The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-12 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

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Mr. Lumley commenced his post-Paschal season here
on Saturday, with a new opera, a new prima donna and
the debile, for the season, of Lucile GrAn. The original
intention of the management was to have opened with
Lablache as De Dulcamara. in L'Elisir d' Amore, but in
consequence of a severe attack of hoarseness under which
Lablache is labouring, and which prevents him from
singing, L'Elisir d' Amore was postponed, and I Due
Foscari, decidedly the most dramatic opera that Verdi
has yet produeed, was performed for the first time in
this country. Its production had been originally ad-
vertised for Saturday, April 17. The following Vl as the
cast:— _

Lucrezia Madame Montenegro.
Jacopo Foscari
Loredano Signor Bauch 6.
Barbarigo
II Doge Signor Coletti.
The new prima donna, Madame Montenegro, is a great
acquisition. Her figure is tall and majestic. Tier features
are classically beautiful—her's is a face that would de-
light the artist or the sculptor; in repose, the prevailing
expression is that of intense earnestness, but so great is
her mobility of feature, that her features express every
variety of emotion, with all the truthfulness, but without
the exaggeration of the most accomplished pantomimist.
Her acting is full of grace, and truth, and earnestness.
It is the acting of an accomplished Lady, and we lay
an emphasis on the word lady, because her acting
was as intensely impassioned as that of any of her rivals.
She never degenerated into rant—never mistook vulgar
exaggeration for impassioned intensity—never for an
instant forgot that she was the daughter of one Doge,
and the daughter in-law of another. It would be well if
others would imitate her in this respect. Her voice is
a pure soprano, clear, beautifully clear, of great powers,
and cultivated to the highest pitch of excellence. We
need not add that her success was as complete as she
herself could have desired. In fact she was called for
repeatedly during the course of the performance, and,
with Coletti and Fraschini, was culled twice before the
curtain at the conclusion. The opera itself is an adapta-
tion to the purposes of the lyrical drama of Lord Byron's
tragedy, The Two Foscari, and Verdi has been most
happy in his translation of that noble effort of genius
into music. He seems to have become inspired by the
genius of the poet. The scene opens with a chorus of
the Council of Ten and the Junta assembled is the
Ducal Palace. This chorus, which is of an interlocutory
character, is most dramatic, and at once rivets the
attention of the auditory ; and here we would notice the
vast improvement which has taken place in the drilling
of the chorus singers of her Majesty's Theatre since last
season. The old chorus singers would never have
' given this opening effectively—they were singers
merely, not actors, and acting is requisite to
bring out all the effects of this massive composition.
Loredano and Barbarigo join the Council, and they
enter the Council Hall. Jacopo Foscari is then brought
in by his gaolers. Who has not read Byron, and who
that has read him, can forget the address of Jacopo
Foscari to Venice in this scene. The author of the
libretto has admirably preserved the spirit of this address,
and Verdi has rendered it into music, which is Byronic
is its expression and power. There is much of sublime
in the opening recitative, " Brezza del mar natio," and
in the fine aria, " Dal piu remoto esiglio," by which it is
followed, and the construction of which proves Verdi to
be the most accomplished Italian musician of the day.
Nothing could exceed the truth to the nature, and the
exquisite tenderness with which Fraschini rendered this
scena. He has completely recovered from the effects
of his voyage, and delighted his auditors as
much by the purity and flexibility of his voice, and
by the exquisite tenderness which he infused into this
air, as he had on former occasions, astonished them by
his immense power, and electrified them by the intensity
of his passion. The air was, of course, encored, and
every one present felt that Fraschini had taken a giant's
stride in his professional career. He is then summoned
to hear his sentence, and here we have a magnificent
outburst of fierce indignation, which was given as only
Fraschini could have given it. The next scene is the
interior of the Foscari palace, beautifully painted by Mar-
shall, and which proves that that gentleman has been no
unobservant student of the masterpieces of Titian. Lu-
cretia enters, hurriedly followed by her maidens, who
endeavour to prevent her entering. In " words that
burn" she calls for vengeance on her husband's
persecutors, demanding for him not mercy but
justice. The chorus remonstrate with her, reminding
her that those outbursts of frantic grief will but add to
the joy of her enemies, and bid her to look to Heaven alone
for mercy. She at length yields, and in the beautiful
preghiara, " Tu al cui sguardo onnipotense " pours forth
hor soul in prayer for her husband. Even while. she
ep
xr adyns,
ashed
pl eoaurrnss
ftohr
th ha er
torrenthu sbatn,
fdi
ni
ds
icondemnedr
nanglat
imo
ntso,
threateningthe Patricians with the vengeance of the Eter-
nal for their injustice. This scene is one of the most artisti-
cally constructed in the course of the whole lyrical drama.
It might have been written by Sophocles. The chorus
is not introduced as a mere make weight to serve the
purposes of the composer ; it is essential to the scene
itself in which it takes an important part. This scene
shews us what lyrical tragedy may become so soon as a
true poet shall arise to rescue Libretto-writing from
the hands of the poetasters. Perfect as is this scene,
both as regards dramatic construction, and musical
expression, its very perfection renders it most trying
for a debutante. Madame Montenegro, however,
threw her soul into the part, and by the truth-
fulness and intensity of her acting, and by the sweet-
ness, the power, and the classical correctness of execu-
tion of her singing, she carried her audience with her
triumphantly through this most trying scene, and at
once secured her position. In the next scene
we are introduced to the private apartment of
the Doge. The heart-broken old man has just
returned from the council, where his son has
,been
condemned. He is alone—but dare he indulge his
sorrow ? May not the eyes of the Ten be watching him
even then?

