The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-11 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE,

Giuglini and Varese in " Rigoletto."

An entirely new cast, in all the principal cha-
racters, imparted an agreeable sense of freshness on
Saturday night, at Her Majesty's Theatre, to the
performance of Verdi's brilliant three-act opera of
" Rigoletto." It was the opening night of the
season, as all the Town knew—and knowing, as the
Town did, that it was so, we were surprised not to
see the house more completely occupied, at any rate
in the earlier part of the evening, Mr. Mapieson
has given such unusually large promise of enter-
prise at Her Majesty's Theatre during the course of
the season whichwas thus on Saturday commenced—
agsin under his able management—that he is cer-
tainly entitled to the most cordial support that
an Opera Director could by possibility receive.
To say nothing whatever of the new artistes
secured by Mr. Mapleson's latest arrangements,
and of the very conspicuous enhancement by him
of the general efficiency of the choral de-
partment, there are promised by his programme for
the new season—of Grand Operas, no less than three
great novelties, and as many as four noble revivals.
The novelties are—first of all, Verdi's latest (some
say his greatest) musical achievement, " La Forza
Del Destino"—another (this one peculiarly attractive
as a novelty in the present Shaksperian year, the
year of the Tercentenary Anniversary)Otto;Nicolai's
version of The Merry Wives of Windsor, " Ls
Donne Allegre di Windsor," with the fat knight
masquerading as Sir Giovanni Falstaff!—and last,
and certainly not least attractive, as a novelty that
long-talked-of but, in England, never-yet-heard
" Tannhanser," by Herr Richard Wagner, the
attempted production of which, at the Grand Opera
at Paris, was the occasion, it may be remem-
bered, of so wild and frantic a eharivari.
As to the four revivals promised at Her
Majesty's, during this present season of 1861, by
Mr. Mapleson, who will gainsay their marvellous
attractiveness when they come to be simply enu-
merated, thus—as Weber's masterpiece of " Der
Freisehutz ;" as Danizetti's " Anna Bolena" (not
played now for a whole score of years here in Eng-
land) ;as that world-famous "Robert le Diable,"
which was the earliest of the grand Romantic
Operas of Meyerbeer ; and, by way of climax, to put
now finally, what Her Majesty's Director has put
foremost i❑ the list of revivals promised by his
programme, such a revival as the matchless " Fide.
lio" of Beethoven,-that " " which is among
lyrical dramas what " Othello" is among Acting
Tragedies.

