Star.
London, England, 1817-01-13 00:00:00

OPERA.

The Opera opened on &mufti,' night for the seem.
The House. was crowded in all parts, and the display
of Fashion, *early in the f.shirniable winter as it is,
was extremely brilliant. Tee Piece selected for re-
presentation was a serious Opera, never before pre-
sented at this Theatre. By whom winten, is not
avowed; but indebted for its Music, we understand,
to the esteemed talents of Clusense. It is entirled
Penelope, and is founded on the classic story of Thy. es.
At the time the action of the Piece commences,
Ulysses is still an exile from Ithaca : his throne has
been usurped by Evenor, King of Lesbos :. his son,
Telemachus, has been wandering for many months
in search of his father, while the constant Penelope re-
mains at Ithaca.maurning the absence of her husband
and son. The opening of the Piece represents Eve-
nor endeavouring by his solicitations and threats to
prevail on Penelope to espouse him. Penelope is in-
flexible, and declares that neither danger nor suffer-
ing shall shake her constancy. At this crisis the lone-
lost Ulysses lends secretly on the eatst with his con,-
penion PelitneJes; but find, it necess try to keep
himself unknown till the arrie.:l of ceitein troops
which Alcinous, King of the Theaciens, has promised
to send after him, to assist him in recovering his
kingdom. For the present, therefore, he resolves to
feign himself to be an Envoy sent by Alcinous to
Evenor on matters of importance, and dispatches
Perirnedus before him to exercise his vigilance in
ascertaining the state of affairs at Court. The com-
panion, the friend, however, becnmes the traitor of
the Piece. Evertor has a daughter of great beauty
(Arsinoe). Perimedes becomes enamoured with her
charms; :led, in order to conciliate the lather's (a-
vow , he hetrays to him the disguise of Ulysses. At
the same tiine. Telemachus having returned from his
fruitless search. Petemides contrives to make him be..
lievethat his father has been kilted in Pheaci by one
Echenus, :and that the pretended Envoy is no other
than the murderer himself, sent by the King of the
Phreciaus to conimunicate the event to Evenor._
Ignorant of all this treachery, Ulysses presents him-
self at the Coat of Evenor. The Usurper at first
conceals his knowledge of him; but Telemachus,
burning with a pious revenge, no sooner encounters,
than he draws his sword upon the sepposed murderer
re hi, father. Ulysses is about to defend himself,
when et this moment Penelope rushes on the scene,
and, recie;nizing her husband, exclaims to his on-
consclons 530—s. Hold! 'tis your father." The snr.
prise, agitati n, and tenderness of the parties display
themselves in a very lively manner; hut scarcely has
Penelope retired from the nieeting, when the traitor
Perimedcs enters, and in the name of Evetior orders
the guaids to conduct Ulysses to prison. .Evenor at
the same time commands Penelope to he carried to
the sea-coast, and is in high exultation at his success,
when Peremiths suddenly brings hint information
that the Phrecian fences have arrived, and have been
joined by Telemachus. While as yet in conthltation
about their safety, the clashing of arms is heard—
'relemachus is victorious—the l!sstrper and Traitor
are seized. and bound in fetters. The victor youth is
joined by his mother, and followed by the Pheacian
warriors, they hasten to the dongeari of Ulysses,
who, despairing of all relief, is exclaiming in bitter
agony against the cruelty of the Gods, in abandoning
a hero, the conqueror of Ilium, to so severe a destine.
The justice of HEAVEN is vindicated. From the
captive cell Ulysses is ttinmplian:ly restored to the
royal halls of his fathers, and in the affectionate joy
of the ever-constant Penelope, in the noble devoting
of the gallant Telemachus, finds a solace for all his
misfortunes. His fallen enemies be devotes, in tie
first transport of his resentmein, to a cruel death;
but the beauty of Arsinoe, which has been uncon-
sciously the source of all the ill, is happily destined
to be alike the saving Divinity of the rsece. A mu-
tual love has beets long nourished in secret between
her and Telemachus, and in the centidenet which it
inspires, she throws herself at the feet of Ulysses, andi
'implores the life of her father. Telemachus joins inl
her entreaties, and pa.sionately enforces his instances
by revealing the secret of his love. Penelope adds
all the weight of tier influence in behalf of the sup-
pliants. Ulysses is overcome. Evenor is sent Mr
a reconciliation takes place—and the Piece closes in
a long prospective of happiness, as the reward. Of
'constancy hi the old, and fidelity in the young.
The story of the theme, as our Readers 'wilt pro.
bably feet, is one of considerable interest. It possesses
a unity and entireness which are in the highest dee
gree havourabie to dramatic effect, and boasts of
Melly situations peculiarly suited to the display of
operatic excellence. A wife in grief for the absence
of those she loves—an exile in his first moments of
joyful enthusiasm on revisiting his native soil—a great
warrior in chains, in misery, in despair—a daughter
supplicating mercy for her father—are all incidents
of the very first order in this.species of composition;
combiniug at once every circumstance necessary to
the production of strong emotion, and all that single.
nets of situation which serves so well to reconcile the
musical expression of that emotion to Truth and Na-
ture. To hear a chit-chat, a quarrel, a message,
sung in all the choicest variety of the gamut, may
welt seem, to a common life-observer, ridiculous;
but in solitary or insulated expressions of strong feel-
ing, these is so common a tendency in men to burst
out in the language of poetry and of song, that in all
such instances the sense of ridiculousness is very sure
to give way to a perfect sympathy, even with the
most cynical and timber-toned. One instance of
oorrive situation, in this Piece, we must not omit to
notice and we notice it with the less hesitation,
since it is perhaps the only one in it. When Pysres
presents himself to Berme as the Envoy of aleinour,
he says he has dispatches from him. And what does
Eyeing upon this? Does he ask for the dispatches?
No.—He desires Ulysses to wait, and leaves him to
admi:s the 141ffite of an oudiniee-chamber. gan any
thilig.be nsoysltbsurd 3 The scene ought tp, ba left
out altogettier. is not called for by any. thing,
and absolutely leads to nothing.
The cast of the parts afforded a favourable.oppct
tunity of introducing the JIM strength of the house
to public notice. In the character of Penelope Ma-
dame CAAMPORESE, lately the first singer in the Royal
Chapel at Paris, was greeted with an applause which
the excellence of her performance fully justified. Her
voice is.naturally one of much sweetness, and posses-
see every accession which the most scientific cultiva-
doa could impart to render it ope of great compass,
moiety. and impression. In point of action—though

