The Press.
London, England, 1856-07-19 00:00:00

CONCERTS OF THE WEEK.

Mme. Pauline Viardot's matinee musicale in the
Dudley Gallery last Wednesday was fully and
fashionably attended. This admirable artiste, whose
success in the concerts this season has been very re-
markable, and whose singing of the music of Samuel
in Costa's Eli was one of the few things to be remem-
bered, displayed the versatility of her powers by
singing, in French those quaint ancient romances
the popularity of which she has revived ; in Italian,
Rossini's grand contralto air, " Pensa alla patria,"
from the Italiana in ; in Spanish, a duo
with the guitarist Yradier, a modern composer of
note in Ibeiran melodies ; and in German, Schu-
bert's thrilling " Erllonig," occompanied by M.
Halle, the sensation in the latter being so great as
to cause its redemand. In addition, Mine. Viardot
sung with Mme. Novello a duo from Handel's
Rinaldo, "Les Sirenes," also encored, and Meyer-
beer's duo " Mere Grand." Bazzini, the Italian
violinist, assisted in the programme, playing, among
other pieces, " La Cadence de Diable, ou le Songe de
Tartini," in which Viardot vied with the violin in
extraordinary roulades. Mme. Viardot is engaged at
Bradford and Gloucester, for the two musical pro-
vincial festivals this summer.

Arthur Napoleon, the Portuguese pianist, is now
twelve years of age, and is proving that his abilities
as a pianist have not been prematurely forced. At
his concert last Monday he played both in the
classic and modern romantic schools with immense
eff.-Tt, being aided by Herr Ries, violinist ; Miss
Louise Christine, harpist; Signor Piatti, violoncello;
and Signor Andreoli, pianist. The vocalists were,
Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, M. Jules Lefort, Misses Las-
celles, Heywood, and Messent, Mr. Tennant, and M.
Gassier.

M. Charles Halle's final pianoforte reciial took
place on Thursday, assisted by Mme. Viardot.

Mr. Blagrove's last of his interesting series of
violin concerts was given on Thursday morning, sup-
ported by Dr. Sterndale Bennett, pianoforte, M.
Sainton, Mr. R. Blagrove, concertina, and Signor
Piatti.

Signor Bazzini's morning concert was held yester-
day (Friday), at Willis'?-rooms, with the co operation
of Halle, Piatti, Batesini, Mr. John Thomas, harpist,
Mme. Viardot, Herr Reichardt, Signor Cimino, Senor
Yratlier, Mr. Benedict, Signor Li Calzi, Scc.
The tenth concert of the Royal Italian Opera
singers at the Crystal Palace took place yesterday.
Two more concerts, on the 25th, and Friday, August
1, will terminate this popular series.

THE MUSICALFESTIVALS.—T he provincial meetings
will be this year at Bradford and at Gloucester, the
former beginning on the 20th of August and ending
on the 29th, and the latter from the 9th to the 12th
September. The St. George's-hall committee, with
their active chairman, Mr. S. Smith, have published
the outline of their programme, which will include
the first performance in Yorkshire of Costa's Eli, of
Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Handel's Messiah. There
will be a striking novelty in the scheme of the evening
concerts, being the production of two MS. cantatas by
English com posers, namely, the "Robin Hood " of J. L.
Hatton, and " May Day "by Macfarren. The voca-
lists will be Viardot, Mme.Novello, Mr. and Mrs. Weiss,
Mr I Sims Reeves, Miss Sherrington, the piquante
Piccolomini, the inimitable Alboni, Mrs. Sunderland,
Miss Milner, Miss Fanny Huddart, Herr Reichardt,
Mr. Montem Smith, Signor Belletti, Mr. Winn, Herr
Formes, Signor Beneventano, &c. Costa will be the
conductor, and the band and chorus will muster
nearly 350 strong. The Bradford choristers earned
such glory at the last meeting in 1853, that they will
no doubt strive to outdo their former efforts. The
list of stewards for the Gloucester gathering is un
usually large, and the arrangements of the committee
are in active progress, the organist of the cathedral,
Mr. Amott, being the conductor.

SATURDAY,

ate frama.
LYCEUM THEATRE.
SYLVIO TELLICO'S " FiIiiNCESCA DA RIMINI."
RISTORI.

