The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-12 00:00:00

FRURY LANE THEATRE

Balfe's new three act opera, entitled The Bondman
(the libretto by Bann) was produced here last evening
wet the moos couplet° suocess. It is an operatic
version of the Friasch play, Le Chevalier de St.
Gesso's, in which Lafont, as the mulatto hero,' pro-
duced such an immense effect last season at the St.
James's Theatre. In the opera the Chevalier is trans-
formed, into a Mr. Ardenford, which character was
admirably sustained by Harrison, who seems to have
studied Lafont's style of dressing and acting to
great purpose. The opera opens in front of the
post-house near the avenue leading to the Castle
of Rainey, with a hunting chorus. Madame Co-
rinne (Miss Romer) arrives, and is received with all
due attention by the innkeeper Ja.loux (M r. S.
Jones) and his pretty little wife, Grisette (Miss R.
Isaacs), who made a great deal of a very little part) ;
Corinne is accompanied by the old Marquis de Vernon
(Mr. Weiss), who is courting her for his son, or,
rather, courting her fortune, for she is the young widow
of an immensely rich creole, and we learn that her father's
estate in St. Domingo and that of the Marquis were ad-
joining. She observes upon the apparent neglect of the
son of the Marquis, and reveals that she loves a mulatto,
Camille, the son of Naomi, a slave, who had been sold by
the Marquis to her mother, and who had been scourged
with ignominy from the race-course at St. Domingo,
for having dared to offer her his love. She has
never seen him since ; but once before she left St. Do-
mingo, she heard his voice singing a plaintive negro
air, which she still remembers, and which she has often
sung since. It is a beautiful ballad, " Child of the Sun,
unhappy slave," which was exquisitely given by Miss
Romer, and was enthusiastically encored. She still re-
members Camille ; and although eight years have
elapsed since that time, yet, strange to say, the appear-
ance of a mulatto gentleman, who, of course, could have
no connexion with the noor slave, whom she had seen
the il'ght; before at the opera, has strangely affected
her. From her description, the Marquis at once re-
cognises in this mulatto gentleman, Ardenford,
who is the rival of the Marquis in every thing.
The son of the Marquis, the Count de Floreville (Mr.
Rafter) now enters, to the great relief of the Marquis.
The Count is a fop and spendthrift, and from his deli-
neation of this character we augur favourably of the
future career of Mr. Rafter, who is an actor as well as a
singer. He is constantly in love with dancers anti
singers, and his opening air " On zephyr's wings they
say she flies," was given with quaintness and spirit.
This air is admirably characteristic, as is the duet with
the Marquis, which follows it, light, airy, graceful, yet
descriptive, most descriptive. This piece proves that
Balfe is a perfect master in opera buffa, and need not
shrink from a comparison with any of his contemporaries
of any nation. Ardenford and his companions now
enter singing a joyous chorus, " Were it not that
folly," which is perhaps the gem of the opera. It is
full of life, spirit, and originality—is admirably in-
strumented and excellently sung, and was rapturously
and deservedly encored. There is a little solo bit of
melody introduced for Harrison, followed by a reprise
of the chorus, which produced a most telling effect.
Then follows the flirtation scene with Grisette, the jea-
lous y scene with her husband, and the shooting of his
niWcap by Ardenford, in which the original French
play is closely followed. After this comes another
chorus, " The chase, the chase," to which Arden-
ford's companions all hurry off, leaving him
alone, when he is joined by Corinne. Then
comes a ballad, " They say there is some
distant land," which is evidently written for Harrison,
and which was honoured with an encore. The flageolet
symphony and accompaniment to this ballad is parti-
cularly beautiful. This is followed by a duet between
Ardenford and Corinne, exquisitely sung by Miss
lilonaer, who was in beautiful voice, and Harrison. It is
evidently they are in love with each other, and that,
in this instance as in every other, the mulatto will be
the victor over the Count. Then follows the arrest of
Ardenford on his entry into the carriage en route for
the Bastile, and his clever substitution of the Count for
himself as in the original play. The act ends with
a finale and chorus a beautiful composition in
the old English style of music. The scene
of the second act is laid in a saloon in the
hotel of Madame Corinne in Paris. The Marquis is at-
tending on her, grumbling to himself at having to make
love for his son, for whose absence he cannot possibly
account. In this scene there is an admirable buffa air,
" There is nothing so perplexing," which was well sung
by Weiss, but which would require Lablache to do
justice to it, and which would be quite worthy of that
Prince of Buffas. This air, if given with the breadth
and viscomica which Lablache would give to it,
would alone make the fortune of a short
opera. Even Weiss, phlegmatic as he gene-
rally is, seemed quite inspired by the music, and his
exertions were rewarded by a hearty encore. The Mar-
quis tells Corinne that Ardenford is about to be married;
she then becomes convinced that she loves him, admires
even his very complexion, and expresses her feelings in
the exquisitely beautiful ballad, "It is not form, it is not
face," which, following as it does so closely the buffa air
of the old Marquis, pleases the more from the force of the
contrast. She is left alone, and the valet of Mr.
Ardenford, Mal-a-propos (Harley), is announced.
Mal-a-propos has known her in St. Domingo, and
is eloquent in praise of his master. She learns
from the valet that his master keeps a miniature
of a lady in a drawer—that is doubtless the lady of his
love, and she bribes him to procure her a sight of the
miniature. It is sufficient to say, that Mal- i•propos
richly deserves his name, and that Harley acts the part,
with which ho infuses all manner Of indiscribable
and quaint Harleyisens for the lover of genuine
farce, to be perfe sly aware that there is a vast treat in
store for him. The valet leaves him, and Ardenford
enters. He is not about to be married. Her inquiries of
him about St. Domingo, of the fate of poor Camille, for
whom she confesses her love, and the certificate of whose
freedom she consigns to Ardenford to be transmitted to
St. Domingo. It is scarcely necessary to add that they
recognise each other, and that at that moment the
hopes of the Count de Floreville are destroyed.
The whole of this scene is given in concerted
music, which is most expresilve, and in which
The accompaniment is most judiciously managed. The
Marquis now enters, followed by large groups of nobi-
lity and gentry. There is a fete at the hotel of Corinne.
Ardenford, much to the annoyance of the Marquis,
is incessant in his attentions to Corinne, and
when she is asked to sing, even accompanies her
on the guitar. The Count, who has escaped from the
Bastille, now enters, and after getting well laughed at
for his adventure, returns to dress for the fete. He is
met by Mal-a-propos, who, imagining him to be an
agent of Corinne, delivers to him the miniature. lie
looks at it. It is the portrait of a ncgress,
and Mal-a-propos, recognising it, declares it is the
portrait of Naomi, of master's mother, the mother of
little Camille, but adds that if it were known, it might
be the ruin of him. The company now re-
enter. Ardenford sings the negro air which Corinne
had sung in the first act. The Count enters, accuses
Ardenford of being a swindler, a runaway slave, the
son of Naomi, who has still the mark of the whip on
him. Ardenford makes a rush at him, but is re

