The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-11 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

MR. ALFRED MELLON'S CONCERTS.

Two evils Mr. Mellon has had to contend with in
renewing his excellent annual entertainment—the
hot weather and the month of August—the one of
which drives people from theatres, and the other
drives them from town. The various merit, how-
ever, he has assembled, and the force and skill
with which he directs it, enabled him last evening
to encounter these objections in a manner that
gave the best assurance of the entire success of his
experiment.
Not a slight element in this result is his being
able to secure again the superb arena of the Italian
Opera as the scene of his exertions, where the
requisite space is not more pre-eminent, and its
attendant coolness and convenience, than the
adaptation of the building to sound, and the
agreeable influence of its noble proportions. The
stall and pit portions as before having been
raised to a level with the stage—the orchestra,
capable of containing one hundred performers, rises
on the latter with its old aspect of a huge citadel of
harmony, thronged with executants, who proclaim

its influence over the crowds that swarm about it.
-All the other arrangments for the comfort of the
public have been as carefully attended to—such as
the ease of access to the promenade by a variety of
entrances, the rows of seats placed before the
orchestra for the accommodation of the weary, and
the superior refreshments supplied by Mr.
Brunetti on the stage, at the bides of the
orchestra. The musical attractions of the night,
however, were of course the chief consideration—
and these it will be seen were not to be regarded
as either inferior or few.

Mr. Mellon presented us, in the first place, with
such a vocalist as Carlotta Patti. The great sensa-
tion which this lady created on her debut at this
theatre in April last, as one of the most gifted
and surprising singers of her time has
been extended to every concert room in
which she has since appeared, and to none more
than the arena which so warmly confirmed her
claims last night. Madlle. Carlotta Patti sung four
times, and in evidence of her variety, in four
different schools, Swiss, Italian, French, and
English, in each of which she raised the audience
to the highest point of enthusiasm. Her delivery
of the Swiss Echo Song by Eckert, with its extra-
ordinary vocal resources—of the Rondo Finale
of the Sonnambula, "Ah non Giunge," with
its profusion of embellishment—of the Laughing
song from the " Manon Lescaut," with its wonder.
ful high note; and last not least, of the simple
British ballad, " Coming through the Rye," which
she gave in lieu of a repeat of the " Laughing
Song"--and which had nothing striking about it
but its perfectly simple and pure expression—
had each its characteristic that found a warm
response in the audience. The instrumental
star of the evening was not less extraor-
dinary than the vocal, though scarcely to be
classed with it, whether in respect to dignity or
agreeableness. This was a Signor Gianni Vailati,
who gave a performance on the mandolin, an old
rustic Italian instrument, the precursor of the guitar,
to which, however, it is as interior as an ancient
tabor to a modern drum. In handling this very
limited and imperfect instrument, Signor Vailati
certainly exhibited a very striking amount of
facility, and in the execution of comic and fan-
tastic music we can conceive his capability of
producing sorre good effects ; but in the attempt he
made last night of giving expression to the
" Miserere," from the " Trovatore," one of the
most pathetic compositions to be found in modern
opera—and which only the prolonged notes of a
cornet or a violin can give any adequate idea of—
the rapid thrumming of Signor Vailati was not
merely an incompetence, but what appeared to our-
selves and others as a something approaching to
burlesque.
For the remainder of the entertainment we have
nothing but the highest praise. We had, among
the other solo features, the " Fandango" of Herr
Molique, admirably performed by Mr. Carrodus,
who is rapidly taking his place as one of the first
violinists of the day. We had a solo on the flageo-
let by M. Bonniseeau, which was equally striking
and agreeable, and a selection from the " Puritani,"
which gave scope to the several powers of Mr. Levy
on the cornet, Mr. Hauser on the bassoon, Mr. Bar-
ret on the oboe, Mr. Lazarus on the clarionet, Mr.
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instruments that are probably to be found in Europe.
Of the band , containing such solo
talent,
selected
from that of the Italian Opera and the Musical So•
cioty, and amounting to more than 80 performers,
all praise would be superfluous. Their execution
of each of the substantial attractions of the night—
the adagio and scherzo of Beethoven's Choral Sym-
phony, the International March of Auber, the Ex-
hibition Overture of Meyerbecr, the overture to
" Fra Diavolo," and Mr. 'Mellon's spirited Dramatic
College Quadrille—was distinguished by a fire and
precision, a mingled force and colour, that could
not possibly be exceeded.
Lastly, let
us not forget the acknowledgments due
to Mr. Alfred Mellon himself, to whose
vigour, taste, and judgment EO much of the Band's
success was owing, as well as the general arrange-
ments and impressions of the night. He has rarely
sustained with more distinctness his claim to the
position he has gained—as the very first of English
conductors, and tole successor to Mr. Costa. We
must add that the programme of the week is suffi-
ciently attractive. On Thursday we areto
Mozart eight—on Friday, the "Creation''---and on
Saturday, a night for every one's neicee—the
Volunteers. Be
tore the night was over the house
cio%cLd to the roof,