The Press.
London, England, 1857-06-20 00:00:00

"THE TWO ' DON GIOVANNIS.'"

MOZART'S Don Giovanni was revived on the 9th
inst. at the Royal Italian Opera, and on the 11th at
Her Majesty's Theatre. We will give our impressions
of the two performances in one article, because we
do not shrink from the frank expression of our
opinions, looking at the two presentations solely
from an art point of view. The two casts are as
follows:

_
[ HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL ITALIAN
THEATRE. OPERA.
Don Giovanni Sig. Beneventano Sig. Ronconi

Leporello Sig. Belletti Herr Formes
11 Cominendatore M. Vialetti M. Tagliafico
Masetto Sig. Corsi Sig. Polonini
Don Octavio Sig. Ginglini Sig. Mario
Zerlina Mlle. Piccolomiui Mme. Bosio
__..

Donna Elvin Mlle. Ortolani
I ronna Anna Mlle. Spezia

Mlle. Marai
Mme. Grisi

There is a growing dislike to the use of epithets in
operatic affiches. There was no occasion for Mr.
Gye, therefore, to employ the term " powerful " to
his cast, as it was self evident. The use of the word
" unprecedented " as applied to the Haymarket cast
is unfortunate. An "unprecedented cast" is
equivocal—it may be taken in two ways. Compared
with the casts witnessed in this and other countries,
that of Her Majesty's Theatre was certainly " un-
precedented " in the worst sense. The majority of
the Haymarket singers are essentially Verdi
artistes—a school totally opposed to the classic and
refined style exacted for Mozartian works. Beginning
with the hero, the immortal Don Giovanni, neither
Beneventano nor Ronconi can claim the attributes
of an Adonis. Some venerable opera frequenters
still cite Ambrogetti as the model Don Giovanni.
The present generation swears by Tamburini. Of
one thing we are quite certain—Beneventano is the
lowest in the scale, both as regards singing and
acting. Rmconi exhibits finesse in his acting—in
the defiance and ghost scenes rising to grandeur,
but his intonation is too often at fault; and if Don
Giovanni must be measured by inches rather than
by intellect, then does Ronconi's assumption fall
short of the standard, albeit marvellously fine in
singing, especially in the recitatives. The two
Leporellos are on more equal terms. Belletti's
version is sung like a true musician, but is tame in
the acting. The music is too low for him, and the
concerted pieces consequently suffer much. The
solid substratum of Lablache in the lower notes will
not easily be forgotten. The German's conception
of the Don's servant we take to be accurate. He
raiders him half-buffoon, halfbravo—a true
Spaniard in his intimacy with his master—sympa-
thising with his love of adventure, and a ready cut-
throat if he can but stab in the dark. Then in the final
scene Formes rises with the horror of the situation,
and he feels the terrors which his guilty master affects
to despise. The drawback in Formes is his strange
pronunciation of the Italian recitatives—a defect
amusingly illustrated by Ronccni, when the Don and
Leporello exchange cloaks and hats. Tagliafico was
born for the music of 11 Commendatore ; his peculiar
timbre is most peculiarly adapted to the awful music of
the part. Vialetti's intonation excepted, he was not in-
effective in the ghost part. Polonini's Masetto has
been always regarded as a perfect thing of the kind
—so stolid in appearance, and with the advantage of
a fine bass voice. Corsi acted it admirably, but the
music was quite out of his register. Mario's Don
Ottavio is unapproachable : his chivalrous bearing
renders the "walking gentleman" a prominent pic•
tare, and his singing is perfect. To the surprise of
many, Giuglini's Ottavio turned out to be the most
feeble and insipid within recollection, independently
of the irreverence with which he treated Mozart's
text. Mine. Bosio's Zerlina, although improved in
the acting, is still much more remarkable for its
exquisite rendering of the music, barring some vary
slight liberties taken with the text. Piccolomini, on
the other hand, makes Mozart entirely subservient
t) her acting purposes. If the audience, as a daily
contemporary has suggested, have their eyes on her,
she assuredly has always her eye on the stalls and
pit. She plays to the house, which is her Don Clio-
•lnni and Masetto in turn. To her colleagues in
Viese characters she rarely vouchsafes a glance.
Her notion of Zerlina is right in making her a
coquettish grisette ; but, Piccolomini, pray respect
Mozart ! Do not massacre his melodies—do not
torture his time and tune. Give us the Zerlina of
your histrionic impulses if you will, but at the same
time respect the genius of the composer, who has

THE PRESS:

assigned to Zerlina the divinest of melodies. Donna
Elvira has not yet met with an adequate representa •
tive in this country. The part is of the highest
musical importance, and ought to have a first-rate
singer. Neither Ortolani nor Marai come under this
category; both have antipathetic voices, the former
especially ; but one quality displayed by her is worthy
of praise, that of distinct enunciation. Between
Grisi and Spezia there is an immeasurable gulf.
The Donna Anna, wrote a German poet, ought to
be represented by "one of the handsomest of her
sex, one of the grandest of actresses, and one of the
greatest of singers." This is why Grisi's imperso-
nation has never been approached—she has the
three qualifications. Spezia has a good stage pre-
sence and has considerable energy, but her Donna
Anna is not Mozart's heroine.

