The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-19 00:00:00

HER MA.TEST V'S THEATRE.

The new ballet of E ectra, or the Lost Pleiade, which was
produced here on Tuesday, is one of the most beautiful, most
tasteful, and most thoroughly poetical ballets we have ever
seen, and does infinite credit to the graceful taste and poetical
feelings of M. Paul Taglioni, its inventor. The scene is laid
in Norway, and the lust Pleiade beautifully represented by
the star of the ballet, Carlotta Grisi, falls in love with a
mortal, Ehrick, a hunter (abyaul Taglioni), and for him she
leaves her starry sphere and sacrifices her immortality. But
Ebrick, alas! is betrothed to Edda (Marie Taglioni), who
on discovering his love for the lost Pleiade, dies of grief.
The last scene of the ballet (we quote from the authorised
version of the plot distributed in the theatre), takes place
in the Empyrean. The starry divinities, moved to pity by
the devoted love of Electra, and the death of Edda, restore
the former to her station in the firmament, and Edda to life.
Ehrick is liberated from ill-starred influence, and touched
by the sufferings of Edda, bestows on her once more all his
affection. The stars shed their brightest rays, and join in
the rejoicings, which conclude amidst all the splendour of
the Empyrean. This last scene is one of the most original,
and, at the same time, one of the most beautiful scenic effects
ever attempted. The fifth tableau, Le lac des etolles, re-
presents a beautiful lake by starlight; around it are
grouped the spirits of the stars; gradually hazy clouds
gather over the lake and hide it from view, the hazi-
ness becomes diffused, and tinged as it were with
light; through this haze the Pleiades, each bearing a lamp,
are indistinctly seen, and the lost Pleiade rises and rejoins
her sisters as the curtain falls. The ballet opens with the
Valse des Rubans, danced by Mlle. Marie Taglioni and the
ladies of the corps de ballet. This dance is exceedingly
graceful, and is exactly suited to the peculiarities of the
style of Marie Taglioni. In the next \ scene we have
a most piquant pas, beautifully given by Carlotta
Grisi. Her hunter lover kas taken from her the
star which adorns her forehead, which she endea-
vours to regain. Carlotta Grisi surpassed herself in this
scene, and it was impossible to decide which most to admire,
the brilliancy of the " many twinkling" steps as she followed
him round the stage, or the grace and beauty of the poses
which succeeded them. The triumph of the night, however,
was La lutte, a grand pas de deux, between Carlotta Grisi
and Marie Taglioni. Each exerted herself to the uttermost,
and their respective'styles of dancing differ so completely,
that it is a lutte without rivalry—a lutte in which both may,
and in which both did, come off victorious. The groupings
were the most exquisitely graceful we have ever seen.
The scenery. of Marshall was superb, and the music by
Pugni appropriate. Carlotta Grill and Marie Taglioni were
called for at the conclusion, and were led on by M. Paul
Taglioni to receive the applause which their exertions so
richly merited. The ballet was preceded by the opera of
Norma, in which the acting and singing of Parodi was mag-
nificent. It is necessary to see Paredi in Norma oftener than
once in order properly to appreciate her transcendent powers.
Taken as a whole, Norma has never been more perfectly per-
formed than it was last evening by Parodi. There
was not a weak point about it, simply because
there was no attempt at point-making. She acted and sung
the part as a whole conscientiously, it is as a whole It must
be judged, and as a whole it is perfect. The house was
crowded.
His Serene Highness Prince William of Hesse ll'hilippstahl
and his Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, ac-
companied by the Marchioness of Worcester, the Countess
d'Erfa, the Viscount and Viscountess Barrington, the Hon.
Miss Mitchell, the Hon. William Curzon, and the Hon.
Henry Carson, honoured the theatre with their presence, and
occupied her Majesty Qaeen Adelaide's box. His Royal
Highness the Prince Leopold of Naples (Count of Syracuse),
accompanied by the Chevalier Colonna, also honoured the
theatre with their presence. Amongst the visitors were—
His Grace the Duke of Wellington, his Excellency the
Russian Minister and Mademoiselle Olga de Lechner, his
Excellency the Austrain Ambassador, his Excellency
.the
Swedish Minister and the Baroness Rehausen, Prince
Castelcicala, the Duke of Cleveland, the Duchess of Leeds
and Miss Lane Fox, the Marquis of Clanricarde, the Mar-
chioness of Douro, the Marquis of Kildare, the Marquis
of Worcester, the arl of Wilton, the Earl of Mountcharles,
the Earl of Falmouth, the Earl of Munster, the Countess of
Lichfield, the Countess of Wilton and party, the Earl of
Liverpool, the Count Nicolowsky, the Prince Petrola, the
Marquis d'Aseglio, Viscount Anson, Mr. and Lady A. Went-
worth, Lord and Lady Eddisbury and the Misses Stanley,
Lady Charles Somerset and Miss Somerset, Lord and Lady
Dalmeny, Lord G. Lennox, Lord W. Lennox, Lord Gardner,
Lord G. Paget, Lord Elphinstone, the Hon. F. Byng, the
Count d'Albon, M. de Krehmar, Sir T. Retford, Bart., the
Countess d'Effremont, Baron Talleyrand, Sir Compton Dora-
ville, Bart., and Lady Domville, Lady Campbell, Sir T. dare,
Sir T. B. Lennard,.Bart., and Lady Barrett Lennard, Major-
General Sir A. Barnard, Bart., Sir J. Bailey, Bart., Sir J.
Campbell, Sir Charles and Miss Deveux, the-Hon. Mrs. Her-
bert, Lady Vincent, the Hon. Augustus Berkeley, &c.