The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-30 00:00:00

HER MAJE S2T'S THEATRE.

g, LES HUGUENOTS."

This noble opera, the acknowledged masterpiece
of the modern lyric dram; and, with the sole excep-
tion of " Don Giovanni,"the greatest triumph of
its class that has ever been achieved, was produced
at this theatre last evening with the utmost atten-
tion and success, and dil not fail to attract an
audience that filled th 3 house to overflowing.
There can be little wonder at the fact of its steadily
enlarging popularity. Itis a result that is to be
traced not more to the advance of musical know-
ledge than to an essentia. dramatic force, which
strengthens the hold of this great work as much on
the feelings of its most casial as its most cultivated
witness. The infinite skill of its dramatic treat-
ment, in which a grand historical interest supplies
the largest possible excitement both to the ima-
gination and the senses—in the ample pic-
ture it exhibits of medieval passions, framed
in all the vivid colcuring of mediaeval
grace and movement—whild this historic interest,
at the same time, is so subordinated to the human
that the sympathies are enabled to seize its central
purpose—the fate of the yoing lovers—and reduce
all its vivid aspects to the mere rank of illustrations,
is undoubtedly some explanation of the great attrac-
tion this work possesses. Quite on a par, however,
with this merit is the extraordinary power of the
music which can interpret such a subject with such
infinite sufficiency, and which, whilst dis-
playing the greatest union of dramatic insight
and musical knowledge, of ability to depict the
passions, and at the same time to invest them with
the most imaginative colouring, never sacrifiees for
a moment the solemn grandeur of its character, but
carries its wonderful mingling of the heroic and
religious sentiments to the highest point of poetic
beauty. Little wonder, then, that so constructed,
this work should yearly grow on the public. But
for the illness of Signor Ginglini. which
him to ba replaced by Signor Armandi, who is still
suffering from indisposition, the performance of
lest night would have been all that could be
wished. We had first Madame Titiens in all her
strength—the only rival of Grisi in,the character of
Valentine, and now, it may be easily allowed, its
indisputable possessor. If our great teutonic song-
stress scarcely invests the patrician maiden with
the peculiar dignity with which Grisi so refined
and elevated her passionate struggles—those
struggles themselves she is able to penetrate
to as great a depth of intensity, and with the
advantage of a voice capable of seconding every
prompting of her musical art or her deep sym-
pathies. Last evening it was in excellent order,
and she never sang or acted with more brilliancy
or force. Whether in the great duet with Marcel,
or the still greater one with Raoul, feebly as on
this occasion she was sustained by Signor Armandi;
there was all the magnificent passion, and all the
clear ample resonance of her incomparable
tones, which have raised her to her al-
ways great and her now unrivalled eminence.
Another feature of the night was Signora Trebelli,
in the character of Urbain, who made another and
very positive advance in public favour. Her de-
livery of the " Nobil Signor," bad a mingled grace-
fulness and gaiety that could not be exceeded, and
almost better was the extraordinary spirit of
the "No, no, caso equal," in which her notes were
so electrical that she obtained a vehement encore.
Her charming appearance and graceful bearing had
also something to do with the matter. A third
success was the reappearance of Madlle,
Michal, in Marguerite, a character
which she sustained at this theatre
some three seasons ago. If we cannot say this lady
is improved, she has lost none of her good qualities.
Her voice is still a clear and pure soprano of consi-
derable fluency and compass, if with a certain
hardness in its tones which abates its effect at
times. The graceful "Ah Questa sola voce" with
which her music opens, and the piquant and
fanciful duett with Raoul were delivered with
great cleverness, and produced a due impression.
A fourth success was the reappearance of
that thorough artist and good singer—Signor
Vialetti—in the character of Marcel, in which he
made so much impression a few seasons ago. His
Huguenot Soldier is still the best which we
• - anttn.•---
Marini's and roughly natural than Zelger's. His
singing also is excellent, and despite the sharp-
ness of his tones—his delivery of the " Piff
Paff " has a bluff reality and power which we
have never heard surpassed. The chorus was
rather uncertain in the first act of the opera, but
it grew steady as it proceeded. The band was
firm and spirited; and the scenery and movement
were highly characteristic.