action perhaps, is not among the most lenitt
points of operatic criticism—we could wish k, .
dr more freslmess and vivacity - v e wi .1: .
s.-ld met to be troubled with the recoil cti
Madame Casteottc-E has been accusrintied to. a
iv ere of performance is which A cold and staled
Jet/without n 4 .y have been este. mid An exceilence.
—The pans (it Teleatac4ra an.l Arrieoe were sustained
by Madame PASTA ana Signora Mom, tw r
new candidates for the favour of the Eligli;rte, lies
and not less likely ti obtain it, if we may TiSni
the applause wh cb their performances elicit, d
dame PASTA had a great deal to do, Atli '1 11 All
well. She is lively, impassioned and eng tging ;
and as an interl•icu• it. sinver, will nut, we thinks
have many rivals. Signora Mont was 4'54 un the
teen.; but the little ilia f. ii u, tier sh ire w execute,'
in a manner w.iic-• e..tlld to•)t. fail Po T4•s the highest
expectations from er future exer in: r. Among the
male performer ,:r tie t .ribute ut p..i. • is 4... tiredly
due to Signor Cut vso.ta, in toe part o Wpm Nis
Gentleman, we totierdand,,s irons N..p es. As
tot med.; first in we chspel to is Ni.ipolitan
MajeFts. Ile ss of a Rout pr. S.•••Ca• a...i command.
ing figure, is g:act:ful in his act... I. ind has a v.,ice.
Mellad oJs and power fol—much M ,tr sal in..1,-ed„ than
any tenor we have heatd 0 a long time. The manly
pathos which prevailed tiir •ugh in: whole of his re.
presentatinn, especinily in the slu..gi.on scene, whera
Ulyse: laments the cattily of Isis destiny, was n. t
more in the character of the hero, than in the chit.
ratter of a style which seems to lie particularly within
scope of Signor Citrueta.t's posers.--The
often-rep-ate,' ..e 1 mations of t'te andienei:, tee.
tined the great pleasure he gave them; 'red it will
not, at least, be for want of a most auspicious reap-
tio.., of the &pot does not king cinnamic to delight
the English /Ville with his talents. Signor AllO2l.
SA VI and Signor Dextun, in the parts i.t Evraer and
Perireeda; were resrectablo subardtnates I bit' we hope
lii nor Di.vmhtt I:I excuse us, for requesting hiss in
future not to act the firm/fie so much with his elegant
toga—As it ever and ai.on, totting it Isom one atm
to the other, i.e would say, " Py ma shoal, Shit,
worth cv.ry larding of de monish."
The Opera was follovied by the Ballet of Daa:e-
mania, its wthifitythe Ballet corps displayed all their.
usual elegance esti agility.

Mrs. Aesop Mae her third appearance in riolaatt,
at Drury 4ane Theatre, on Saturday nigl,L The
house presented a full and elegant audience.—The
Soldier's Dan4ter was repeated at Covent Gardens
the ff /Are Clierqy by Miss O'Natz.r.. This house also
boasted a still attendance.