The Express.
London, England, 1847-05-10 00:00:00

011FoLIC.

THE REPRESENTATION or WEST NOHFOLIL—In the
expectation of a speedy dissolution of parliament, the liberals
of the western division of this county are in the field, and
they are taking the necessary steps to secure the amnion of
their candidates, who are now announced u the ass. lid.
ward Coke and Anthony Hamond, D.q., of Westaerw. Tv,*
more eligible candidates could not be selected. Mr. Emma
has " won golden opinion." from the farmer, of Wait !for-
feit, by his attention to their interests, by his strenuous sad
straightforward advocacy of their cause, and by his conduct
as a landlord.

A VERDICT OF MVRDER WY returned OD Friday, M
Rochford, against J. Wiliomore, who, it may be renum-
bered, robbed and so brutally Waited an old man, named
Terry, that he died.

ROTAL ITALTAN OPERA.—Donixeftre tragic opera
(or " tnigedie lyrique," as the French call it), " Mann di
Riihan, was produced at Covent.garden on Saturday even-
ing. This opera is among the latest of Donisetti's works
and has been performed, with moderate success, at the
Italian Opera in Paris, and in several theatres is
Italy. The libretto is a v. rsion of the well known
French play, Un Duel soup Richelieu," which has
been rendered familiar to the London public not only by
repeated performances by different French companies,
bat by en adaptation to the English stage. Without going,
theretOre, into details, it is sufficient to remind our
readers of the tragical incident en which the subject
turns. The heroine, Maria of Rohan, is married to the
Guts de Cheoreuse, but she loves, and is beloved by, his
friend, the Count de Maki+. Chalais is engaged in a duel
with a licentious courtier, Gondi (afterwards so celebrated
in the history of France), whom tongue had traduced the
lady's fame, and Cheyenne, unaware of the cause of quanta,
becomes his felt niPs second. Chalaia is prevented Mein
arriving at the place of rendezvous till Cheyenne islossW
has fought and conquered his adversary. A parting Idler,
addressed by Chains+ to Maria, on the eve of the duel, ilb
into the hands of Cherreuor, and discovers the secret iota,
mune of the lovers. While he is upbraiding his wife for
her falsehosd, Chalais enters. The infuriated husband
farm the seducer to instant combat. Cholas+ falls,
and the scene clines upon the distraction of the wife.
There is deep tragic interest to this subject; and, is
the original French play, the fine acting of hladame Albert
made a great impression on the public. The dramatic effect
of the piece has by no means been heightened by its con-
version into an opera; the strength of every scene being
merely diluted by the weak mush: of Donizetti. The music,
indeed, is not altogether without merit. In this, as in other
operas, written towards the end of his career, the composer
seemed to be tending towards the German who-4, exhibiting
greater depth and solidity in hit vocal harmony as well as in
his instrumentation. " Maria di Rotten " has a regular over-
ture—a thing which, in his rainier works, Dohizetti did not
attempt. It must have eat him no small labour, and be bus
put ell the instrumenU on hard duty, but the result of their
exertions is little more then noise aild confusion. Some of
the concerted music is well combined and vigorous, particu-
larly the finale to the fire act, which very happily camerae
the confusion of the scene and the varied passions of the per-
sons, while it contains broad and resonant harmony. The
air. are destitute of individuality; they posse's no distinct
and peculiar features which stamp them on the memory ;
they are mere chances rung on trite and familiar phrases
which have been heard a thousand times before. W
they happened to produce any effect, it was due
to the voice, execution, or expression of the per-
former.. From this general remark, however, we
must make an exception in favour of two airs,
belonging to the part of Gontli, which have a character of
their own independently of that given them by the sdmirsble
performance of Mdlle. Alboni. Condi is r. resented as a
young petit maitre of the court; and Alboni's personation of
the character was one of the cleverest thing, that can be
imagined. She assumed the gay and gallant air, the easy
stesio4sdasset, the familiar swagger, of the youthful oraeosab

