The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-13 00:00:00

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The per ormances
?d of the please,
inze Ans, and
zetta; ou Jowl. a,
,o the English public, both as regards music and
plot, it having, strange to say, hitherto escaped the
attention of those industrious and painstaking gen-
tlemen who, by the aid of the French dictionary, build
up for themselves a reputation as English dramatists.
The opera of Zanetta was produced at the theatre
of the Opera Comique in 1840, with Cinti Darnoreau
for the heroine, and it achieved a brilliant success
and acquired a brilliant reputation. The overture
was imported into England within a short time after
the production of the opera, and it became a great
favourite at the Drury-lane Promenade Concerts, then
under the management of Eliason and Jullien. This
is, we believe, the only portion of the music of Zanetta
that had, until last evening, been heard in public in
this country. The music of Zanetta is light, grace-
ful, brilliant, charaCteristic, dramatic, and thoroughly
Auberish—it completely expresses the sentiment of
the scene, it is married to the verse and the union
is a happy one. The libretto; written by
Scribe and St. Georges, is a compact and well-built
and smartly written little drama, which needs not the
aid of music to ensure its success. The scene is laid
in the Court of Palermo during the reign or Charles
VI. (M. Soyer), whose sister Nisidia (Madlle.
Guichard), Princess of Tarentum, is in love with, and
beloved by Rodolphe (M. Couderc), a.gentlernanat-
tached to the Court of the King of Sicily. A certain
Dr. Mathanasias (M. Buguet) arrives at Palermo as
Ambassador from the Elector of Bavaria;-ostensibly
to study the statistics of a fever peculiar to Sicily,
but really to see the Princess, and if Ire finds her all
a princess should be, to demand her . hand
for Mil sovereign, the Elector of Bavaria.
The Wife of Mathanasias has attracted the
attention of the King, so that at the opening of
the drama we find a most promising imbroglio.
Mathanasias suspects the love of Rodolphe and the
Princess, and watches them narrowly; the King
suspects that Rodolphe is endeavouring to' rival him
in the good graces of Madame Mathanasias, and he,
therefore, is particularly alive to all the sayings and
doings of Rodolphe. To divert suspicion Nisidia
proposes that Rodolphe should pay attention to,some
one of the Court ladies ; but as each lady is passed in
review, each is rejected as too dangerous, and, at
length the Princess fixes on the flower-girl Zanetta
(Madlle. Charton) as the only safe person with
whom she can trust Rodolphe to Philander.
The experiment is, however, a dangerous one.
Zanetta is a simple-minded, warm hearted girl ; she
has long loved Rodolphe in secret, and is conse-
quently delighted with his attentions, and while he
makes love in jest she makes love in earnest, and' at
last becomes so terribly in earnest that Rodolphe
himself is affected, and is but too glad to take advan-
tage of an opportunity afforded him by the je.iilOusy
of Mathanasias, the suspicion of the Princess, and the
misadventure of the King (who is wounded in an
attempt to scale the balcony of the house of
Mathanasias) to declare his passion_for Zanetta,
and to demand her hand—a demand with
which the King is but too willing to comply, as it
dissipates all his fears with regard to Nisidia, who
at once accepts the offer of the hand of the Elector
of Bavaria. Mademoiselle Charton made of Zanetta
the most fascinating of flower-girls; her acting was
natural, graceful, and full of feeling, with at the same
time a touch of the most delicious archness, and her
singing was exquisite. Her opening romanza, Void
la jardiniere is one of those delicious gems of
melody which no maestro can compose like Auber.
It is the very perfection of grace, beauty, and sim-
plicity, the melody flows as it were in one full rich
gush. It was deliciously sung by Madlle. Charton,
and in this, as in everything else that this delightful
artiste sings, her action is so appropriate to the senti-
ment that it adds infinitely to the expression of the
music. Her next romanza, Dans ces magniffues
jardins, is also delightfully written, and as a piece of
scoring is beyond all praise. This also was de-
liciously rendered by Madlle. Charton. The triumph
of the evening, however, was perhaps her
concluding scene, where the innocent flower-
girl bids adieu to her pears- cheries, and
presents farewell boquets to the company.
before giving up her occupation to become a Ba-
roness. The melody of the couplets which she sings
in this scene is exquisitely beautiful, and Mademoi-
selle Charton throws into it an expression of such
graceful tenderness and pathos, that it goes at once to
the heart. She achieved a perfect triumph. Never
were plaudits more deserved than those which the
delighted audience lavished on Mademoiselle Charton
last evening. Mademoiselle Guichard made an ex-
cellent representative of the Princess. Her grand
scene, Pauvre Princesse, a scene replete with mu-
sical difficulties, was rendered as only a most ac-
complished artiste could render it. It is the
most difficult and at the same time the least taking
piece in the opera, but it was admirably given by
Madlle. Guichard. M. Couderc acted and sang admi-
rably, notwithstanding his fit of hoarseness, for which
indulgence was claimed—an indulgence of which,
however, M. Coudere stood in no need. The concerted
pieces in this opera are replete with snatches of
brilliant sparkling melody. The drinking chorus
with which it opens, " A quoi bon s'attrister sur les
maux de la vie" is a perfect gem. The muse en scene
of the opera was perfect. Her Majesty and his Royal
Highness Prince Albert, honoured the theatre with
their presence. The Royal party arrived just before
the commencement of Zanetta.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert were attended by the
Viscountess Jocelyn, the Hon. Miss Macdonald, the Earl
of Listowel, Lord Alfred Paget, and Colonel Seymour.
There were also present the Condo de Montemolin and
suite, her Serene Highness the Hereditary Princess of
Parma, the Duke of Brunswick; the Russian Minister,
the Baroness Brunnow, and Mdlle. Olga de Lechner; the
Turkish Ambassador and suite, the Hanoverian Minis.
ter, the Marchioness of Douglas, the Earl of Ulengall,
Lord Cranbourne, Lady and kiss Tyrwhitt, Sir W.
Abdy, Sir W. Ball, Lady Dashwoed, Sir Henry Webb,
Lady Quentin, Hon. Mr. Abbot, Sir John Lyster
Kaye, Mr. Henry Greville, Mr. de Horsey, Mr. Hard-
wick, M. Eugene de Gerlache, Mr. F. Drummond, Mr.
and Mrs. !Charles Hammersley, and the Misses Ham-
mersley; Colonel Benlow, M. and Madame Uzielli, Cap-
tain de Bathe, &c.