"Solo I—e lo sono io forse
Dove de' Dieci non penetra l'occhio."
" 'Ciao schiavo qui sono sono coronato,"—" lam but a
crowned slave," exclaims that old man in his anguish,
and never has the utter hopelessness of inexpressible
agony—of splendid misery—been more touchingly ex-
pressed than by Coletti in the utterance of these words.
The aria which follows—" Oh! vecchio cor the batte"—
was given with exquisite tenderness and pathos. It wai
the irrepressible outburst of a noble, but broken heart,
bowed down to the earth beneath the weight of grief
and of years. Lucrezia enters, and a most impassione'd
scene follows. She denounces the council, reproaches
the old man for hi 3 submission to their decrees, and then,
exhausted by her passion, appeals in tones of the most
touching tenderness to aid, to intercede for Jacopo.
The Doge endeavours to calm her, but his own
heart is breaking, and at last he bursts into a
passion of tears. "Tu piangi !" she exclaims,
" la tua lagrima speruor mi lascia ancor ?" and with this
impassioned interrogatory the first act concludes. The
acting and singing both of Madame Montenegro and of
Coletti in this most magnificent duet completely elec-
trified the audience. Coletti has proved himself the
greatest living baritone, and the impassioned energy of
the acting and singing of Madame Montenegro in this
most trying scene cannot be surpassed. Coletti and
Madame Montenegro have made the duet "Tu pur lo sai"
their own. No living artistes can surpass them in it.
The applause was most enthusiastic, and at the fall of
the curtain there was a general call for both artistes, and
never was call more richly merited. The second act
opens in the prison of Jacopo Foscari. He is maddened
by his solitude, and his imagination conjures up troops
of spectres, the ghosts of his predecessors in these
gloomy abodes, who perpetually haunt him. lie fancies
he sees the shade of Carmagnola rising, and bursts into
the fine aria, " Non maledirme prode," invoking the
shade not to curse him, and at length overpowered by
his feelings, falls senseless to the ground. This scene
was finely readered by Fraschini. The concluding words—

" Cessa la vista orribile,
Piu sostener non so."

were given with a harrowing expression of intense horror
that was perfectly thrilling. Lucrezia enters, and a most
pathetic scene follows. She has come to take her last leave
of her husband. Suddenly without, the voices and
music of the Gondoliers are heard--recalling to the
unhappy prisoners remembrances of former happy days.
The duet "L7i si ride, qua si muor," is exquisitely
expressive, and was given with intense pathos by
Madame Montenegro and Fraschini. The old Doge enters,
and the scene between the father, the son, and Lucrezia
(as developed in the exquisitely pathetic trio, " Nel tuo
paterno amplesso"), is heartrending. They are inter-
rupted by the vindictive Loredano, who comes to an
nounce to Jacopo the hour of his departure has arrived,
and here occurs not only the gem of the opera, but de-
cidedly the finest com post tion, as yet, of the Maestro Verdi.
a magnificent quartette full of dramatic expression, which
was splendidly given by Madame Montenegro, Fras-
chini, Coletti, and Buuche—the latter looked the in-
carnation of cold, triumphant, vindictive hate. The
attention of the audience was rivetted. At the conclusion
there was a tremendous burst of enthusiastic applause,
and a loud call for the repetition of the quartette, which
was complied with, and at its conclusion the artistes were
twice called for, to receive the plaudits of their audience.
Then follows the scene of the formal reading of his
sentence ; and his father, his wife, and his children take
their last farewell of him. In vain does Lucrezia appeal
to the Council of Mercy ; in vain is her appeal, backed
by the ladies who accompany her ; in vain does even
Barbarigo appeal to Loredano for mercy. He triumphs
in their afflictions—he will " feed fat the ancient grudge"
he bears the Foscari ; and, acting by his inspiration,
the Council determine that mercy would be a bad
example, and the doom of Jacopo remains unreversed.
The third act opens with a joyous chorus of citizens,
who in the midst of the carnival are masquerading in
the Place of St. Mark. They sing a beautiful bar-
carolle—" Tace it vento e queta 1 onda." A vessel
bearing the flag of the republic appears, and all retire in
terror. It is the bark which is to bear Jacopo to eternal
exile. He is brought from the palace'. Lucrezia fol-
lows him, and here they separate for ever in one
of the most exquisitely tender duos ever com-
posed—" Da voi contano a morte it viver mio."
He commends his father and his children to the
cure of his wife, who interrupts him by occasional
short questionings and outbreaks of grief, until they are
interrupted by Loredano, who complains that the gaoler
delays too long, and the " tiger heart" as Jacopo, in the
bitterness of his agony, denominates him, forces the
unhappy husband to sever himself from his wife and his
home for ever. We are then introduced to the heart-
broken old Doge, who is joined by Barbarigo.
The latter has just received proofs of the innocence
of Jacopo of the crime of which he is accused,
(the death of Donato.) The old man returns thanks to
Heaven, his son will be restored him. Lucrezia enters
in a state of distraction, "Alas I old man," she exclaims,
.. you have no son." " The innocent is dead." Nothing
could exceed the acting of Coletti in this scene, he falls
as thou- h thunderstruck into a chair, and remains almost
paralysed by grief. He is soon, however, aroused—
he is summoned by the Council of Ten, and informed by