Turning, however, from the general prospects of
the season at Her Majesty's to the particular per-
formance of Saturday evening, the performance by
which this season was very auspiciously inaugu-
rated—" Rigoletto" came before us, then and there,
in a manner, as it were, redivivus. Signor Giug-
lini as the profligate Duke appeared, it should
be said at once, to begin with, for the very first
time on Saturday, in that character. And, if lack-
ing somewhat of the airy lightness of bearing de-
sirable in any impersonator of that gay ducal liber -
tins, the great prirno tenore assoluto at Her Majesty's
certainly lacked nothing whatever in his delicious
rendering of the music. Occasional indications
there were of just a slight suspicion of hoars-
eness, but otherwise Signor Giuglini was in
exquisite voice, and, being so, simply as a
matter of course, captivated his hearers at
every available opportunity. His first sprightly
love song, at the very commencement of the opera,
" Questa o queries per me pari sonor won for him the
first cordial round of applause from his old throng of
admirers. Better still was his impassioned rendering
of the " Parmi veder le lagrime" in which he ex-
presses his distraction at the loss of Gilds. But
happiest of all, as we might only have anticipated, was
the joyous animation with which he gave the one
great melody of Rigoletto, "La Donna e Mabile,"
heard so often, never capable of being heard too
often, a melody inevitably comma/I(3.in; an encore
sung as it was sung on Saturday by Signor
Giuglini. No less than four of the other principal
artistes who co-operated with Signor Giuglini in
this representation of Verdi's " Itigoletto," were
introduced on Saturday evening for the first time
to a London audience—a baritone,a basso,a soprano,
and a contralto. The " Elgoletto" of the night was
the very singer for whom the part was written by
Signor Verdi—and, therefore, it is needless to say
that this baritone, Signor Varese, is an artist en-
joying for years past the very highest reputation
on the Continent. Unhappily, he comes to us, here
in England, only when his voice has been worn over-
much by long service. As an artist, ho waver, he fully
sustains to this day his continental reputation, hav-
ing, as an actor, according to our notion of it, out
one superior among living baritones, meaning, of
course by that one exception the great and in many
respects incomparable Ronconi. The impersona-
tion of the seriocomic Pander-Jester, Rigoletto,
by Signor Varese was, in truth, admirable
throughout. It was, moreover, fully enjoyed
by the audience, and obtained for the singer,
above all for the actor, the heartiest recog-
niticn of his powers. Signor Gasperoni, the new
basso made no impression whatever to speak of--
probably by reason of his having but little
or no opportunity for so-doing, as the
bravo Sparafucile. Madile. Vitali and Madlle.
Bettelheim were the two dibutantes, the former ap-
pearing as Gilda, the latter as Maddaiena. Possibly,
for a reason similar to that already applied by us in
extenuation to Sparafucile, the Maddalena of Satur-
day hardly equalled the general hopes, almost, it
' might be said (from the reports current in regard to
Maddlle, Bettelheim's capabilities), the general
expectations. We reserve any expression of
opinion, however, in regard to her capabilities,
until we have had some better opportunity for judg-
ing of them than that afforded by the character of
Maddalena. Her appearance at the least is very
greatly in her favour. As for the new soprano,
Madlle. Vitali—the girlish look, and still more the
girlish shrillness, almost dispose us to regard her
advent to the lyrical stage in a chief part like that
of Gilds as an advent somewhat premature. Her
evident inexperience as an actress seemed to
confirm this impression though it is true that
a great deal of what is here hinted at may
very probably have been traceable to excessive
nervousness upon the occasion of the young de-
iutante's first appearance. However this may be,
her capabilities in regard to the future are un-
doubtedly large: our only serious doubt being, as
but just now intimated, that her appearance iu so
responsible a capacity as a prima donna has been
rather precipitate. Yet, in justice to the new
soprano, and in simple justice also to the new con-
tralto and the new baritone, upon whose first appear-
ance in London we have already commented, it
should here be said that their participation with
Signor Giuglini in the delivery of that noble and
beautiful quartett in the last act, " Bella figlia
dell' amore," wes almost everything one could
possibly have desired ! That masterly quartett—
who does not remember it ? —in which,

With many a winding bout
Of linked sweetness long drawn out,"
the Duke is so tenderly impassioned, Maddalena so
merrily derisive of his protestations, Gilda so
agonised in her love-torn wretchedness, Rigo-
letto so fierce and implacable in his muttered
threats of vengeance! An enthusiastic encore was
immediately given upon the close of the very
admirable delivery on Saturday night of this most
charming composition : proof positive of the admi-
ration with which it had been listened to. Before
closing our remarks upon the performance of "Rigo-
letto" en Saturday night at her Majesty's, it
should be observed that in the opening scene (the
ball-room scene, that is) a new (Museum, Madlle.
Aranyvary, bounded to view—somewhat of an
anachronism (one might almost say), there in the
ducal ball-room (certainly apropos to nothing)—and
not only bounded to view but bounded into popula-
rity, at once, as a marvellously graceful, a wonder-
fully agile, and an almost miraculously twink•
ling-footed dancer of the very first quality !
Her pets de deux with Signor Ammaturo obtained
for both of them, as most accomplished dancers,
more than one cordial round of approbation. At
the close of the evening, after the opera was over,
before the final dispersion of the audience who were
waiting there very patiently for the National
Anthem—the curtain rose, and " God Save the
Queen" was given with magnificent effect by the