'trained. The Marquis contemplates the scene with
alarm. Corinne sinks fainting into a chair, and the

scene drops upon the melee. Thus far the opera is per-
fect, but the third act is somewhat heavy, and needs

condensation. There is too much dialogue in it. Arden
ford and the Count are about to fight a duel—the Mir.
_ _

quis seeks Ardenford, and tells him the Count is his

brother, that he. (the Marquis) is his (Ardenford's)
father, who, in his childhood, sold him and Naomi
to slavery. The concerted music of this scene
is very fine and expressive, and it was ad-
mirably given by llarrison and Weiss. We have then
an interview between Corinne and Ardenford, in which
there is introduced a very graceful romance, " Go,
memory, go," which was sung with great feeling by
Miss Romer. The Count and Ardenford meet to
_ _ .

fight the duel, and the Marquis also is present. Arden--
ford refuses to fight, but demands that the Marquis
shall publicly acknowledge him as his son. A crowd
of people enter who have been gathered together by Mal-
apropos, to prevent the duel. Ardentord's claims are
recognised, and, of course, he is united to Corinne, who
also, of course, sings the finale. The noticeable pieces
of music in this act, in addition to the romanza and the

finale, are the chorus, Through wood and through

forest," and a quartette, " There is a destiny which
leads," sung by Harrison, Weiss, Horneastle, and Rafter.
The chorus was admirably given, but the quartette
must be rehearsed carefully before its full ef-
fects will be brought out. We had enough
last night to convince us that it is a masterly composi-
tion, but the singer, were scarcely up to the music—at
least they were deficient in that ensemble which is the
life and soul of all part music. Taken as a whole, the
composition of this opera will add to Balfe's fa, me.
There are parts of it superior to anything that he has
yet done. The instrumentation throughout is full,
complete, and artistical, full without being noisy.
It is evident that he has profited by his recent sojourn
in Germany. His orchestral effects aro more perfect
than they have hitherto been, and it is, perhaps, the
most artistical work he has yet produced. He was
greeted with loud applause on his appearance in the
orchestra, and was called for at the conclusion, as were
Miss Romer and Harrison ; and then there was a loud
call for Bunn, who at length made his appearance,
and addressed the audience, thanking them in a
short speech for the manner in which they had testi-
fied their approbation of the work of himself and his
fellow labourers. The ballet of The Wags of Wapping,
with Sophie Fuoco as the heroine, followed. The
house was crowded in every part, before the rising of the
curtain.

THE ISLANDS OF THE PAClFlC.—Samples of sugar,
cotton, and wool, of excellent quality, grown in the
Sandwich Islands, have been forwarded thence by Mr.
Miller, our Consul-General, and formed objects of con-
siderable attraction at the underwriters' rooms last week.
—Liverpool Times.
WOOD PAVEMENT.—In order to form a roughened
surface for the horses, every alternate course of the wood
pavement by the side of the Royal Exchange has been
cut down about an inch ; the result of which is a jar to
the Carriages passing over it that much injures them.—
The Builder,
Mr. Hudson, M.P., has proposed, as Lord Mayor
of York, a scheme for throwing open more completely
the west-end of the magnificent cathedral in that city, to
beaccomplished by public subscription, and heads the
list himself with 500/.
DURAIILS AND PRESERVATIVE PAINT.--A patent
has been taken out by a Mr. Jones, of Chester, for an
improvement in the mode of prep n carbon or char-
coal as a permanent mad brilliantaraluirngt for water-proof-
ing and other railway or general')
17shueffi.
cdiieffin
t-
caty of pulverizing the charcoal of good to
over.
fineness in the ordinary grinding mills has
come by the removal, under this patent, of the been
ner
ticles, in the form of dust, by aid of a stream ofpaairr-
more or less gentle, according to the &Aeneas requisite,
The ,builder.