The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-15 00:00:00

PRINCE,SS'S.

Auber's opera, The Syren, was produced at this
theatre last evening, with Mademoiselle Nau as the
Syren. It cannot be matter of surprise that such a
syren should attract crowds, and accordingly the house
was crammed to the ceiling long before the , com-
mencement of the performance. After a somewhat
noisy, but thoroughly Auber-ish, overture, the curtain
rose, and discovered the interior of a vicarage in a
village in the Abruzzi with Mathea (Madame Feron),
the old housekeeper of the late proprietor, the vicar,
hastening to open the door, at which a vigorous
knocking is kept up. The door is opened, and Bol-
baya (Mr. Leffler), accompanied by Scipio (Mr. C.
Horn, jun.) an officer in the Neapolitan marine,
enter. Balbaya is the brother of the former pro-
prietor, and comes to take possession of his inhe•
ritance, but he has also another errand in
the Abruzzi. He has been told of a beau-
tiful female voice which has been heard of late
among the mountains, and to which the name of
the Syren has been given, and if that voice should
happen to have a body, he would like much to engage
it as his prima donna. Mathea warns them against
listening to the delusive strains of the Syren, when
suddenly the Syren herself is heard singing in the
mountains. Scipio is struck, he recognises the voice
as that of one with whom he has exchanged vows of
love. Scopetto (Mr. Allen) enters, inquires for the
old priest, and is struck with sorrow when he learns
that he is dead. This Scopetto is a captain of smug-
glers, and under the name of Marco Tempesta has
been for years the admiration of the mountaineers,
and the terror of the revenue officers. He
is unknown to Scipio, who has come into
the mountains in pursuit of him, having
previously, in his brig, the Etna, captured a
rich venture which Scopetto had embarked under the
command of his lieutenant, Pecchione (Mr. P. Corti).
Wine is brought in—old wine—which Mathea in-
forms them had been kept by her master for Fran-
cesco, a youth who, when King Joachim's troops had
driven the smugglers from the mountains, had been
left an infant, with his twin sister, in a basket at the
door of the vicarage. The girl had been sent to the
orphan's hospital at Naples ; the boy had been
brought up by the vicar until his twelfth year, when
he had been stolen by the band of Marco Tempesta—
that boy is Scopetto ; the girl is Zerlina, the be-
trothed of Scipio. She had been taken from Naples
by her brother, whose orders she had sworn, by the
death-bed of her father, to obey, and she is employed
by her brother to lure travellers, by her songs, to the
retreat of the band in the mountains, but never
to suffer herself to be seen. She is the Syren.
The party is shortly afterwards joined by the Duke
of Popoli (Mr. Walton), Governor of the Abruzzi,
who recognises Scopetto as having been formerly in
his service. The Duke also has been robbed by Marco
Tempesta, and vows vengeance, making Scopetto the
confident of his schemes for making the redoubted
smuggler prisoner. His immediate business at the
vicarage is to meet a mask who made an appointment
with him at the vicarage; the mask comes not, but a
note, signed " The Syren," is delivered to the Duke,
informing him that his elder brother had married a
certain Maria Vergani, and that her son would claim
the dukedom; but that the writer had the mar-
riage documents, and would meet the Duke
in the mountains to negotiate their delivery.
A gendarmes enters, and hands the Duke
a description of Marco Tempesta ; Scopetto gets pos-
, session of this paper before the Duke can read it, and
cleverly substitutes for it a description of Scipio.
Balbaya and Scipio, who have been in pursuit of the
Syren, re-enter, and the Duke, comparing the appear-
ance of Scipio with the description, congratulates
himself on having at length got hold of the real
Marco. A beautiful quartett occurs in this scene, ,
which was deliciously given by Allen, Leffler, C.
Horn, and Walton, and which may, perhaps, be con•
sidered the gem of the opera. This quartett was
encored. Scipio and Balbaya, hearing that the Duke
has an appointment at the Pietra Nera with the
Syren, request to accompany him, and the Duke con-
sents, telling Scopetto to be with him, as he intends
to have his guards there to shoot Marco, and get
possession of his papers, without further trouble.
