The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-14 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Another of the great works promised in the pro-
gramme was performed ou Saturday night; though we
regret to say with no very marked success. Guglielmo
Tell is the most elaborate and flier most sustained opera
of the fecund and brilliant Rossini, but though much
that it contains entitles him to rank with the foremost
writers of the lyrical drama, its great length and want
of domestic individual interest render it somewhat
heavy and lugubrious ; and yet it is studded with
charming and original melody, the use of the choral and
instrumental forces are dramatically effective and mu-
sically skilful, and the coulcur locale with which it is in-
stinct proves the hand of a great master in his art. As
is the case with Meyerbeer's opera of Les Huguenots, the
excellence lies in the dexterous management of th:
orchestra and chorus—the masses of harmonic sounds
are made to reflect the several interests and passions
of multitudes in political antagonism, each expressing
in antiphonal grandeur their conflicting emotions. It
is difficult to excite the interest of a large' hudi tory by
the exhibition of-acts of patriotic heroism rendered
lyrically. Such Subjects railer befit the province of
lofty tragedy, or'the pen of the historian. The peculiar
event which gives immortality to the hero may be ex-
pressed by a single line of poetry, or conveyed by a
felicitous turn of the historian; but the musical com-
poser is forced to colour and elaborate, and during this
process the power and the moral value of 'the deed or
deeds evaporate. The principal defect in tho libretto is
the utter absence of female interest, and it may be ob-
served, en passant, that no work written for the stage,
whether dramatical or lyrical, whatever ita other merit,
has ever achieved an abiding popularity when this inte-
rest has been wanting. Guglielmo Tell is, as we have
stated above, the greatest work of Rossini; in this he
has laboured conscientiously; there are no puerilities;
the poetic sentiment is exquisitely reflected in the music,
and all the manifold powers of science are united with
his melodic affluence. The entire second act is of the
highest genius; it is full of admirable variety. There
are passion, power, invention, and learning. We have
the huntsmen's chorus, and the shepherd's lay, the
charming song of Matilde, " •Selva opaca, deserta
brughiera," the beautiful duet for Arnold and Matilde,
Riedi al camper della gloria," the world-famous trio,
" La gloria inflamme e nostri petti," and, finally, the
overwhelming meeting of the cantons, a scene unpa-
ralleled for dramatic truthfulness. and lyrical power.
The closing movement of this wiiS;encored with- enthtt--
siasm, and was the single instance of a redemand in the
entire opera. M. Roger, who enacted Arnoldo, seemed
to labour under considerable vocal debility, although his
acting evinced no lack of energy. The " Suivez-rnoi,"
in which Duprez was wont to electrify his audience,
failed from a
theomestnaes Matilde e wantr of the
w
he necessaryas charmingly physieal power.
Madame
Sung and
gently acted. Tamburini, as the Swiss Patriot, failed
utterly to convey, either vocally or dramatically, the
faintest idea of the character. His voice was lamentably
week, and his acting in the great scene in which occurs
the shooting the apple from the head of his child had
neither passion, pathos, nor intensity. Mae. Corbari,
as Jenny, sang nicely, but her embonpoint destroyed the
requisite illusion. The choruses were vigorously given,
but wanted light and shade. The mise en scene,. though
upon the broadest scale of liberality, required artistic
care in the groupings-the lee/6,s between the troops of
anTdthoevemrtouurnetawinaspeeanscaonretrdy,
anwdere
ksuoadly gro-
tGeeseqsluer. The
Castellan were called before the curtain at
Madame
the termination of the opera. Beethoven's mighty opera
of Fidelio will be forthwith produced, with Madame
Pauline Viardot in the character of Leonore. Her
Majesty's box was occupied by the Earl and Countess
Fortescue, Lord and Lady Wharncliffe, Sir Thomas
Marrable, Miss Geale, Miss Mackenzie, and Mr. Rich.
D
AMmonotnegbetlhlie), iNcompany
awdeyr. es
at lir
aoh De h
naond nd :ye:
Princess
isn de
ee
Metternich and Princess Melanie Metternich, the Mar-
quis of Tichfield, the Marchioness of Westmeath, and
Marchioness of Lonsdale, the Earl and Countess Gran-
ville, the Earl and Countess of Shelburne, the Earl
M sus Johnstone,
t charl es,
si the Countess
oand (Dowager) wy ae
Walsh,r) of Essex Lord
Fai
Insd
M
roy Somerset, the Misses Somerset, Lord Elphinstone,
Lord G. Manners, Lord Ward, Lady Scott, Lady Mor-
gan, Lady Webster, Lady de Bathe, Lord Bateman,
Lady Georgina Codrington, the Earl of Stamford and
dWisahr,rilniognto. ni.HFoonr.teAse.uoN,VHilloonughGb.y,mlifloens:
Miss
Viscount Ex-
mouth, Viscount Clifden, Viscount Ebrington, Lord and
Lady Holland, Lady Joddrell, Sir H. Webb, Sir T.
Hare, Sir John and Lady Burgoyne and the Misses
Caven-
dish
Burgoyne, Sir Francis and Lady Lawley, Sir.W. de
Bathe, Mrs. Mills, the Misses Mills, Sir George Carroll,
Honourable Miss Murray, Sir John Hobhouse, Sir
Samuel Scott, Mrs. Villebois, Mr. Mountjoy Martyn,
Miss Burdett Coutts and party, Miss Byrne and party,
Miss Wingfield, General Hamilton, General Fox,
Colonel Milman, Colonel 011ivier, Colonel Wingfield,
Col. B. Knox, M.P., Colonel Blane, Colonel Wigram,
Major Jones, Captain Cleveland, Captain Ryder Bur-
ton, Major Gage, Captain Talbot, Captaiti de Vere, Mr.
Rose, Mr. Culling Smith, Mr. H. Greville, &C. '-

