The Express.
London, England, 1856-06-16 00:00:00

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HER

MUSIC.

THEATRE.

The evrioeity of the musical public is to the far-
famed Johanna Wage*, bu at length been graVfled. She
made her debut is England on Saturday evening to the
character tf Romeo, in the Cepidetti ed i Motekeelli cf
&Biel

Mdlle. Wegner is yammer than might bans been ellip-
soid from the length ornate that her name btu ►een known
to the world. This i■ owing to the precocity of her genius
gad the early age at which the appeared before the public
She is now in her nasty-fifth year, having been torn in
1831. She is a native of Hanover. Her father, en
eminent tenor sierra, was well qualified to give
her • good vocal edattatioa ; but the was as
actress before she became • siege', and to this day
her greatest strength hoe is the dramatic Detach of b.
art. By the time 'be was fifteen, she had diatingained
bawl( lo many important parts in tragedy end anal co
needy, but a the meantime her musical 'dahlias wag net
neglected. Her vase being a anstraleo, her fir t yet
In opera was the Peso is the Huguenots ; and her sates.
in this end tome other parts grailially brought hetsP-
Vrely upon the lyrical siege. Ten years ago she wee at
Pais pursuing ►er studies nadir Manuel Gana, the ale
bated astructor now resident among us, who has eosin-
bated to form many "[the most distiossinied singers of the
day, Jenny Lind •ncluded. After her return to
Germany she took, alternately with Madame
&battier Devriest, the atheist parts in oriole
opera; and now, bold,ng • lifser.gagement et the R yal
Opera of Berlin, she is tee acknowledged chief of the Gerona
molten drams, sapproaehed by any one save the
Dresden prima douse, Jemmy Ney, whose gnat powers hove
been profusely brought beton the English public.
Johanna Wigan's voles Is properly a contralto, but, like
Hatteras. Vi•rdet, Albool, sad other celebrated *Wpn,!
she hes extended it far beyond its Ratan compass. and per-
forms
many parts whelk ere entirely soprano. Is • merely
musical point c f view this would be • disadvontepe, for s
voles cannot be thus artific ally stretched beyond it•''
enteral pitch without some injury to its quality; but
some voices are so eataasive by nature, t►at the proms 1.
centsratively harmless; sad moreover, if a watratha
singer were to keep within the limits of her voice, her
dramatic range would be sadly eircomecrthed„ and as an
actress she would lose the brightest triumphs of her gonna.
Tee made of Romeo, in which Mdlle.Wstraer has now been
heard, is entirely suited to her arta ; it amnia to be
learned how she sings such parte ea Valentine or Norms.
Bellini's opera, I Cepsiktti ed f Montecch, b ate of
several Italian pieces on tee fame subjoin. There is
old Zingarelli's Romeo a Giutietto; then is Vactai's
opera with the same title ; and tbsre Is this of Bell ni.
It is one of his early and immature wt rks, art eomparable
fer • moment to the riper fruits of his genius, Norms, the
50AN0056114, Of the Puritan:. It bean, however, • strati
leanly likeness to them; but It le the likeness of the
stripling to the full grown man. The melodies bare the
some simpleity and sweetness, with Behinds tharec,eriotie
tinge of melancholy ; bat they seers to be, as it were. •a
embryo—the themes Ere left La their rudimental state with.
out the opinion and devs:opment which, in Norms and
the Finnan, we find given to susata of • similar kiad.
The cum quince ill that the airs sound trite and Ismiliee,
like things we have heard before; and their expression
is so vague that their hamlet." character rate en-
tirely with the si..ger. Hence this opera hoe owed
its success (such as it has been) to its subject and net to its
mesa, which has been deemed so weak that it has gene-
rally been patched up with music by other composers. The
mo.t venison yrsetiee has been to throw aside the lea act
and take Vaecat's instead ; nay, sometimes a sort r f pa-
tience has been concocted oat of the throe opera. of Belton,
Vacant, and Ziogarelli. Mall*. Wagner, however, is right
taking Bellioi's nestle only, and in giving it entire*
However weak it may be, it has a oonsisiecey r f style, sad
unity of design, which an never be found in a piece
of patchwork. As tonna subject, it is of coons the story
of Romeo end Juliet; but whether taken from Seek-
spent or from tbe old Italian tale to which Senora* had
recourse, seems doubtful. Signor Romani, the Italian dr".
mans•, may be supposed to have read Shakepeare, but his
opera might have bees written' though our Banish Flume
and Jahn bad agar existed. The story le told in all its
original magrenees. The lovers are scions of beside betas;
Giulietta's finely with to force her into marriage with
Tebaldo, • kinsman. To are her from this sacrifice, L..
Teas°, the family physician, gives bar • potion to pro!
dun appereat death, intending to oommuoieste
the derive to Romeo, in ceder that he may I
rano her from Ms tomb. Romeo, saint rased
a this eroxtrivanee, bears of Otalletta's death; he breaks
epos her tomb la the night, and, alter weeping over hint cold
awaits, takes pobon. Mullett& awakes, sad their re-
union is a moment of replete. fcllowed by despair and
egoey. Ranee expires, and Cleolietts falls dead upon his
body.
Johanna Wagner appeared near the begloolog of the
piste, in the acme where Romeo, placating himself to the
Capitate as an envoy from the Moatecabi, proses@ that the
houses shall bury in °Hake their tacked feed, and tamest
the union by the nuptials of Romeo sad Oluliette,• proses.
which is diadaisfully rejected. Mdlle. Wester's entrance
was very wilting. Her tall, graseful figure, freak count"-
nava, and chivalrous air, made an levant impression. She
was received with long-contlased applaue, and lives some
time before she mold open her month. ♦ brief dialogs
in recitative showed her botanist denamation, and law:-
dosed the air, " Si Romeo Varela on figlio," • plain aim.
pie melody, into w►ich she t►rew the utmost fermata's' of
expression, disp`ayiag this Whams of her deep toatralto
eons. The sabesquent air, " l.a tremenda ultra spode,"
is which Romeo retorts the haughty defines with which
he I. met, was delivered with imersesee fire and vocal power,
a high B natural being uttered la • tone which
rang through the date and trodwed • bent In
admiration, and the fair singer, after leaving the stage, was
recalled with scolanntions. la the following sane between
the lovers, where Roma, honchoed to bid mistress's
apartment by the frieadly doctor, 1/114 la vela to persuade
her to fly wits him, there is • pretty duet, " Mlglio
penis," into w►isk Menlo. Wagner tbrew the most teepee-
gamed tenderise", well responded to by Mdlle. Jeany Bare
who throughout the whole pleat was • pleasing and it-twist-
ing Gialietta.

