The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-04 00:00:00

DRURY LANE.

Guilleaunze Tell, the last and best of Rossini's operas,
was
eich b
certainlyouout at this theatre last night, in a manner
which
does great credit to the management. This
p king proof of the versatility as well as the
greatness
4ht
fs
the
i composer's genius. By his previous pro-
ductions he laid himself open, in a remarkable degree, to
the charge of mannerism. In Guilleaunte Tell, however,
every trace of his manner at once disappeared. His pecu-
liar phrases of melody, his favourite modulations, his florid
ornaments, his accustomed modes of accompaniment, all
disappear ; but we not only have no vestige of Rossini, but
no vestige of the Italian school. His simple and austere
melodies, clothed with the rich and highly-wrought harmo-
nies of the Germans, do not admit of Italian embellishment,
and Rubini or Grisi would be as little at home in this
by means of vocal harmony and striking
o
music as in that of Weber or Spohr. Its effects are pro-
duced
rieflyombinations. There are not more than
ch orchestral
t r chiefly
combinations.
two or three airs in the whole piece, and the principal
character, Tell himself, has not one. There are, however,
several fine and most dramatic ducts ; and these, as well as
the concerted pieces, contain many admirable solo passages
for the principal performers, which, if they do not afford
room for the display of vocal execution, put to the test the
performer's power of giving utterance to the language of
passion. Feeling, energy, and just and emphatic declama-
tion, are the cheif requisites for the principal performers in
Guilleaunze Tell. This being the case, it may be supposed
that Braham was eminently happy in his personation of the
hero of the piece.
Any diminution that may have taken
place in the compass and flexibility of his voice was hardly,
if at all, perceived, while his thorough conception of the
author's meaning, and his
power of giving it the truest ex-
pression, appeared in all their lustre. His recitatives
were models of musical speech, and one of them in parti-
cular, expressive of the agonies of the father doomed to be
the murderer of his son, was hardly inferior to the un-
rivalled " Deeper and deeper still." His reception by the
audience was worthy of his noble performance. Mr. Allen
was very successful in the character of Arnold. He is a
young singer of great merit, and his merit is beginning to
be appreciated. In the great duet with Braham in the
first act Mr. Allen left little to be desired. Miss Romer,
in the character of Matilda, sang admirably, and her whole
performance of the part was equal to that of its Parisian
representative, Madame Dorus- Gras. The slight part of
Tell's wife received ample justice from Miss Betts ; and
Miss Poole, as Tell's young son, acted and sang very
sweetly. The remaining parts were well performed by
Giubilei, Stretton, and Stansbury. The chorus was un-
usually numerous and effective, and the orchestra did its
duty most admirably. In every part of the performance
the good effects of Mr. Bishop's discipline were very evident;
got up in
in on
an
Englishdelicate
thearrea.nd subdued tone. The scenery
:
The house was very full,
and the opera received great applause.

at this theatre Was mad© last night,
OLYMPIC.
Another pleasant addition to the stock of entertainment
in the shape of a bur-

letta, called The Queen's Horse, or the Brewer of Preston.
The drollery of Keeley, who represented the principal per-
sonage, kept the house in a roar of laughter throughout
the piece. It so happens that Mr. Thomas Tubbs, the
brewer of Preston, a little man of the most peaceful turn
of mind, is the very fac-simile, in face and form, of his bro-
ther, Dare-devil Dick, a lieutenant in the regiment of
" Queen's Horse," under the Duke of Cumberland. The
burletta opens on the morning of Mr. Thomas Tubbs's
birth-day, when the excitement of the occasion emboldens
him to make the long-contemplated offer of his hand to
the charming Mary Wakefield. He is accepted, but his
joy is damped by the awful intelligence that the rebels
are at hand ; that the Royal troops, the identical
" Queen's Horse," are coming into Preston ; and that
an engagement is expected to take place on the spot.
Next comes the corporal of the " Queen's Horse." search-
ing after Dare-devil Dick, who has exceeded his leave of
absence, and who is to be broke, if he does not make his
appearance within an hour. The brewer convinces the
corporal that he is not Dare-devil Dick, but out of fra-
ternal regard is persuaded to mount regimentals and pass
for his brother, on being assured that the rebels are re-
treating. Become Lieutenant Tubbs for this occasion
only, he is frightened out of his wits by the appearance of
a strapping naval officer, the brother of a damsel with whom
Dare-devil Dick has eloped, who demands instant satis-
faction from the pseudo-lieutenant. The horror into
which Thomas Tubbs is thrown by this dilemma may be
conceived, and it is not lessened by his escaping from his
fiery naval antagonist on the back of a horse, which carries
him into the thick of the battle, where in his desperate ex-
eitement he performs wonders. The unhappy little man's
terrors are at length removed by the re-appearance of the
real Dare-devil Dick, who had been taken prisoner by the
rebels ; and so the piece ends. Of these bare materials
the most is made by Keeley, and he was cleverly supported
by Mr. Brougham, as the Irish Corporal. The burletta
was completely successful.