The season of this theatre closes with the present
week. A grand extra performauce, got up at the uuani-
mous desire of the several artistes on the establ4hment,
will take place this evening, for the benefit of thf three;
tor, Mr. Delafield, who, throughout a trying arisen of
competition, has entitled himself to the friend]cpn.
siderationof the musical world, bah professional and
amateur.

accurate state.
THE WAR MEDAL. ,
The following is, we believe, a tolerably
went of the claims to the War Medal which have been
decided upon by by the Board of General officerst_
Officers ... •• • *** ••• 2,376
Non-commissioned officers and privates 17,927

Total claimants decided upon ••• 20;303
at Than These
rl ae
gi ma
taen
ot sf hascvtei
obnese nasp
fruoivi eo dw
st
_h av e been present
Officers €•• ••• 9,561
Non commissioned officers and soldiers 70,389

Total actions ... ••• ... ... 79,250
Or an average of more than three actions to each
claimant; but there are several claimants whom, it has
been proved, were present at eight and ten actions each,
and some in as many as fourteen.
The
nto e
undermentioned
of th
oregimentsactions have participated in
from named in the general
average : - -
In Ten Actions—Coldstream Guards, 3d Foot Guards,
32d Foot, 42d Foot, 61st Foot, 71st Foot, 94th Foot, and
Ist Light Battalion King's German Legion.
In Eleven Actions-Ist Foot, 9th Foot, 20th Foot,
28th Foot, 31st Foot, 48th Foot, 50th Foot, and 83d Foot,
In Thirteen Actions-23d Foot and 36th Foot.
In Fourteen Actions-7th Foot and 45th Foot.
88th
FTowo• et
,I vaes
dARc toi
yo na
ls —s
t2a dff Fcooortp, s
.27 t h Foot, 38th Foot,
In Fifteen Actions-sth Foot, 43d Foot, and 52d Foot.
In Sixteen Actions-40th Foot.
In Seventeen Actions-95th Rifles, part of the regi-
ment being at Talavera, with battalion detachments.
In Eighteen Actions—The 60th had eight battalions.
When Sir John Moore's army marched into Spain,
men of regiments belonging to that army who remained
in PortugLl were formed into two battalions, called Ist
and 2d battalion detachments; these two battalions were
at Talavera, and (if course the men who belonged to
these battalions had a claim for that action.—United
Service;Gazette. ,

Napoleon
fell A COINCIDENCE.—Since 1789, all the revolutions
I.;anind
France have taken place under Popes of th:3
Pius. Louis XVI was dethroned under Pius VI. ; the
Directory
under
Pius VII. volelr.t;ucrnheacirleustixdrunPdieurs
pVi
tells
Louis Philippe under Pius PL.—John Bull.