The scene of the second act is the mountains
The stage is divided into two parts, the lower of
which represents an inn, backed by the overhanging
mountains. The upper part represents a forest path,
that winds amongst the trees and rocks. The act
commences with a drinking chorus of smugglers, of
no very great merit, and then Scopetto enters. He
dismisses the band to their several stations. Zerlina
appears on the upper part, singing and gathering
flowers. She gradually descends, enters, and gives
the nosegay to her brother. He discovers that she
loves the son of Maria Vergani, and that that son
is the very Scipio whose ruin he has sworn. He
rushed out, declaring such a marriage impossible, and
Zerlina gives utterance to her feelings in an ex-
quisitely-expressive romanza, which was given
by Mademoiselle with beautiful simplicity and pathos,
and which was rapturously encored. Scipio and Bal-
baya appear upon the path above. Scipio enters,
recognises Zerlina, and they both rash into each other's
arms. At the entry of Balbaya, Zerlina leaves him,
the smugglers rush in, and are about to murder them
both, when Scopetto arrives and saves them. Dis-
patching Scipio for the papers which prove him to be
the son of Maria Vergani, and making him swear to
divulge nothing for twenty-four hours, he retains Bal-
baya as a hostage, to the great horror of the worthy
impresario. Scarcely has he gone when the Duke,
who of course has been disappointed of his rendez-
vous at the Pietra Nera, enters the inn, which he is
surprised to find is kept by Scopetto. His grace is in
a sad pucker. He is to give, the next day, a fete at
Popoli, where the seized cargo of Pecchione
has been deposited. He has nothing pre-
pared. Scopetto relieves him from his difficulties,
by introducing to him Balbaya and the smugglers, as
a manager and a corps operatique, and undertaking
to get up an opera for the amusement of his guests at
Popoli. The written appointment of Balbaya quiets
his suspicions, and when Zerlina is introduced as the
prima donna and sings to him, he is enraptured. The
singing of Mademoiselle Nau as the prima donna in
this scene was beyond all praise—it was a magni-
ficent exhibition of power and science, with just that
slight dash of tremulous nervousness which so well
becomes a debutante, and which it might be ex-
pected she would exhibit on such an occasion. The
audience, by their repeated and enthusiastic plaudits,
ratified the decision of the Duke, " Beyond all ques-
tion she's a prima donna." The third act takes place
at Popoli, at the Duke's chateau. The smugglers are
there as the corps operatique. They make the most
of their time, and pack up all their own and
something else besides, and embark it in their boats.
Scipio, who had been detained as the smuggler chief
by the Duke is released by Zerlina, and returns with
the papers to Scopetto, who gives him his sister's
hand, and salutes him as Duke of Popoli, to the great
horror of the old Duke, who is anything but pleased
at this inopportune discovery of his nepheiv. Scopetto
avows himself to Mathea as Francesco, and explains
that Zerlina has always been ignorant of his real cha-
racter. The smugglers have escaped with their booty,
and have seized Scipio's brig, but Scopetto is left
alone, and must, ere long, be recognised, as an officer
who is acquainted with his person has arrived, and
every avenue is guarded. He seizes a mandoln,
and accompanies Zerlina, who commences
silig
th
ing. All are enraptured at the exquisite_
e
sweet-
ness of her song, and Scopetto seizes
op-
portunity of leaping from ingwhhth.
which
ibsalaez
opens on the sea, into a boat
The guards fire after him, but without effect, for, as
the curtain falls, his voice if heard gaily
Mademoiselle singing in
the distance. The finale is a very sparkling compo-
sition, and, as given by Nau, it was a
Her fioriture was lavishly
perfect triumph of art.
brilliant, and her power was astonishing. In fact, we
are very much inclined to believe that the finale is
more indebted to the taste and science of the singer
than to that of the composer for its great effective-
ness. There are some exquisite morceaux in this
opera; we have particularised the greater number of
them ; but, taken as a whole, it is scarcely worthy of
the genius of Auber. Nevertheless it is brilliant.,
sparkling, and pleasing, and will, no doubt, have a
run. The libretto is by Scribe, and the plot is most
cleverly developed. Incident follows incident with
marvellous rapidity. The interest never flags, and
the imbroglio is, kept up to the last. The opera was