The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-04 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE,

Otto Nicolai's " Falstaff,"
Fifteen years after its original production at
Berlin, Nicolai's sprightly opera " Die Lustigen
Weiber von Windsor"—otherwise the operatic
version of Shakspere's " Merry Wives of Windsor"
has been at last performed (let us say at once, with
the most brilliant effect) here in London. It was sub-
mitted for the first time to an English audience last
evening at Her Majesty's Theatre, and that too with
a success throughout the whole performance so ready
remarkable of its kind that upon that success we
may at once offer Mr. Mapleson our very heartiest
congratulations. Foremost upon the extraordinary
list of novelties, promised by the Director of Her
Majesty's, at the commencement of the season,
Nicolai's chef (1. ceuvre is aptly enough the earliest
of those novelties to have been produced, And the
manner of its production is such that it renders us san-
guine as to the possibility of Mr, Mapleson being yet
enabled to fulfil within the compass of this present
season the majority at least of the radiant promises
massed together in his prospectus. Although
Nicolai's comic opera has been condensed in its
present form from the original four acts into Three,
the performance of merely those three acts was not
over until atter midnight. Again—although the
libretto has been duly Italianized from the German
original into " Le Spose Ailegre di Windsor," the
work comes, even in its Italian form, before an
English audience under the more terse and equally
appropriate title of FALSTAFF! its production, thus,
at length upon the stage of Her Majesty's, occurring,
moreover—of all good years that could have been
selected for that purpose—in the year of the Shak-
sperian Tercentenary. And, as if in especial
honour of that circumstance, the whole strength
of Mr. Mapleson's establishment may be said
to have been lavished upon its performance.
The characters, to begin with, were distributed
among the very pick of his cotupany. Signor
Giuglini was the young lover, Fenton. Made-
moiselle Titiens was one of the Merry Wives, Mistress
Ford--Mademoiselle Bettelheim, the new contralto,
being the other, that is Mrs. Page. Signor Mar-
cello Junca was the Fat Knight. Mr. Santley, the
Jealous Husband. Signor Gassier being not only
the other Husband, who is not jealous, to wit, Mas-
ter Page, but as such (an innovation this, as will be
seen, in the pint of the comedy) the impersonator
of Herne the Hunter, in the closing scene of the
Opera—to the crowning terror of Falstaff, himself
already duly disguised in that scene as the antlered
spectral-huntsman. Added to these Madlle. Vitali
was Anne Page—Signor Mazzetti undertaking
Doctor Caius—and Signor Manfredi, Master Slen-
der : absurdiy misprinted, this last, " Flanders" in
the libretto. It will be seen at once, therefore,
that nothing whatever was omitted to be done
that could be dose, with a view to ensuring the
effective impersonation of the different characters.
Reduced as it is to three acts, Nicolai's" Die Lusti-
gen Weiber von Windsor" has most appropriately,
as it happens, beea rechristened " Falstaff," seeing
that each of these three acts is an exhibition of one
of the princpal practical jokes played off by the
Merry Wives upon Sir John, or rather, as he now
masquerades before us in his title, upon Sir Gio-
vanni. The first act reaches its climax with the
carrying away of the buck-basket to have its con-
tents tumbled into the Thames at Datchet. The
second act attains its climax with the trouncing
administered by Ford's cudgel to the burly Lothario
while the latter, in waddling out in the disguise of
the Fat Woman of Brantford. The third and last
act, closes, as a matter of course, with Falstaff's
final escapade under the Haunted Oak in Windsor
Forest. Alost appropriately, therefore, we repeat,
the opera, thus revised and condensed, is entitled
not the " Merry Wives," but " Falstaff,"
Now, however, as t) what was obviously, of course,
the consideration beyond all others of paramount
importance in regard to the performance yesterday
at Her Majesty's, for the very first time here in Eng-
land, of Nicolai's masterpiece—the music ! Saving
and excepting only, in regard to the inaruraenta-
tion, it would be difficult, if not impassible, to
detect through the opera itself, its German author-
ship. The animation, vivacity, sprightliness, and
