The Sun.
London, England, 1835-12-15 00:00:00

THE ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.

This new and beautiful theatre was opened last night.
The house was crowded in every part ; and its exceeding
beauty produced the most animated expressions of admira-
tion from the audience as soon as they were comfortably
seated and had time to look about them. Its form is a
model of symmetry, and its rich and brilliant decorations
are in the purest and most elegant taste. The prevailing
colour is a soft and delicate white ; the ornaments are
gold ; and the interior of the boxes is covered with crimson
silk. At seven o'clock the curtain rose, and Mrs. Selby
made her appearance to speak the opening Address, written
by J. Smith, Esq. She was dressed in the colours of the
theatre, and looked exceedingly well. After receiving a
warm welcome, she spoke the following lines :-
4-lovering 'twixt Hope and Fear, I come in haste
To know if what you look on meets your taste?
Survey our carving, ponder on our gilding,
And use your hands thus, if you like the building.
You seem well seated in our Muses' bowers,
Crowded, perhaps—but that's your fault, not ours.
Those Girandoles insure us from the dark ;
Medallions- Watteau, a la Grand Monarque;
Pit comfortable, rounded to a tittle,
And not too large, perhaps to-night too little;
Those tall white ladies, who uphold the frieze,
Are named Car--(What ?)—Car—Caryitides ;
Perhaps (if here I'm out, suspend your laughter),
So call'd, because they carry roof and rafter.
A petticoat police, on rising salary,
To cry out " Order, order !" in the gallery.
We've risen upon you, like a rampant lion,
As Thebes of old was sung up by Amphion.
All's not quite done, we're still in deep committee—
We mean to start a railroad from the City,
With branches well secured by bolts and hooks,
To join St. James's parish to St. Luke's,
Critics may cast that burden from their shoulders,
Railing is now confined to joint stockholders.
Here ends my tune as trumpeter—what follows
Seems an affair exclusively Apollo's :
That God of Song, at sixes and at sevens
With mighty Jupiter, who rules the Heavens.
Too weak with Jove's red thunderbolt to battle,
Dropp'd down on earth to tend Admetus' cattle ;
He "struck the light guitar" for nine long years,
And when call'd upwards to the House of Peers
(Take down my words, Reporters, while I say 'em),
He left a son on earth, and call'd him BRAITAM
From infant years he now has tuned his lay,
How well it ill becomes not him to say.
Grant tit for tat, excuse my woman's whim,
He gave his voice to you—give yours to him!
Here, in St. James's, now he wakes'his lyre,
And rears an altar to his radiant sire,
Who views, well-pleased, this temple-to his praise,
And gilds our pillars with his parting rays.
Aid, then, our offering, sanctify our cause,
And grant us, gods, one thunder of applause.
Mrs. Selby delivered this very clever address with much
grace and animation. Its many happy points were caught
and responded to by the audience ; and the well•merited
and well-turned compliment to the hero of the night was re-
ceived with peals of applause ; when it subsided, the or-
chestra began the overture to the new opera of Agnes Sorel,
the first production of a young female composer, Mrs.
A' Beckett.

This piece is an agreeable drama, of slight construction.
The heroine is the celebrated mistress of Charles the
Seventh of France, who makes some figure in the history of
that country, and holds a distinguished place in its poetry
and romance. in this drama she appears in her original
state, as the daughter of a country gentleman, who had
attracted the notice of the King and of his Minister, the
Count Dunois, both of whom are enamoured of her charms.
'The Minister finds his sovereign residing in her father's
house, in the guise of a wounded officer. They come to a
mutual explanation as to the state of their affections ; • and
the King gives his Minister permission to enter the lists with
him in a fair contest for the lady's affections. A series of
plots and counter-plots takes place, in which the King is
worsted, and involved in perplexities from which he can
only deliver himself by a declaration of his rank. The sen-
timents of the fair Agnes, however, in the King's favour,
are sufficiently apparent ; and the result is left to be guessed
at. There are some subordinate parts, very pleasant, but
of no importance to the plot.
Braham appeared in Count Dunois. Accustomed as he
has been, fer forty years, to taste the sweets of public ap
please, he probably never felt so strongly how high lie
stands in public estimation. He was received with peals
upon peals of applause, which lasted for several minutes,
and were acknowledged by him with strong marks of
feeling. His whole performance gave proof of unabated
powers. His voice was as rich, full, and beautiful as ever ;
and he sang with the glowing and energetic expression of
his earliest days. Miss Glossop (the, sister of the composer)
was the heroine. It was this young lady's first public ap-
pearance, and her agitation, at the beginning, was extreme.
But she gradually recovered her self-possession, and exhi-
bited many of the qualities of an accomplished singer.
Her voice is powerful, and on the whole, sweet ; though
her highest notes have an occasional shrillness which will be
mellowed by time and practice. Her style is excellent, and
her intonation unexceptionable. She is very handsome,
with an intelligent and expressive countenance ; and her
air is dignified and lady-like. The part of the disguised
King was performed by Mr. Barker, whose singing filled
us with surprise and admiration. Where can such a singer
have so long hidden his talents ? His voice is a high tenor,
of the finest and most delicate quality, resembling very
much that of Ivanhoff ; and he has all the finish and re-
finement of a first-rate artist. The duet in the first act,
between him and Braham, was one of the most charming
things we have ever heard. Stretton, in the Baron de
Lindon, fully supported his rising reputation.
The music of this piece does great honour to the fair
composer. It bears strong marks of an Italian education,
but has more of the beauties of the modern Italian style
than of its faults. We have many reminiscences of Rossini
and his imitators ; but there are also many traits as original
as they are beautiful. An open, flowing, and simple strain
of melody pervades the whole opera ; and the instrumental
parts are ingenious, graceful, and free from noise. Some of
the airs and duets are too long—a fault to which every
young composer is liable. When Mozart, in his maturer
years, played over some things in his early opera of The Se-
raglio, he said, " This is very well for a room, but too ver-
bose for a theatre. When I composed this opera, I took
delight in what I was doing, and never thought anything
too long." Mrs. A'Beckett will one day have a similar feel-
ing, when she takes, a review of Agnes Sorel. It is, hoW-
ever a beautiful opera, and is entitled to be ranked amongst
the finest specimens of English dramatic music.
The remaining entertainments were two exceedingly
lively and pleasant pieces, (each of them in one act) enti-
tled A Clear Case, and The French Conwany. They were
admirably acted, and produced a great deal of laughter and
applause; But we must take another opportunity of speak-
ing of these pieces, and the excellent actors who appeared
in them.

The Count de Salis, who derives considerable
estates in Ireland from his uncle Charles, the last Viscount
Fane, has obtained his Majesty's permission to assume the
name of Fane in addition to his own. Through the extinct
branch of the Fane family, which he represents, Count de
Salis is connected with many of the most distinguished fa-
milies of the English nobility.