with Wilke esprit and miimation. Dosiaetti has been happy
in die music of this part The sir, " Per non Isla, in este,
• inestieg tale of vandal at the berMaa's expense, is quaint
Med original; and nothing could be 1:11,4* piquant than
Abseils delivery of it. The other air, " Sea !elegem nell'
Mere," rung by Conti before kis duel, Its a tone in which
Suess feeling i. mingled with his levity, reminded us not
• little of Weber. It was snag seam exquisitely, avid
Wend with seclamatiocs. Unfortunately, however, this
pert of Garai is but a slight clue; he appears only in two
genes, early in the piece. Like Mercurio, he throws a glee=
of manalthse upon a gloomy scene ; bet his untimely disap-
pearance (mpg civilly when represented by an Alboni) leaves
nothing behind it to fill up the blank which it creates.
Madame Rooconi, who performed the part of the heroine,
was wholly incompetent to the task. Her only qualification
was a handsome person, which she set off by two or three
changes of gorgeous costume during the piece. Her
voice was mediocre, her intonation oftin distress-
ingly inoorrect, her execution unfinished, and her
dramatic action eatirelj conventional. It is with pain
that we speak in terms of such unqualified dispraise.
For tie lady herself we felt nothing but sorrow, our blame
being directed to the management which threw her into so
false a position. What made this conduct still more strange
was the circumstance that Oriel, who had performed the
part in Paris, and to whom, indeed, it belonged, was lying
by unemployed. The characters of Cheereuse and Chakiia,
—the injured husband and his treacherous friend,—were
most ably performed by Roncocii and Salvi. It was, how-
ever, more by his acting than his singing, and by the
dramatic more than the musical qualities of his singing, that
Honconi earned his reception in several scenes. In the
music of his part there is not a bar of melody intrinsieelly
beautiful or expressive. There is no charm in his voice that
can create beauty without the composes's aid ; and nothing
therefore could be more uninteresting than his performance
in the earlier portion of the opera. But in the seems which
immediately preceded the catastrophe, his tragic powers
developed themselves. Ala rnately expressive of rage,
despair, relenting tendemena, and gloomy resolution, his
assents converted the unmeaning notes of Donisetti into the
most powerful language of passion. The effect of these
scenes was immense, and the efforts of the performer wire
rewarded by the enthusiastic applause of the audience. Salvi
was a perfect representative of the Could de CA Moir. His
noble figure, fine countenance, and chivalrous bearing, made
him the beau ideal of a gentleman of the old French
court. What he had to sing was worthless in
itself, but he gave it a beauty not its own by his charming
voice and perfect execution. By them means he obtained
an ensure for one of his airs— Alma soave e nn"—as
pretty a piece of musical namby-pamby as we would desire to
meet with. Too much praise cannot be given to the taste
and splendour of the mist ass scene, the fulness and firmness
of the thorns singing, and the superb performance of the
orchestra. On the whole, it appears to us that the manage-
ment of this theatre have made a second mistake (the
" Italians in Alfieri" being the first) in their selection of
operas. An inferior pi. ce of Donisetti's is not what we
would expect after all that has been said about the revival at
this theatre of the great masterpieces of the musical stage.
We can assure the managers that their failure —or let no Oa
it delay—in redeeming their pledges, is creating a feeling of
disappointment, which, if continued, will bi very prejudicial
to their interest.
THE HUNGARIAN INSTRUMENTAL VOCALISTS.—'rhe
announcement of a concert by four Hungarian brothers, doss
not present any great features of interest, or promise any-
thing beyotid what the public have been long heartily weary
of; and this fact will sufficiently account for the thin
audience at the Haymarket theatre on Saturday, when MM.
Weis, Zorer, Schwarz and Orungring, made their
debut. Their entertainment must, however, become

popular, as Waft a• it* nature is known, for
a desicteration is thereby supplied which an Englisk
üblie cannot resist—something entirely new. The per-
formanoo of imitations of various instruments—
the cornet-i-piston, the violin, the beutboy, and the horn—
throurh the medium of the Bps only; and this is achieved
in a manner not merely enabling the hearer to recognise the
different instruments, but to supply their place in a fully
efficient manner. The two first of the above-named gentle-
men compose thin novel kind of orchestra, and accompany
their brothers, who exercise their voice in the usual manner.
The national Hungarian airs, thus rendered, are extremely
effective and pleasing; and so an end—apart freni the means
by which th. y are produeed—will amply repay a visit. As
may be supposed, the softer instruments are given by far the
mast suomssfully, owning, as they do, more within the com-
pass of the human voice.