The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-13 00:00:00

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• -.
Verdi's opera, I Lombardi, alla prima Crociata, was pro-
duced here last evening, 'and the fiat of the audience of the
first Lyrical Theatre in the world, coincides with that of
every other audience to whose judgment this opera has been
submitted, aad stamps it as the great work of a great man.
We have already given the plot of this opera, and certainly
a Verdi has been fortunate in his clfoice of a librettist, who
has not only imagined a most dramatic plot, but has deve-
loped that plot in a most dramatic manner; and well has
Verdi known how to avail himself of the advantages thus
afforded him. It has been hitherto one of the distinguishing
characteristics of Verdi, that he has, without tarning to the
right hand or to the left, without studying the particular
powers of particular singers, written his operas fairly out
according to the situations, translating into music the passion
or the sentiment which he had to illustrate, and, treating his
vocal parts as he does his instrumental, written them not for
the particular soprano, or tenor, or basso, who may chance to
be popular, but written for soprano, tenor, or basso, without
reference to individuals. Thus Vede.s operas will not die with
the present race ofsingers—they will always retain possession
of the stage; and their success has in every instance been
achieved rather by their own intrinsic merits than by the
particular exertions of any particular artiste concerned in
their production. The scene of the first act of I Lombardi is
laid in Milan—the time in which the action takes place is
the eleventh century, the time of the first crusade. After a
few introductory bars of music from the orchestra (there is
no regular overture), the :curtain rises and discovers the
court-yard of the church of St. Ambrose. Cheerful music
is heard within the church, and then the citizens enter; and,
in a two..part chorus of men and women, we are informed
that Pagano, who had attempted to stab his brother Arvino
because Viclinda had preferred Arvino's suit to his, has re-
turned, and that he is that day to receive his
pardon. This chorus is carefully written, and
elaborately instrumented, and proves Verdi to be a most
accomplished contrapuntist. Pagano (Fornasari), Arvino
(Corelli), Viclinda (Madlle. Corbari ), Griselda (Madame
Grisi), the daughter of Arvind, and Viclianda and Pirro
( Botelli), the friend of Pagano, then enters, accompanied by
the ecclesiastics of St. Ambrosia in grand procession from
the church. The next scene is in the gallery of the palace of
Tollo, the father of Arvino and Pagano. It
'is night, Viclinda and Griselda fear some
hhasis
toawknenfacthaperti;vei
impending calamity; and here we have a beautiful preghiera,
" Salve Maria," delightfully given by Grisi. Pirro and Pa-
gano enter. Pagano is still determined to wreak his ven-
geance on Arvino. While Pirro watches, he enters Arvino's
chamber, and immediately returns with his sword bloody.
An alarm is given ; among those who enter is Are
vino. Who is it, then that Pagano has slain ?
It is slay
captives front
horrorfrom
the h e attemptsc,rusarst, to
his sword is wrenched from him ; and, like Cain, he is cast
forth to lead a life of misery. The scene of the second act
iHe s at Antioch. Acciano, the sultan, is seated on his throne.
Griselda, the daughter ofArvino. She has captivated the heart
a his son, Oronta (Mario), who Au a most delicious melody
-44 La mia letizia tefardere,'' ee!iketees 'his feelang of affection
for her. This melody was given with so much taste, pa-
nhgimtsehelinf;
thos, and feeling, and with such powers of execution by
Mario, that it created quite a furore. Not only was he
called on to repeat it, but, after having sang it a second
time, he was again called for, and had to" bow his
thanks to the audience. It was the greatest tri-
umph Mario has yet achieved. The scene then
changes to a mountan—a hermit enters from his cave—
