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

111

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.