fish by the fishermen, she lives freed from her husband, and can without fear in dulge in an occasional glass of Lachryma Christi. Suddenly she is alarmed by being informed that a man of strange aspect has been seen in the moun tains. It is Alexis, who, pursued by remorse, has wandered away from Russia he knows not whither. Immediately after, Victor and his friend Alphonse, who is in love with Bertha, appear in search of Alexis. Passing the villa, Victor recognises the voice of the princess, and, on beholding her whom be thought dead, discovers himself, but is denied by Charlotte, who seeks to preserve her seclusion. Soon after Alexis comes in, and is recognised. Victor, furious, throws himself upon the cowardly assassin, tl e clumsy poisoner, and arrests him. Alexia pleads his right of rank, but Victor exhibits the order for his arrest from the Czar, who has THE PRESS. already condemned him to death. At this moment Charlotte appears on her balcony, the poor assassin believes her to be the avenging ghost of his victim, loses his presence of mind, attempts to throw himself into the sea, but, not being able to accomplish that, draws his poignard and stabs himself to death. The Czar who had so brutally (after the manner of Brutus) condemned his son to death, had also before hand given his permission for the marriage of Victor to Charlotte, since the circumstances of the resurrec tion and flight were known to him ; consequently, after the death of Alexis, Charlotte, as a matter of course, gives her hand to Victor, Bertha gives hers to Alphonse, a vessel heaves in sight, and they set off immediately for Russia. Such is the libretto, which has been rendered from the original German by M. Oppelt with considerable address and talent. Of the music M. Berlioz remarks that the style is clear, often brilliant, and full of animation. In it there are des phrases heureuses, sustained by a pure har mony and an ingenious and subdued instrumentation. The overture commences by an andante mysterioso of a most sombre character, but which is speedily interrupted by a short allegro; the andante is re sumed, and the grand allegro succeeds. The opening phrase of this morceau is excellent, and the two episodical melodies of the allegro above all glitter with grace and delicacy. Throughout the overture the arrangement and disposition of ideas claim high merit, for using and not abusing the resources of instrumentation. Among the choice morceaux of the opera, in the first act, the soft fresh romance which follows the recital of Victor's interview with the princess in the forest, was exquisitely sung by Roger, who was immensely applauded. In the second act, which M. Berlioz declares to be le plus avance of the three, the air (with the harp accompaniment), " Le voila, ce funebre asile," was rendered by Roger with the most touching pathos. But the grand coup of The opera, in point of effect, was the exquisite morceau, " Les foudres du ciel, quej'offense," the vast plan of which is scientifically managed, and in which the vocal and instrumental forces are guided and subdued with infinite art, until at length, no longer restrained, they burst forth into the most magnificent finale. The religious choruses, alPo, at the end of this act are written in fine taste. In the third act nothing more lively or gay than the chorus of vine growers, " 0 Vigne odoranti !" is or could be written, while in the grand scene, when Victor recognises the princess, " Charlotti o del ! there et divini image !" Roger was again triumphantly successful. The monologue of Alexis, "Jo cherche en vain le repos sur Is terre," is heavy, although quite characteristic; but the grand ensemble at the end, and the apostrophe of Charlotte to Alexis, "Tu vas mourir ! Dieu reprend ce qu'il donne," was admirable in effect. On the whole, concludes M. Berlioz, the success of St. Claire was never in doubt a moment from the commence ment to the end. The execution was careful and intelligent, the mise•en-seine worthy of the opera, and Madame Rosati, in the different pas de caractire, excited the moat enthusiastic applause. The part of Charlotte was filled by Mme. Lafour, who found the music occasionally above the range of her voice. Roger fulfilled that of Victor, and added another wreath to his well-won laurels. THE INAUGURATION DINNER OF THE SHERIFFS, Mr. Alderman R. H. Kennedy and Mr. Alderman W. A. Rose, took place on Monday, at the London Tavern, when about 270 gentlemen sat down in honour of the occasion—the two sheriffs presiding. The dinner was, as usual, of a very recherché cha racter, and the company comprised nearly all the civic authorities, in additiion to other gentlemen con nected with the city of London, and several strangers of distinction. Among those present were—the Lord Mayor elect (Alderman Salomons), Lord Wil liam Lennox, Sir Edward Ryan, Major-General Bognold, Captain Hood, R.N., Captain Eastwick, Mr. Masterman, M.P., Sir J. Duke, M.P., Mr. Cubits, M.P., the Chisholm, M. Sebire, late member of Council of the Prefecture of the Seine ; Sir Charles Fox, Sir C. D. Crosley, Aldermen Farebrother, Farnecombe, Sir J. Musgrove, Sidney, Finnic, Wire, and Eagleton, &c. The healths of the Queen, Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, &c., were given and responded to with the usual cordiality. "The Navy and Army on service abroad," proposed by Sheriff Kennedy, was received with marked enthusiasm—the toast being replied to by Captain Hood on the part of the navy, and by Major-General Bagnold for the army. " The Health of the Lord Mayor elect" having been proposed and duly acknowledged, the healths of the Sheriffs, the late Sheriffs, the Chisholm, and other toasts were pro posed, and the company separated soon after eleven o'clock. The musical arrangements were under the direction of Mr. Ransford, who was assisted by an excellent glee