this hermit is Pagano. Pirro, who has become a renegade,
and is in the service of the Sultan of -Antioch, seeks the-
holy man to ask forgiveness of his sins: The crusaders
approach, and the hermit assumes his armour to join the
soldiers of the cross, extorting from Pirro a promise
that he will betray the city into their hands.
The scene then changes to the interior of
the harem of the sultan, and we have a very effective chorus
of women, who deride the grief of Griselda. Indignantly does
she reply to them, when they are interrupted by a melee of
women, soldiers, and crusaders, who rush into the harem,
the city having been taken. Among the crusaders is
Arvino; and Griselda, in a most magnificent and most
originally written scene, expresses the contending
passions by which her heart is tore joy at being
rescued from captivity by her father, is mingled with sorrow
at being parted from Oronte, her lover, and with indigna—
tion at the cruelties which the crusaders have perpetrated.
'This scene was magnificently given by Grisi, and is one of
the most_ original and effective ever composed. The
opening scene of the third act is splendid. It
represents the Valley of Jehosaphat, with the
city of Jerusalem in the distance, and is perhaps the most
beautiful scene that the pencil of Mr. Marshall has ever yet
produced. We have a fine massive chorus of knights,
women, and pilgrims, who are wending their way towards
the Holy City. After their departure Griselda enters; in her
father's tent she cannot breath—she seeks the free air—she
has but one thought—love. She is joined by Oronte—and
out of this situation, the most common-place of all the
common-places of the lyrical drama, Verdi has elicited some
of the most original effects ever composed. The duet be-
tween Oronte and Griselda is a perfect.gem; and, unlike other
composers, he does not suffer the beauty, of the music to
tempt him to sin against dramatic viaisemblance. The lovers
are interrupted by a cry of to arms. This introduces the
stretta of the duet, which, contrary to custom, is not repeated.
The situation required that the lovers should without delay fly ;
and, sacrificing himself to his art, he will not permit them to
remain, to i epeat even the most beautiful part of his duet,
although he would have been fully justified in so doing,by
the example of all his predecessors. This proves that
Verdi is an artist in the highest sense of the term. We
then have a short scene in the tent of Arvino, from
whence the crusaders march forth to battle ; and then we
have the last scene of the act—a cave. ;This scene is intro-
duced by a beautiful violin solo, which was exquisitely per-
formed. At intervals the clash of arms is heard without ;
then Oronte enters mortally wounded supported by Griselda ;
they are followed by the • Hermit. Oronte, in his last
moments' expresses a wish to die a Christian. He is
baptised by the hermit, and dies in the arms of Griselda and
Pagano. The terzetto between Oronte, Griselda; and Pagano,
with which the act concludes, was beautifully given, and the
acting of Fornasari and Grisi in this trying scene was sub-
lime. The subdued and dignified grief of the hermit con-
trasted finely with the impassioned Griselda. .Never was
agony more heart-rending than that of Grisi, and never has
Grisi been greater thati she was in this scene. In
the fourth act we find Griselda sleeping in the
cavern. She has a vision of celestial spirits, among them
Oronte, who assures her he is happy. She awakes,
and now comes the grand scene of the opera, the air of
Griselda, the " Non fa sogno,"—which is in Italy what
" The soldier tired" was for years in England, the trial
song for every prima donna. It was given by Grisi most
effectively, and is one of the most marvellous vocal triumphs
which even Grisi has ever acchieved. The next scene is the
Lombard encampmeet, near the Sepulchre of nachael ; and
here we have the most sublime, massive, elaborate chorus
in the 'opera, "01 Signore dal tette natio." The audience

