The Express.
London, England, 1860-07-20 00:00:00

(Stamped, id. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

MUSIC.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.
Oberon, it appears, is in greater request than was
at first expected. And indeed this is not eurpriaing ; for
the extreme beauty of the music, the magnificence of the
spectacle, and the complete and admirable manner in which
the opera is performed, make it a highly attractive enter.
tainnieut, notwithstanding the weakness of the pia* in a
dramatic point of view. "Mr. Smith (sit he states) has been
induced, by numerous applications, to give three ad-
ditional performances of this opera, for which Timms ho
has entered into a fresh engagement with Madame
Alberti, and readied, by telegraph, Signor Mongini who had
departed for Italy. The first of them performances took
place last night ; the second and third will be to-morrow
and Monday.
Lett night there was a great house, and the performance
was brilliant and sucetadul. The smallest way in whieh
the opera is coat shows the extraordinary strength of the
company. We know scarcely any opera which demands
such a variety of talent ; and yet we not only hare the
principal characters sustained by perfornien of
the highest order-116mi*, Alboni, Mongini, and
Everardi hut every part, without exception, is
adequately filled. Since the first production of the opera,
the whole performance is greatly unproved. Not only the
singers, but the orchestra end chorus, are now at home In
Weber's original and difficult music ; and many striking
effects, in the harraoalesof the concerted pieces and in the
iruitmmentation, which were at first missed or imperfectly
given, are now clearly and beautifully brought out. Tithes
has been admirable all along—the character of Reim has
doubtless been familiar to her on the German stage, but
even she seems more at her area than the
was at first in the Italian version of the pert.
Liat night nothing could be more finished or more beau-
tiful than every part of her performance. Alboni, too, was
.if possible even more charming than ever. Still, however,
excellent oaths performance was upon the whole, it might,we
think, be still a good deed improved. Oberon can never be
made an interesting drama, for the subject isdeetitute both of
grandeur and pathos. It is a mere fairy tale, and can only
ammo the fancy ; and yet, as performed at her Majesty's
Theatre, it is as es the Huguenots or the Prophlle.
Ware the merlin of , which are rendered tedious
by being turned into recitative, greatly abridged, and were
seveusl interpolated pieces removed, the opera would be re-
&wed to a length suitable to the nature of the subject, and
would be rendered altogether more animated and pleasing.

DRAMA.

LYCEIi3I.-AMATEUR PERFORMANCE.

On Wednesday night an amateur performance
was given as this theatre by the gentlemen of the Civil
Bowies Rifle Volunteers, in aid of their band fund. The per
which wort under the special patronage of the
Queen the Prince Consort, and the Prince of Wales, who
it the honorary colonel of the regiment, were particularly
attractive, commencing as they did with the tint repre-
sentation of a new comedy by Captain Tom Taylor ; and the
house was brilliantly attended.
Of the new piece, which is called A Lesson Pr Life,
we shall defer any description until it is presented to us by
dramatic " regulars," merely noting that the action is laid
in modern times, that there is • pretty, sensible plot, and
that the dialogue is imbued with the spirit and smartaess
which usually characterise the writer's productions ; nor
shall we depart from our usual custom of declining to cri-
ticise the gentlemen amateurs, contenting ourselves with
remarking that they got through what they had to do
with very great credit to themselves, and to the satisfaction
of their friends among the audience. We must, however,
notice that they were admirably assisted by Mrs. Stirling,
Mrs. Stephens, and above all by Miss Kate Terry, who
played with an entliniimm, freshness, and good taste which
auger highly for her future.
After the comedy an address, written by Ensign Edmund
Yates, was spoken by Mrs. Stirling.
The entertainments concluded with the farce of The Irish
Lion, in which Captain Harrington kept the audience in
rears of laughter till a late hour.