The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-29 00:00:00

PrINCESS'S THEATRE.

After a :::sort rcees tt is thea:re ol:encd last evening
with an operatic company. Among the artistes en-
gaged are Madame Albertezzi, Miss Georgiana
Smithson, Miss Sara Flower, Mr. Allen, Mr. Barker,
Mr. Delavanti, an American vocalist, Mr. Bodda, and
Mr. Leffler. Mademoiselle Nau is also engaged for
a limited number of nights. During the recess the
theatre has been completely renovated and re deco-
rated. The opening piece was a new opera (the
words by Soane, the music by Loder), entitled the
Night Dancers, founded on the story of the popular
ballet of Giselle, which story has, however, been modi-
fied, to suit operatic purposes. The opera is divided
into an induction and two acts. The scene
in the induction is laid in the interior
of the cottage of Godfrey (Mr. Walton) an old
miller in Silesia. His niece Mary (Miss G. Smithson),
is busied in preparations for the marriage of GizAle,
her cousin (Madame Albertazzi), who is to wed
Albert (Mr. Allen). Mary sings one of the wild
legends of her country, to beguile the time. Gisclle
enters, in hee wedding dress, and is chid by her
father, old Godfrey, for her vanity. He is, however,
soon appeased, and sings a merry song. Giselle, who
is eassionately fond of the dance, waltzes to distant
music. The sounds approach. Godfrey and Mary
retire, and the voice of Albert is heard serenading
her from the lake. Coquettishly, she refuses to show
herself. The serenaders retire. She commences
singing and waltzing to the symphony of the air,
and at length falls asleep. This ends the induction.
The first act opens with a chorus of vintagers,
assembled outside Godfrey's cottage. The beadle
of the parish, a certain Fridolin, a sort of ope-
ratic Marmaduke Magog, capitally acted by Mr.
Leffler, enters. Fridolin is desperately in love with
Mary, but his curiosity is quite as intense as his
love, and he is accordingly constantly peeping
through the keyhole of Albert's cottage, in order to
discover whether Albert is not a nobleman in disguise
Mary remonstrates with him—he justifies himself
—and at last Albert enters. The greater part of this
scene is conducted in concerted music, and Mr. Loder
shows in it that be possesses in no very high degree
the faculty of composing, what, for want of a better
term, we must denominate conversational music.
Albert sings the beautiful serenade, " Wake, my
love, all life is stirring," which was deliciously given
by Allen, and Giselle enters. Her grand scena
dehtril..e, "I dreamt we stood before the altar,"
is a most elaborate composition, with full orchestral
accompaniments. It received full justice from
Madame Albertazzi. It was evident that Loder, in
composing this scena, felt that he was composing it
for a perfectly educated and thoroughly scientific
musician, and most assuredly it received full justice
from Madame Albertazzi. It was most rapturously
applauded, and from this moment the success of the
opera appeared certain. This is followed by a beautiful
little bit of simple melody, " I cannot flatter if I would,"
which was given with exquisite taste by Allen, and

rewarded by an enthusiastic encore. This is followed
by a bacchanalian song by Mary, a curiosity in its
way, inasmuch as it is not often that a drinking song
is given to the soprano. It was not only well sung,
but well acted too by Miss Smithson, who seemed a very
Hebe as she poured forth the ruddy juice of the grape.
The Duke of Silesia (Mr. Bodda) and Bertha (Miss
Sara Flower) enter and join the villagers, and nearly
the whole of the rest of the act consists of concerted
music. Mr. Bodda, who on this occasion made his

