The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-30 00:00:00

GERMAN OPERA.

We were enchanted last night by a performance of Mozart's
Zauberfiote, exquisite in almost all its parts. This opera it
has been of late the fashion to underrate, not only in this coun-
try, but by a certain set in Germany ; for even in that land
of. melody and correct musical taste, the modern Italian school
of music has its disciples, and these, we are told, consider Mo.
zart passe, and no longer to be admired, with the exception,
perhaps, of Don Juan and one or two others of his composi-
tions. These critics condemn the Zauberflote more particu-
larly; but the experience of last night, the exquisite perform-
ance of the opera, arid the enthusiastic reception it met with,
om a well-filled house, should go far to prove, first, that the
detractors from Mozart's merits are in the wrong ; and secondly,
that their numbers are not great in London. We never wit-
nessed a more continuous, judicious, and enthusiastic applause
bestowed on any performance than Staudigl, Haitzinger, Mel-
'tiger, and Fruhling, Heinefetter, and Schumann, earned last
night. Indeed we may say truly, that with the exception of one
part we never heard the opera better performedeven inGermany.
Had Mr. Schumann numbered among his company one lady of
adequate voice and talent to do justice to the character of
Astrafiammante, to the music written by Mozart for this part,
which requires a very soprano of great compass, last
night's performance would have been faultless. We could
not but regret that both the great and beautiful bravuras be-
longing to this part we: e, for want of an adequate performer,
necessarily omitted. The leaving out the music was a great
loss, and the insignificance of the Queen of Night understood
only by those who find an allegory in the confused story of Sa-
rastro, Tamino, and Pamina, to represent the evil principle at
war with the good, deprived the plot, if plot there be, of even
the little coherence that might otherwise be found in it.
Where all was so exquisite, it is difficult to find any one
piece more worthy of notice than the rest hut to us the
air of Sarastro, " 0 ! Isis and Osiris," with the chorus belong-
ing to it, the terzett between .`arastro, Tamino and !'amine,
" Soil ich d ch Theurer nicht mehrsehen !" appeared the gems
of greatest price. The overture, the duet well kncwn in
England as the " Manly Heart," and the charming scene be-
tween Papigeno and his Papagena, in which Madame
Schumann excelled, were encored. We must not omit to
state as a fact highly honourable to the singers, and worthy of
imitation, that they adhered most strictly to the music set
down for them by their great composer. We heard no note
which was not incontestably Mozart's, and if we observed that
Madame Heinefetter added two little embellishments on the
word Creatur in her first duet with Papageno, we are willing to
believe that these were omitted by the si gers we. had heard
be''ore. At the fall of the curtain the audience called for the
principal singers, and Staudigl Hail zinger and Heinefetter ap-
peared to receive a final cheer of thanks, which must have
highly gratified them, for it seemed a unanimous expression of
delight.

ANNIVERSARIES.—This day, the 30th of
Al rit, is the anniversary of the battle of Fontenot' in 1745,
ar:d als3 of the death of George Farquhar, the celebrated
dramatist. He was born at Londonderry, in Ire'and, in 1678.
His first dramatic piece, called Love in a Bottle, was produced
in his 20th year, and wvs attended with much success. His
last was the Beaux Stratagem, which had a great run, in the
midst of which he died, in 1707. The 30th of April is like-
wise commemorable as the day on which the Edict of Nantes
was signed, in 1.598.
QUICK PASSAGE.—The General Steatn Navi-
gation Company's steam-ship Countess of Lousdale, Captain
P. S. Strsnack, that brought Tuesday's mail from Hamburgh,
landed her passengers in London this morning at six o'clock,
being only 47 hours from the time she left Hamhurgh.
COVENT-GARDEN THEATRICAL FUND
DINNER.—The anniversary festival of the Covrrit-garden
Theatrical Fund was held yesterday at Freemasons' Hall, his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge presiding in the chair.
His Royal Highness in the course of the evening was joined
by the Marquis of Normanby, who pleaded public duty as his
apology for not arriving earlier ; and at the Vice-President's
table we also noticed Sir Richard Onslow, Captain Forbes, and
one or two more patron/3 of the drium,tic art.