The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-20 00:00:00

THEATRE-RO Y AL.

The managers of this theatre, as au attraction fur the race-
week, have engaged some of the first musical talent of the
metropolis. On Tuesday evening, between the perform-
ances of some light comedies, a grand 'concert was given, in-
troducing to the audience Madame Cinii Damoreau, a vocal-
ist of some celebrity, the pianist Doehler, who has created
quitea sensation in London, if we may gather an opinion
from the newspaper critiques—an undoubted authority !
Signor Curiuni, the tenor singer, Signor Giubilei, the primo
basso of the theatre-royal, Drury-lane, and the inimitable
Bochsa, the harpist. The musical performances opened with
an overture by the orchestra, -which was exceedingly well
played, under the direction of its able leader. Signor
Curioni and Signor Giubilei then made their bow to the au-
dience, and sang a duett from Bellini, " Sunni la Tromba,"
accompanied on the piano-forte, by Air. Bochsa, of whom
anon. The qualifications, if we may so term them, of a pub-
not_aLuaa.in _gamut-voice, good ear, execution,
clear enunciation and knowledge of music; there is still
another wanting to ensure complete success; and that is an
appearance of respect for and desire to please the audience.
When this feeling is shown in a singer it engages the atten-
tion of the audience and gives it the predisposition to be
pleased, and to overlook slight faults. But when a singer or
speaker, or any one who solicits the attention of an assemblage,
comes forward with an air of .nonchallance, as if careless
whether he pleased or displeased, and as if the audience was
an affair of very minor consideration to him, the feeling is
excessively catching and spreads like wild-fire, and a hundred
to one but every individual of his hearers feels in reality as
careless about him as he takes pains to appear of them; and
moreover there is engendered amongst them a spirit severely
to criticise, and first-rate talent alone can save the performer
from general disapprobation. If to this be added, in the can-
vasser for public favor, insufferable puppyisin and affectation,
he not only brings down on himself disapprobation but
positive ridicule. To these faults, which we point out in a
spirit nowise unfriendly, do we attribute the hisses which
followed the singing of the first duetto. The coxcombical
bearing of Giubilei and the absurd affectation of Bochsa put
the audience into the humour for quizzical merriment rather
than for appreciating good music. The duetto, however,
was well sung; Curioni has an excellent tenor voice, and
Giubilei's bass is splendid—we never heard a more perfect
singing articulation than his. Madame Cinti Damoreau
next came forwards and sang a grand scena Francaise, by
Auber, " Nina, Jenne et Sage," from the opera of Acteon.
She is possessed of a voice of much sweetness and melody in
the natural tones, but, either above or below the scope of the
middle octave of her voice, she becomes reedy, harsh, and
unmusical. She has not much power, confined execution,
and is lamentably deficient in clearness of enunciation.
This was particularly observable in the comic English duet
afterwards sung by her and Giubilei, " When a little Farm
we keep;"_ the clear and distinct utterance and piquancy of
style of Giubilei being strikingly observable in contradis-
tion to the mumble-jumble looping of vowels—" Well a li'i
far we kee"—of Madame Damoreau. The principal attrac-
tion was Doehler, who first played a number of brilliant vari-
ations on the piano-forte, introducing a favourite theme from
" Anna Boletus." We are not sufficiently pianists to de-
scribe his extraordinary feats on this instrument, but his
brilliant execution was really wonderful; and not the least
extraordinary part of it was his performance of a difficult and
rapid variation with one hand, together with the bass accom-
paniment. It was scarcely possible to imagine that
such a volume of tone—such an accumulation of sounds
rapidly produced, could be the execution of one hand.
,l-le was rapturously applauded, and his modest, unassuming,
nay, retiring demeanour, made bins not the less a favourite
with the audience; while it placed in a -itronger light the
Baron Pompolino like absurdities of his instrumental com-
petitor, Bochsa, of whom it is now our turn to speak. No
one will deny that Bochsa is a great harpist—that he is the
master of his instrument, nor do we mean to call it in ques-
tion ; but we will say a word about his mode of giving " a
touch of his quality." We wonder what Bochsa imagines
himself, or what he imagines the Liverpool audience to be;
for truly he took amazing liberties with both. If there were
any juveniles amongst the latter, we can imagine them
tempted to cry out to their mammas, " Some lord or some
duke, as sure as I'm born !" with an accent of wonder and
admiration, as the harpist gradually obtruded his ungainly
figure to its full development before them with such an air—
but that we can't describe. Well, Bochsa presided at the
piano forte while Damoreau was singing. The audience
were pleased with her, but were delighted at him. He rolled
himself back over the music stool with all the grace of a very
fat gentleman of 50, whisked one side of his coat over his
shoulder with a jerk of his thumb to show a white waistcoat,
stretched out his dexter leg, and balanced it on his heel, with
a slow and impressive movement raised his left hand and
gently placed back his straggling locks from off his brow as
if to let in the light of inspiration by the portal of his fore-
head,
" Turn'd the outside of his eyes to white,
As men of inward light are wont
To turn their optics in upon't,"
and finally leisurely surveyed the ceiling as poets do when
hoping to find a rhyme in the dusky corners of their apart-
ments. The audience tittered—well they might—who could
help it? Then came Bochsa's turn to play a harp accompa-
niment to Doehler on the piano forte. This afforded him a
very prominent opportunity of exhibiting the same absurd
affectation. Dueller went quietly and systematically to work,
and charmed the audience. Bochsa was continually behind
hand, skipping and joining; Mailer did not give him time
enough

" To shake himself, and see what prowess
In scabbard of his arms sat loose."
Then -he broke a string—lucky, very; called a footman to
bring a new string, and turned his 'head while executing a
rapid passage; had a fine effect, capital. Then he missed a
pedal with his foot, and struck a chord all in flats, which
ought to have been in the natural key—frowned and looked
savage at his harp, and pulled out the tuning key. Then
joined Doehler again, and executed well aTapid and brilliant
passage, and concluded amidst loud applause. The audience
was delighted with Doehlet's playing, and was highly amus-
ed at Bochsa. The concert finished with the national an-
them by ➢ladame Cinti Damoreau, accompanied by the rest
of the musical corps, and which she sung most wretchedly.
The gods wore vociferous for an encore, which was partly
acceded to, but the boxes were glad to escape from -a second
infliction of " Go save the Queen," as Madame Cinti Da-
moreatt no doubt thought it. very clever to call it.