The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-01 00:00:00

MUSIC.

-•-
CZYWI'LL PALACI.

The last appearance id Madame Grisi—positively
the last, sad no mistake- before the metropolitan public,
was certainly as occurrence of singular interest, and, as
such, has beam turned to preamble account by the alert di.
rector* of t►e Crystal Palace Company. The announcement
In them of a "Orki Farewell Festival," following closely
upon the snow of her leave.laking at Covent-garden Theatre.
was a piece of politic nieramamg, and has been attended
with the success which it premised. Of all tha great stars of
the Italian lyrical stage that lam appeared i• Zeeland in our
day, not one ha■ remained so long ahem °whiskies, bas shone
so splendidly, or left behind bra sash lasting traces of her
brightness. She Ms throw° into the shade the brilliancy of
all her pralesweess ; and in Ewa to come, when the
greatest among theta—the Oltslool6 Pastas, and Mehl:fans
haw loam MU more than faintly.remembered
sr" bar " memasy will still be green." Having had her
seedently Wen ns far mere has • quarter of • century,
we have perhaps been led by familiarity to undervalue her
great qualities, and it will not he till after we have been
depnve.l of her that we shall fully appreciate and
feel the admit of our loss. Amon; the numbers
who last week received her adieux in Coventlarden
Theatre, awl among the thousands who flocked yesterday
to bear her voice for the last time at the Crystal Palmv,
►ow m•ay there are who in after days will be able, among
t►e sew rememlaances of their youth, to tell that they
were goes► at the last farewell of Grisi.
Plat 01 'togtM " Esetival " at the Crystal
Palace yeateelay was full of intereet. The indite of visitors
was immease; the reception which they gave to the object
of their parting homage was enthusiastic ; and the whole
acme was highly gratify jog. When we have said this we
have said all ; nor, indeed, could anything more have been
expected. The concert, considered simply as a musical per-
• fornmece, was of a very ordinary description. The performers
were, without exoeptioo, members of the company of the
Royal Italia. Opera ; the pieces were eelected from the
riprioirt at that theatre; and the whole of the music
could have been heard to infinitely greater advantage
IMAM the wails of Covent.gaiden Theatre than in the
centre traasept of the Crystal Palace, where the whole of
it was reodered weak aid iseffeelim, sad • pest deal of
it entirely lost, by the vaginae, of the's:papas, which the
united strength of the orchestra was unable to fill, and in
which the single voices--and Asides& instruments, except.
ins the drums and the trombones—were often quite inau-
dible. The menet was in every respect immeasurably interim
to the weekly opera co•ced. at the Crystal Palace during
t►e senses ; for thee, piwformusoes, betides being much
mere varied, have fawn place is • locality properly fitted
for sock a pones*. But this mattered little. The " Fes-
tiva " wee net • etas concert: it was a peed actor parting
bower paid ►y • peat body of the ENO& public to one
who his reigned so keg es the Queen of biog. As such it
was yissaset tower, ens presseh sad gratifying, doubtless,
to its Mashie= object