seemed awed into silence by the sublimity of the music,
which is almost of a sacred character, and at the eonclusion

of the chorus there was one loud and unanimous call for its

repetition, which was of course complied with. Every praise
is due to the chorus singers,and to the orchestra for the
perfect manner in which bis sublime composition was
given. The Lombards, led on by the hermit, rush on to
battle. The scene then changes to the hut of Arvino ; the
hermit is led in mortally wounded. Finding death
approaching he discovers himself—he is Pagano.
and with that discovery ends the opera. The acting of
Fomasari in this scene was very fine, and although an spolo-
getical placard, bespeaking the consideration of the audience
for Fornasari, on the score of illness, was posted about the
lobbies of the theatre, yet there certainly was no necessity to
make any apology, for Fornasari last night fully maintained
his well-earned fame, one of the greatest actors on the
lyrical stage. At the conclusion there was ateneral call for
the principal artists, and Grisi, Rfario, Fornisari, and Corelli
appeared before the curtain and were received with that
enthusiastic applause which they had so well earned .by their
exertions. The house was crowded to suffocation. The
ballet of Alma concluded the' evening's entertainment.
Th

ere were present at her Majesty's Theatre last
fight her Majesty the Queen Adelaide, accompanied by
rince Edward of Saxe Weimar, and attended by Lady
Clinton, the Hon. Misses Seymour, the Hon. Mrs. Ashley
and Captain Somerset ; her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Kent, attended by Lady Fanny Howard, Lady Augusta
Bruce, and Captain the Hon. James Murray ; their Royal
Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, attended by
the Baroness Ahlefeldt, Lady Augusta Cadogan, the Baron
Knesbeck, and Mr. Edmund Mildmay ; his Royal Highness
Prince George of Cambridge, the Duke of Wellington,
the Duke and Duchess of Leinster, the Duke and
Duchess of Beaufort, and the Ladies R. and B. ~Somerset;
his Excellency the Austrian Ambassador, his Excilla lency the
Russian Amba.ssador"iind the Baroness- Brunow accompanied
by Mdlle. Olga de 'Lechner, the COunt Ko. udriaffsky, Count
de Noailles; his Excellency the Hanoverian Minister, the
Baron Kohler, the Marquis and Marchioness of Douro, the
Marquis and Marchioneis of Aylesbury, the Marchioness of
Worcester, the Marquis of Clanricarde, the Marquis of Sligo,
the Marquis and Marchioness de Lisboa, the Marquis of
Huntley, the Countess of Chesterfield, Count Esterhazy, the
Earl and Countess of Wilton, the Countess of Essex, the
Earl of Falmouth, the Earl and Countess of Marlmsbury,
the Countess of Dalhousie, the Earl of Liverpool, the Countess
of Dundouald, the Earl of Munster, the Earl of Clare, the
Countess of Blessington, the Earl of Sandwich, the Vis-
count Cantelupe, the Viscount Dupplin., the Earl of
Jersey, Lord Ernest Bruce, the Earl of March, .Lady,
Mary Howard, Lady Jane Ogilby, ..Mr. "acid Lady
Mary Christopher, Lord Foley and theillon. Miss Foley,
Lady Petre, Lord and Lady Arlmer, Lord and Lady Ashbur-
ton, Lord and Lady Templeiore, Lord ASomerton, the Hon_
Mrs. Warneford, Sir Charles and Lady Wetherall, Sir W.
Stanley, Sir William and Lady Fremantle, Lord A. Lennox,
Lord Sand s, Sir A. Barnard, Sir IT. Webb,'Generaltipion,
Sir G. and Lady Carroll, Sir John and Lady Campbell, Sir
R. Joddrell, Lady Dallas, Sir T. Munro, Sir Henry and Lady
Meux, the Hon. R. Curzon, Mrs. Dennistown, the Hon;CoL

Wrottesley, Colonel Johnston, Colonel Rowan, Captain
Bathurst, Colonel Wigram, Colonel Knox and olonel B.
Knox, Mr. St. John Mildmay, Mr. Cullen Smith, Mr. and
Mrs. Hodgson, Mr. and Mrs. Brownrigg, Mr. Parnther, Mr.
Vilieblois.

THE BOOR OF COSTIIME.—Among the various an-
nouncements of new works, we notice one which cannot fail
to have more than ordinary attraction for readers of both
sexes. We allude to the elegant volume, just published,
under the title of " The Book of Costume ; or, Annals of
Fashidh," the
,production of a lady of rank, profusely illus•
trated by the:.sniost eminent artists. We have reason to
believe that this entertaining volume is the first general
History of coituine, in all nations, ever published, and from
the, beauty of the numerous engravings, and the great care
taken with the text, which has had the advantage of being
revised by the first authority of the day in such matters,
there can be little doubt that the volume will become a
standard book of reference on all. questions connected with
'fashion in dress.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—SURPEISING CASE OF THE RE-,
CO VERY OF HEALTH BY HOLLOWAY'S PILLS.—Mr. Roberts, a gen-
• tleman residing in New-street, Birmingham, has been suffering for
years from a disordered liver, deranged stomach, palpitation of the
heart, shortness of breath, swelling of the hands, feet, and legs,
lowness of spirits, and want of strength and energy, which state of
things was slowly breaking up his constitution; and finding no be-
nefit from the medical treatment at Birmingham, be proceeded to
London, where he resided for six months, In order to consult the
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thee etsOefheelalt:
retahfoffraedntli tayrd
v,yiNsgio,huni
ch lie did
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Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London.
WILE SWANS NEAR S
EtnEwsuunv.—Ten wild swans
visited a piece of water near the house of J. Morris, Esq , of Oxon,
near this town, settled there three weeks, and thence fled to Bomerc
Pool, the property of E. 0. c.
Owen, Esq., of Condover ; they re-
turned to Oxon, end then betoelt themselves to the water at Onslow,
the residence of Colonel Wingfield, near this town. Two weeks ago
sonic thousands of brent geese passed Brighton, about a tulle at sea.
ia.eskltisst aig.
There was a continuous stream of them for at least two hours, and
their course was from east to west. And about the same time,
oalignatti's Paris newspaper announced that "four wild swans were
seen flying over the large piece of water in the Tuileries at the end
towards the Place de la Concorde, and at length drop down upon it
With a sudden dash, which at first frightened the two tame swans
which have hitherto had the exclusive occupation of the basin. :rt!
These, however, soon recovered their confidence, and seemed to wel- •
come their unexpected guests with true French courtesy, , The yl-
siters were somewhat less in size than their hosts, but their plumage
was much more brilliantly white. They did not appear to be at all
disturbed by the presence
of several persons who stood on the brink
of the water, but enjoyed themselves until the hour when the foun-
tain at the centre was made to play as usual, the noise of which
surprised and alarmed alarmed them so that thifagain took flight."
eShrtts,*try Chronicle,