Dismissing for a moment the two casts, neither of
which is perfect, but which wilt not for a moment
admit of comparison, so inferior do we regard
that at her Majesty's Theatre, a word or two
as to the restorations in the text at the latter estab-
lishment. It must be borne in mind that Mozart's
original score, as produced at Prague in 1787, is the
one generally adhered to in Germany and elsewhere.
Mozart made certain additions when the opera was
produced at Vienna—additions, no doubt, suggested
by the exigencies of singers, who have been the
tyrants of lyric art in all countries from time imme.
!lariat. We think the director at Her Majesty's
Theatre is entitled to credit for trying some of these
additions, for it will be soon seen what are really
valuable and what are quite useless. As for au
absolute adherence to a composer's score, it is simply
absurd. Is it to be desired that Handel's Messiah
should now be deprived of Mozart's additional ac
companiments ? If there be a restoration of Gluck,
would it be possible to follow his instrumentation
strictly? The cry against the use of the trombones
in Mozart's Don Giovanni is a senseless one. Let
us see what the Haymarket restoration has done in
the case of the chorus " Viva la liberta." In
Mozart's original score, now in the possession of
Mine. Viardot, it is only sung by the seven principal
characters on the stage, the chorus not having been
employed at all. Now, what does Mr. Lumley state
in his advertisement?—

From respect to the grand work of the immortal com•
poser, the following artistes of the establishment have
consented to lend their assistance to increase the effect of
the majestic finale of the first act, including the chorus
" Viva la liberta." MM. Reichardt, C. Brahana, Bottartli,
Mercuriali, Kinni, De Soros, and Baillou; Mesdames
Poma, Berti, Baillou, Fazia, and Ramos.

What is the result of this combined effort ? A grand
political demonstration on the stage, with waving of
hats, throwing up of caps, &c. What was really the
meaning of the poet Da Monte, the writer of tl,e
libretto, and the design of the composer? Simply
to convey the notion of general gaiety free from the
conventional forms and restraints of society. This
was the "Liberty Hall " intended by them, and not
a claptrap exhibition, never intended by either poet
or composer. The two airs, " Dalla sua pace "
by Ottavio, and "Ah ! fuggi ii traditor " by Donna
Elvira, ought to remain permanent restorations
on two grounds—first because of their intrinsic
musical merits, and secondly because they assist in
the accurate development of the story. The "Ho
Capito " of Masetto stands in the way, and it can be
spared. We think the present placing of the grand
scene by Elvira is wrong. We have heard it sung in
Germany at the opening of the second act, which is
better. A duo between Leporello and Zurlina—" Per
queste tue manine "—and the finale after the departure
of the Don to the regions below, are still omitted, the
latter being a vexed question ; but we think that
alter the descent of the libertine hero, the moral
finale would not be listened to. But what say
the restorers ? What becomes of their theory of
"the score, the whole score, and nothing but the
score "? The mise en scene of Don Giovanni is
within narrow limits. A ballroom scene, the eques-
trian scene by moonlight, and the Pandemonium,
are the prominent items for the painter and deco
rator. In the first and second there are chances for
legitimate display : the last scene must be ideal, and,
after all, is reduced to a supply of red fire, more or
less, as Don Giovanni descends, with a contrast in
effect by making the Commendatore ascend in blue
fire. Marshall's success is in the ballroom, with a
Sadler's-Wells effect of ancient days in a fountain of
real water. But the stages at the Lyceum and Her
Majesty's Theatre are equally unadapted to realise
the composer's intentions in the finale of the first
act, as it requires three distinct compartments for
the waltz, the minuet, and the contredanse. The
triple times of three-four, two-four, and three-eight
can only be rendered intelligible by the action of the
three sets of dances, unless they are visible to the
audience. It was quite right at Her Majesty's
not to parade two leading dancers in the minuet, and
it was praiseworthy to free the supper scene of the
lady supernumeraries who have here so long occupied
it. One mistake was made in having the scene of
the Comrnendatore's death, in the first scene, in a

SATIIIIDAY,

garden, as Donna Anna distinctly mentions the
murder as having occurred in the street.
For those who are curious in encores--those
absurd excrescenses of operatic representations in
this country—it may be as well to mention that at
the Royal Italian Opera Mme. Bosio was encored in
" Batti, batti " and " Vedrai carino," and that the
trio of masques, sung by Grisi, Marai, and Mario,
was redemanded. The encores at Her Majesty's
were Piccolo►nini in Zerlina's two airs, Giuglini is
"II mio tesoro," and the chorus " Viva la liberta."
The two or&iestras of course are not to be men.
tioned in the same breath. The weakness in the
stringed—on which so much depends—in Bonetti's
staff was fatal to the inner workings ; rarely were
the celli, the violas, and second violins heard. He
was painstaking, and deserves credit for effecting so
much with inferior materials ; but his times are fre-
quently at fault. How the accompaniments are
rendered by Costa's orchestra scarcely require even
passing mention : even if there was an inferior cast,
such masterly execution would carry an opera
through triumphantly. Both theatres were crowded
to excess—a proof of the undying popularity of Don
Giovanni.

Since the above was penned we have again seen
the opera at Her Majesty's Theatre, and must abso-
lutely confirm our first impressions, that the
interpretation of Mozart's score is a failure.

MUSICAL D01N03.-0 wing to the space occupied
by the notices of the works of Mozart and Handel,
we cannot notice the Philharmonic concert last
Monday and the Musical Union last Tuesday, at
both of which Charles Halle played. We are glad
to announce that the " Vocal Association," under
Benedict's able direction, will have a concert next
Saturday at the Crystal Palace. Next Thursday
Mlle. Victoire Balfe will appear at the Royal Italian
Opera, for the first time as Lucia. M. Belart, a
Spanish tenor of note, is announced for next 'Tues-
day, at Her M‘jesty's.
MADAME Rlsroßt.—We had hoped to have noticed
this week the splendid creation of Camma at the
Lyceum by the Italian tragedienne. It has been
another triumph for Ristori. Next Wednesday she
will appear in a translation of Dean Millman's
tragedy of Fazio.

JUNE 20, 1857.