espieglerie of the whole of this graceful and vari-
able composition, breathe far more of an It than, or
even it might bl said, of a French, than of a German
origin. The charming overture (already familiar
to us, the only portion of the opera we will acknow-
ledge that was familiar to us) inaugurated the even-
ing, so to speak, respendently. In this Overture it is
that occurs the loveliest air in the whole opera,
for that matter, it should be said, the only haunt-
ing one—that air, namely (any one who has ever
listened to it will surely recognise it by the de- ,
scription), resembling, as we may
say, an undulat-
ing wave of melody, the outline of the curves of
which are carved out, as it were, by the sweeping
bowsof the violins. So masterly
was the performance
of the overture last night by the orchestra at Her
Majesty's, under the potent wand of Signor Arditi.
that the last movement of it, before the raising of
the curtain, was announced with a thunder of ap-
plause, evidencing the admiration with which the
whole crowded house had listened to it. A
similar greeting was accorded to that slow
movement, beginning with the " Benche geloso
umore, of Ford, which constitutes the
most admirable portion of the brilliant finale of
the Second Act—admirably rendered by Mr.
Santley, Madile. Miens, and the rest, and re*
demanded with acclamation. Fre pent though the
encores were during the later portion of the
evening, the most conspicuous success of all in that
way was achieved by Signor Giuglini, whose
exquisite delivery of the Serenade " Nel boschetto
e l'usignuolo"—to the delicious accompaniment of the
hushed violins and warbling flutes—was rewarded
at its close with a crash of palms and an unanimous
cry of encore from boxes, stalls, and amphitheatre.
Of Signor Marcella Junta's Falstaff we
would say
at least this, unhesitatingly--;hat in the mere look
of it, in the make up and to forth, it was an ex-
cellent impersonation. As for anything else—well'
we must freely acknowledge our incapacity to ad-
mire it. Enough perhaps if we say in explanation
of our remarks, here, that it, Sir John as repre-
sented by Signor Junca, lacked altogether one
particle of fun—it we except only,
that is, the
assumption of a shrill tone of voice by the basso
profiled° when disguised as the Fat Woman of
Brentford. Otherwise, Signor Junta's Falstaff was
a Falstaff with all the fun taken out of him. Mr.
Santley's Ford, like everything else he does, ,was
admirable—admirable alike in acting and in
singing. Mademoiselle Titiens, as Mrs. Ford, was
the most charming contrast to bee
jealous spouse
in the letter's
more serious moods, when eaten up
with suspicion or infuriated to outbursts of un-
governable indignation—the most charming con-
trast, with her bright, happy' delightful face, her
features often sparkling all over with laughter, and
beyond this, by reason of her gay, glorious voice,
fresher than ever it seemed last evening, and more
dazzlinglin its brilliancy As for the Master Slender
of Signor Bettini, and the Doctor Caius of Signor
Mezzetti, they were the merest shadows of character
well imagineable—the latter in his make up
resembling, by the way, one of John Leech') bullet-
headed Frenchmen—in masquerade. The way
in which the whole opera was put upon the stage
reflects the highest credit upon Mr. Mapleson's
establishment. Two of Mr. Telbin's scenes were
exquisite—the garden scene at the back of Minster
Page's House--- and (beet of all) the moonlit glade
in Windsor Forest. This last one being an eminently
beautiful and really wonderful stage Llusion. Alto-
gether, we are speaking strictly within the limit of
plain truth, when We say that a more brilliantly
sueeeeefal first night of eny opera could not by
possibility have we/mils:l the strenuous efforts
of
meaning thereby
of the three acts the principal performers were
summoned between the curtains and the footlights ;
here a mere matterajoinfP::::
the management to ensure it. At LIAO trA of each
the last time, receiving what is called an ovation,
tanded
wthaalltetlieef audience assemblevigdreleaebsteti
together
gennine
enthusiasm.
We
ow
.e;
equally
ivel
enym,i
nanotifying
when we
her Majesty's Theatre was the .n°s,
brilliant that has been there collected 4
at her Majesty
this season) if we except only that purely e
tional night, the night set apart xaht were shortly tug,.
for the entertainment of the great Italian Adven: Insrtoiic" or
unuers—
Crowther, a, native African clergy
turer,
episcopate, ti der the title of "

LREUTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

THE WAR IN JUTLAND,

ROME.

PRUSSIA.

SPAIN,

AMERICA.

SADORS.

follows :--
4t per Cents 94
Do. end month
3 per Cents 66 40
Do. end month 66 65
Credit Mobilier 1167 60
Do, end month 1165
Bank Shares 3360
Credit 1 oncier 1267 50
Roman
EA 50
EA IL'

'AFB.

MARKETS—This Day.

1 LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

FLENSBURG, APRIL 3.

General Gablenz has announced to his troops that
the fortifications of Frederi2ia will be blown up.
The municipality of the town of Horsens, having
refused to pay the war contribution imposed upon
the town by Marshal Wrangel, have been taken to
Rendsburg.

COPENHAGEN, MAY 3, 2.40 A.M.

Marshal Wrangel has designated the war contri-
bution, imposed by him on the people of Jutland,
as a first instalment. The amount of this requisi-
tion is 196,000, and not £72,000, us was first an-
nounced.

ROME, MAY 1 (via Marseilles).

The Rusaian Charge d'Affaires having asked the
Pontifical Government for an explanation of the
Allocution lately delivered by the Pope, Cardinal
Antonelli defended the right and necessity of speak-
ing as the Pope had done.
The Charge d'Affaires acknowledged the virtue of
Monsignor Felinski, bat said that he was a rebellious
subject, having invited the Czar to renounce his
possession of Poland.

Prince Ladislas Czartoriski has arrived here to see
his wife, who is dangerously ill.
Cardinal Antonelli has demanded from the Italian
Government, through the mediation of a neutral
Power, the liberation of Cardinal Morichini, who
has been arrested at Jesi, Ancona.

BERLIN, MAY 4.

Prince Alfred left Berlin at. half-past 7 this
morning, whence his Royal Highness will proceed
to Coburg and Darmstadt.

MADRID, MAY 3, EVENING.

The Provincial Committees were represented at
the banquet of the Progressist party in great num-
bers. There was no crowd nor any police force
outside the banqueting hall, and everything passed
off quietly.

CHINA AND JAPAN.
SHANGHAE, MARCH 26.
(By telegraph from Suez.)

The rebel cause is losing ground. Major Gordon
has captured Ealing, and is marching on Nankin.
Two other cities have surrendered. Advices from
Japan state that another Englishman has been
nearly assassinated at Nagasaki. Sir Rutherford
Alcock has arrived at Yokohama.

THE CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS,
SUEZ, MAY 3.
The Carnatic with the above mails, reached Suez
at 2 p.m. this day (one day early).
The Bengal (extra steamer from Calcutta) arrived
at the same time.

QUEENSTOWN, MAY 4.

The extra steamer Glasgow from New York on
;he 20th arrived here at 9 a,m. to-day, and proceeded
'or Liverpool at 9.15 a.m., all well.
Her news has been anticipated.
FRANCE.

RECEPTION OF THE JAPANESE AAIBAS-

PARIS, MAY 4.

The Emperor received the Japanese ambassadors

yesterday.
In reply to their speech his Majesty said :
" I am grateful to the Tycoon for having felt the
necessity of giving explanations as to the difficulties
attending the execution of the treaty, and also as
regards the attack upon a French officer. I sincerely
desire to see an extension of our relation. For this
end the Japanese Government must, before a:1, cause
international laws to be respected, and be convinced
of the understanding between the European Powers
to defend their honour , and interests in distant
countries." _ _ _

BOURSE, May 3.—Tho arrival of the English
funds with a decline of h has caused a retrograde
movement. Threes hove declined to 66f. 70c., and
Mobilier to I,lBof. Railway Shares rather offered,
and some of the lines a trifle lower. The market
continued looking down to the close, and left off as

Italian Loan 6B 40
Do. end month 6B 40
New ditto ......
Do. end mouth —
Russian
Austrian

Spanih Threes 61 —I-fome Debt
Deferred

Cash. Account.
Orleans BBO .. 880
Northern 970 .. --
Lyons and Mediterranean 935 .. 932 60
New ditto BB2 50 .. --
Southern 642 60 .. 610
Western
Eastern
Sardinian
365 .. 362 50
Austrian
Lowbard
North of Spain
Saragossa ..
Ditto to Barcelona