party; and Mr. Harker acted as toast master. AN ANCIENT BRITISH VHS -AGE, in ruins, has been discovered on Dartmoor, near the head of the Plym. From the size and form of the huts their age is sup posed to relate to the earliest period of British his- tory. Sato and Vita. MORE WIFE-BEATING. THERE have been more brutal assaults by men upon women this week. The number of these cases on Monday was above the average, and all occurred on Saturday night, when the several husbands returned home drunken and infuriated : Michael Newman, a thick-set powerful man of forty-five, was placed at the bar of the Worship-street Police-court, on Monday, charged with the following outrage. Margaret Newman, the prisoner's wife, described as a laundress, beneath whose right eye was a large protrusion filled with extravasated blood, and whose entire face bore numerous proofs of some recent ill-usage, stated'—Between ten and eleven on Saturday night the prisoner came home the worse for drink, but I gave hint his supper very com fortably, and he fell asleep I took home some things 1 had washed and ironed, and on coming back in an hour found him still asleep. I could not finish my work through his being asleep on the ironing -board, and I asked him to get up. He would not, and 1 tried to lift his head, on which he started up, and exclaiming " I will give it to you now," dealt me a violent blow on the head with his fist, knocked me down, dragged me by my hair about the room, and then kicked me heavily in the eye. 1 got up and ran from him to the door, but he saw my intention, sprang there before me, and locked it. He then struck me on the head again and knocked me down again. I contrived to get near the window, broke a pane of glass, and screamed for help, but he got hold of me again, kicked me on the body twice, and I then became senseless ; but I believe that some neighbours burst open the door, for I escaped into the opposite house, where he followed and struck me again, and violently kicked me. By Mr D'EyNcouar.—l have been married to him twenty-five years, have borne him eleven children, and have three alive, but one is a cripple. The prisoner has been four times harged with violently assaulting me; in fact for years he has behaved in this way to me. He threatens my life continually ; he will go downstairs in the night, rattle the knife-box, and bring up the carving-knife to me in bed, and threaten me with it, grating his teeth all the while. . This evidence was confirmed, one witness stating that the prisoner appeared sober at the time, and saying bru- tally, when reproached with his conduct towards his wife, " I think I have cooked her goose this time." Mr. D'Eyscounr sentenced him to six months' impri- sonment, and hard labour, and then to find sureties for peaceable behaviour. The prisoner was removed, blubbering and crying. Thomas Toome, a powerful•looking fellow, a navvie, of Stroud's•vale, Islington, was charged at the Clerkenwell Court, the same morning, by Caroline Thome, his wife, a delicate•looking woman, with a sickly infant in her arms, with a series of violent assaults upon her. The prosecutrix, in a faint tone of voice, said that she had two children by the prisoner, to whom she had been married four years. He was in the constant habit of treating her in a shocking manner without any cause. On Saturday he returned home and repeated hie ill•usage, when he dragged her out of bed, seized her by the hair of her head, and knocked it violently against the floor, and, on getting up, he beat her head against the wall and kicked her in a most brutal manner. The cries of " Murder " and the screams of her children brought the assistance of her neighbours and the police. She added that she had been beaten by him before, but forgave him on a promise to behave better. The child in her arms was in a dying state inconsequence other not being able to nourish it, her milk having been affected through the prisoner's extreme violence towards her. Her person was covered with se vere marks of violence, and she was scarcely able to move. The prisoner had been once before in prison fur heat ing her. The prisoner could say nothing better in his defence than that his wife was jealous of him. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and hard labour. Edward Gellings, a middle aged man, who was described as a strolling player, was charged ut Lambeth Police.court, before Mr. Elliott, on the same day, with committing a brutal assault on his wife. Mrs. etchings, whose person bore evident proofs of her husband's brutality, deposed that both herself and her three children had been shamefully neglected by her hus band, and though she used every effort to make a living for herself and them, and also to assist her husband, lie led her the most wretched life, so that her existence was a perfect burden to her. On Saturday, on his return home, he asked her if she had paid the rent, and she replied that she had not, for that she had not the means, and asked him if he had not brought home some money. Upon this he flew into a violent passion, struck her several blows with his clenched fist, and knocked her through a window, the glass of which cut her arm very severely. The defendant admitted that his wife wan a most indus trious woman, and her temper *as the only thing he had to complain of. Mr. ELLIOTT fined i..m 3/., or, in default of payment, to one month's imprisonment. LOUIS BUCARF.III, an Italian, was charged on Tuesday before Mr. Jardine with annoying Mr. U. Way, licensed victualler, of Covent-garden Market, by playing bis instrument at twelve o'clock at night. The complainant stated that he had hardly got into bed and disposed himself comfortably for sleep, when the defendant stationed himself in front of the house, and began discoursing the moat frightful music. Unable to bear tha mental distraction which his 959