first appearance at this theatre, possesses a fine bass
voice, with greater flexibility than voices of that charac-
ter in general possess. He is, moreover, a
clever musician, and by no means deficient
in histrionic powers. He will prove a great acquisi-
tion to the Princess's company. The gem of this
scene is the air by Bertha, " Our way hath been both
rough and long," in which the fine deep rich contralto
tones of Miss Sara Flower told with marvellous afect.
There is no other lady at present on the stage who
could have approached her. This is followed by a
magnificent quintette, admirably sung by Allen, Miss
Smithson, Bodda, Leffler, and Miss Sara Flower, and
which is perhaps the composition par excellence of the
opera in which the scientific musician will most de-
light. This is followed by a huntsman's chorus,
which possesses no very particular merit ; and then
comes a fine bass song "Believe me, honest friends,"
which was very well given by Mr. Bodda. This
is followed by the recitative "I breathe again," and
the air " What pleasure can we find in slaying,"
which were beautifully given by Madame Albertazzi.
The accompaniment to the recitative is very five,
and the air which follows is a delicious little bit of
melody. It was enthusiastically encored. Then
comes the flower duet, " Ile loves me, he loves me
not," well sung—and well acted too—by Allen and
Madame Albertazzi, which we like none the worse
from its reminding us forcibly of the scene with Mar-
garet, in the garden of Faust. In this scene is in-
troduced a dance of villagers, in which Mr. and
Miss Marshall danced a new and elegant pas de
deux, and then Fridolin, the prying beadle, inter-
rupts the festivities, by announcing that he
has discovered that Albert is a noble in disguise.
Albert ii recognised by the Duke as his nephew, and
the affianced of Bertha. Poor Giselle falls senseless.
It is in vain that Bertha relinquishes all claim to
him, and, drawing the ring from her own finger,
places it on that of Giselle, exclaiming in those
rich deep impassioned tones, which no female voice
save that of Miss Sarah Flower possesses, "Be
bltst, be Albert's wedded wife." Poor Giselle dies,
and the act concludes with a fine preghiera, " Holy
water o'er thee sprinkling," sung over her corse. The
scene of the next act is the Lotus Lake, the abode of
Wills, ani we see the tomb of Giselle. Bertha
enters and strews flowers on the tomb. She is
joined by Albert, and here we have the gem of the
opera, the duet " Feace to the dead," one of the
most beautifully expressive compositions we have
ever heard, and which was given with exquisite pa-
thos and feeling by Miss Sara Flower and Mr.
Allen. The villagers enter, and then comes some
fine concerted music; after which, Albert, who is
left alone by the grave of Giselle, sings the beauti-
fully plaintive air, " Wake from thy grave, Giselle."
This is followed by the chorus of Wilis, who
rise from their graves, and are joined by
Giselle, who is transformed into a Wili.
Then comes the air by Giselle, "What new delight-
ful being's this ?" which was beautifully rendered
by Madame Albertazzi ; and then we have the ballet
of the Wills. This ballet is interrupted by the entry
of Fridolin, who is beset by the Wills, and danced
by them into the lake, according to the received
legend. The Wilis sing a joyous chorus at
having " netted their prey ; ' but disappear as Albert
comes forward. Albert invokes the shade of Giselle,
who, singing beneath the earth, warns him of his im-
pending fate ; but, in obedience to his invocation, she
rises from earth from a bed of roses—and here an
accident, which was nearly being attended with
the most fatal consequences occurred. Madame
Albertazzi, attired as a Wili with gauze
wings and flowing gauze robes, appeared from behind
the roses ; to give effect to the scene a lamp had been
placed so as to throw a full light upon her as she
rose ; a sudden draught of air floated her robe over
the lamp, and in an instant she was in flames. She
ran towards the wing for safety, and as she progressed
the flames rose above her head. With admirable pre-
sence of mind Allen, who was in front of the stage,
rushed towards the wing across her path, so as to im-
pede her further progress, caught her in his arms, and
by embracing her partially smothered the flames.
The actors and scene-shifters, who were at the wings,
rushed to his assistance, surrounded her, and at once
extinguished the fire. The whole affair did not oc-
cupy half a minute, but it was a half minute of
terror. There was no shrieking, but there was a
thrilling buz of horror, an audible shudder,
throughout the house, which was followed by
repeated rounds of the most enthusiastic ap-
plause when Allen led her forward unhurt.
After pausing a few seconds to recover herself, she
proceeded with her part, and gave the duet with
Allen, " Thou hast called, ah woe's the hour," beau-
tifully. The remainder is soon told ; she saves Al-
bert's life by protracting the dance until daybreak,
and then comes the denf,uement. Clouds envelope the
scene, and we are again in the cottage of Godfrey.
the whole opera has been but a dream of Giselle,
who is united to Albert, and who finishes by
singing the finale, "On me crowd such
joyous fancies," which, as is usual in such
cases, is a piece composed expressly to give to the
prima donna an opportunity of showing off her powers
of execution—an opportunity of which Madame Al-
bertazzi knew well how to avail herself. All the
principal artistes were called for at the conclusion,
and the opera was announced for repetition by Mr.
Walton, amidst the enthusiastic plaudits of a crowded
house. This opera ;is evidently the work of a tho-
roughly accomplished musician, of one who has studied
carefully the works of the German masters, and who
has formed himself upon the model of Weber, with-
out being in the remotest degree an imitator of that
great composer. It not only reflects the greatest credit
upon Mr. Loder, but upon the English school of
music, and is one of those operas which will, in all
probability, be reproduced in the continental theatres,
and which, if so produced, cannot fail to give conti-
nental dilettanti a high opinion of the genius of modern
English composers.

It is not Prince Louis Napoleon, but Prince
Jerome Napoleon, who went to Brussels last Sunday.
Prince Louis is still staying at Brighton.