RISTORI terminated her series of performances on
Wednesday night, by enacting Francesca in Pellico's
five act tragedy, and Adelaide in Count Giraud's one-
act comedy, I Gelosi Fortunati—characters which
she chose for her benefit on the previous Monday
morning, when she was properly greeted by one Of
the fullest houses of her short season. Whether the
story of Francesca, on account of the familiarity
with Dante's poem and Lord Byron's translation,
was better known to her auditory than the plots of
the previous plays in which she had acted, or whe-
ther it was that an increased acquaintance with
Ristori's style rendered her listeners more demon-
strative, it certainly seemed as if the enthusiasm
was greater than at any former occasion. And yet
Pellico's play, powerful as it is in some situations,
and eloquent in its poetic aspirations, is, upon the
whole, a weak one. Dante's Francesca is a sinner,
Pellico's Francesca is a saint; the former is con-
signed with his guilty lover to infernal torments;
the latter is destined to the happiness in heaven re-
fused to her on earth. Pellico makes Francesca the
victim of her husband's ill founded jealousy of his
brother Paolo. The Italian patriot and poet, it is
true, depicts the attachment of Francesca for Paolo,
as her first love, before she knew the sovereign, Lan-
ciotto. At the opening the King bewails his fate,
married as he is, and devotedly attached to Fran-
cesca, that she looks upon him with sorrowful eyes.
Her father, Guido, cannot account for this melan-
choly ; she was all joy and smiles as a child, but as
a wife she is all grief and clouds. Francesca rnis.
trusts herself, however, and she asks her husband's
permission to return to her native city, Ravenna, in
expectation of Paolo's return. The love of her child-
hood's days does return, and step by step do the
incidents accumulate, to reach the climax, when
Lanciotto kills both wife and brother, guiltless as
she is in act, however wrong in feeling. Here there
is another part of the Maria Stuarda stamp. It is
the sense of fatality which bears down Francesca;
her religious sentiments support her in the struggle,
but the doom is inevitable. To describe how Ris-
tori works out her conception would require a length-
ened analysis of each successive incident. First,
there is the deep-rooted sorrow combined with the
resolution to perform her duty. She clings to her
husband convulsively to strengthen her inward de-
termination, but the conflict is too much for her,
and unfortunately Paolo alludes to his self-denial
when he has captured women in the wars. The
jealous outbreak of Francesca—a happy notion of
the poet, by the way—was given with inconceivable
force by the tragedienne. Still she rejects, at first
with scorn, Paolo's subsequent impassioned declara-
tion ; but, like Valentine iu the Hugeunots, she at
last avows, "to t'amo," fainting in her father's
arms as Paolo departs. Whether Pellicoos star fades
by the side of Dante, as to the development of the
wife's character—whether the latter has not made
the tale more thrilling by rendering Francesca so
guilty, is a matter for keen discussion ; but Ristori's
delineation will make many converts to Pellico's
version. It was the part which made her in one
night famous in Paris, and assuredly in no other play
are her wondrous powers more superbly displayed.
For the two comedies in which Ristori has appeared,
La Locandiera of Goldoni, and the I Gelosi Fortu-
nati, there will never be the same liking, on the
part of her admirers, as for her tr.igic assump-
tions. C ever as her landlady, Mirandolina, and
the jealous wife Adelaide, are, the contrast is too
violent to be thoroughly agreeable. After grasping
daggers, its looks like weakness to be playing with
fans. The acting of her colleagues, who in tragedy
were really awful visitations to endure, in the two
comedies was acceptable enough ; they were easy,
natural, and vivacious ; and Signor Bellotti-Bon,
who made his first appearance as the proud and
poor Marquis in the Locandiera, and as Adelaide's
jealous husband in the Gelosi Fortunati, proved that
the Italians have an accurate notion of comedy and
farce, apart from the buffoonery on their lyric stage.
Since Wednesday Mme. Ristori has appeared in
Manchester and Liverpool, and, after her present
provincial tour, will return to Paris for the winter, to
reappear in London at the new Covent-garden Italian
Opera house in the ensuing season. Let us hope
that her visit to England may be the means of
creating some genius to restore the fallen glories of
the British drama—the greatest of all dramas. We
have the poets, and we have had their adequate in-
terpreters--surely the sun has not sunk for ever on
the race of grand actors and actresses

THE AMATEUR PERFORMANCE AT DRURY LANE
last Saturday night was a great success. The ama-
teurs on this occasion had not only considerably im-
proved their pantomime by the introduction of some
new scenes, but they had the wisdom not to trust
the success solely to that piece. That lively one-act

comedy The Loan of a Lover, with Mrs. Keeley as
peter Spyk, and a young debutante—a Miss Louisa
Millar—as Gertrude, formed an agreeable introduc
tion to the pantomime. Mrs. Keeley as the plethoric
young farmer in love with a pretty girl without
knowing it, ready to marry anybody else, and at last,
just as he thinks he is about to lose her, finding out
that he really loves Gertrude,—and then breaking
bis fat heart with blubbering rage, jealousy, vexa-
tion, and honest love, was as fine a bit of acting as can
be conceived ; while the fair debutante won a great
and a deserved success, not only as a graceful, clever,
and engaging actress, but as the possessor of a
sweet soprano voice of fine timbre, good compass,
and charming freshness. The pantomime went off
admirably well, and the crowded house expressed
their satisfaction with undeniable heartiness. A second
performance is promised soon. Why is Guy Fawkes
so perseveringly kept upon the shelf ?
MR. STOCQUELER, so well known to the public as
one of their most agreeable entrepreneurs, gave his
first Shakespearian reading, on Wednesday evening,
at Willis's-rooms. The selection chosen was the
First Part of Henry IV., and Mr. Stocqueler
achieved a great success. His delivery is excellent,
and dramatic power undeniable. The room was
filled with a fashionable company, who were warm in
their applause. The Merchant of Venice will be
read on the 23rd of July, and Cymbeline on the
80th.
THE Row. CoLossEux in the Regent's-park is
about to be reopened by a companv under the Limited
Liability Act, with a capital of 10,0001. But as the
promoters state that everything exists in statu quo,
from the time of closing, the capital necessary for
the proposed object will not exceed 2,0001., the
greater portion of which is intended to supply ad-
ditional attraction to the exhibition, the whole of
which will be open to the public for one shilling.
The directors have secured the services of Dr. Bach-
hoffner, formerly of the Polytechnic Institution, as
manager. Every shareholder is entitled to a free
admission.