In the monad act there blade that it remarkable, or that
disolsys very irrikisply the powen of the prior men. Ths
lasi., however, is worthy of antis,. The it... is which
the lovers on surprised by old Capelet and by followers,
and forcibly 'operated, is worked into a concocted piece,
written wits coarldorable gamey coed drummer effect This.
indeed, is the hist mule in the opera.
Then le • poworfel mite la the third set between Romeo
and Tebaldo. Tobeldo wails his rival with theeste sad
invectives ; and Romeo, after restraining Memel( fo• •
whi:e, is at losith exasperated and retorts with equal
violence. The bent of pumas wit► which Einsamo en-
claimed—

Viesi ; tt nownes, e Ado
Ti.. f worst mi.
floe r fled ,12. ',dieser. Is the midst of their wrath the
mud of snilaseholy t•uaie is beard, and °iodides Inewal
proewcioe pews over the stage. They thee, for the Arm
time, learn that she is deal, and their (soy if changed to
woe. Tots is a Age dramatic s'osatwe, though ror it
fth►kspeare. Nothing could be more beautiful t►an Millie
Wagner's ardor sod staging is this seems. It oarless,
tie., " Blts 2 molts I" seemed tie cry of a broke. bent.
Bat the atvesgth of the piece is esseestrated is the feurt•
set. The feeble aside is quits inadequate to the situation,
bet the streegth 1... la the attesting Itself, and in the powers
[(the priseipal perfumer. The wise is die cemetery •
'he Cipslitta Romeo i 5..., to vis t the tomb of hi
beloved ; bat isiteed of eoliths is loam sod Wears, be
absurdly eines at the head of a orowd of followers, who
begis by staging aloud, suseirinieg obtuse, sad then break
errs the tomb, leaving bin slaw wit► Pe read. From this
4111 SS the tad Nellie. Weiser's 'visit was beastilsi
beyond dawrigitien, sad its ret►os was resistless Is thee li
air," D.b, to heir *slow" insipid se the melody is, every
tone, every wont, wined steeped is tesb. How we
lofted Ur ZlagartUre beastital sir which Pula meld Is