New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-04-18
| ARE mott capable Of npprreciatng ii. merit. There

siderable part of the requenters of the Grand Opera
go rather to see than TO hear. Nothing in the way
OF theatrical spectacle could BE- finer than the scenery
of Tannhauser, but it needed the ballet girls. /
think / mentioned, the other day, that there como
in ten or twelve hunting dogs in leash helping out
one of the finest tableaux of the piece So sgys an
inquiring feuilletonist to member Of the Jockey
Club, whom he meets between acts in the foyor
What do you think Of the new music 2" :" But if
it were music, YOU see those dogs would have
barkedl"
The Wagnerists also say that the opposition to
their great mans great work grew out Of national
political prejudice. In this there is very little truth.
The most violent of the elegant rowdes of Sunday
night gave Nenan, the German tenor, TO clearly UNI
derstand that they were attacking neither him nor
his voice, but the accidental bad use they were
put to.
Rstori has just been greeted with rapturous APP
plause at the Odeon, where she is playing in
French drama written for her by Acadeniician Le-
gouve. The experiment was dangerous one, Tor a
foreigner to attempt performance IN French where
oil the audience naturally competent and invol-
unfairly exacting critics; yet / am told that 1t 10
highly successful, and that the Italian accent IS
hardly perceptible in her pronunciation. Hitherto
Rachel has had no worthy successor in classic
French tragedy Pretenders have arisen as ne.
quent as American prime DOME suddenly and
loudly proclaimed by pretorian feuietonists as real
tragedy queens; but after brief disputed reign
have abdlcated or been dep0sed 1t Is Ristoiis am
btiOn to fill the place that Rachel found and has
left vacant. Her admirers, with this proof nj the
OdeOn in view, confidently await her triumphant
entrance next year on the stage of the Theatre
Francois. But there would be new aud seyerer
trial. The habitues of the orchestra seats There
form an academy Of experts, who have the tradi.
ti0nal phonetic measures of every line, word, ard
syllable Of Racine and COrneille, and apply them
with Rhadamanthine rgdl'y.
Legouves piece Beatrix, is taken from his pure
aud purifying story which be published last year I'M
der The tile of the Madonna Of Dirt. The heroine
in the drama is what Ristor is in life, great dra-
matte artist and noble woman. So that she acts
herself There is play within the play the most
defective passage, translation Of the tombstone
from Romeo and juliet where kistori Of course ILLS
the part of Juliet-.fHs it up 10 the measure OF
Shakespeare conception, up to the measure OF
Uomans nature.
SO far as art goes, Rachel went, no one can sur
pass her; so Jar as the harsh passions go, RstOr Is,
on the whole, her inferior. Who can hate who can
scorn as Rachel did, Nor has Rision that rare
quality of voice with which Rachel was gift
ed which seems to communicate the emo
ton of the speakers soul direct to yours, without
going round by the ears. But the Italian actress il
superior 10 the Jewess by the superiority Of com
pete gentowoman OF genius over BohcInienne Of
genius. Mere experience of passions viii BOT enable
the subject to reproduce them artsticaly; but the
highest artist cannot represent passion that he has
not felt in kind. In all the better emotions then
from kindly friendship and fender mothers love TO
c0rrodng remorse and deep religious awe, Risior
idealizcs from herself where Rachel could only n-
tate from studious observation outside herself
The characteristic differences Of the two appeared
strikinely in Mary Stuart. Rachel produced her
great effect in the scene between May md Eliza
beth. Risiori produced hers i'll Mays farewell to
her attendants.
Tomorrow the osseOus remains (Which French
men aud poetasfeIs irH call ashes OF tie first
Napoleon are to be removed from the temporary
tOmb in the Invalids, where they have rested since
Louis Philippe suiridally imported them from st.
Helena 10 the grand, extremely costly but not very
beautiful or impressive, scni-subtenan'nn moHu-
mental tomb long SGD built directly under the noble
dome of that cdlfice by viscontl. This will prob
ably be also but a Temporary deatb-residencc; the
received notion being that the grave improvements
that have been making ia these last years IN fise
royal funeral vaults oil tie cathedral oi 81 n'NN'
n- thei- fitting up for new dead dodgers Of me M
polron family. rnilOsopmc1ily C"n1ldercd. tbs
hitching Of dynnstc corruption 90 dynastc cor
ruption is lugubriously laughable But politically,
there is a grave side to il. The mere adluncton OF
NapOeonc dead bones 10 Bourbon dead bones helps
10 legitimate the quick succession OF the heshy own
Oi Inc lpTufG. III ~ III SUIT tN' pot'Ab W
eether of the two dynasiies ly their bOncs. A, m
the flesh Louis Napoleon residing elsewhere than
al the old traditional French morarchic,l palace,
would sit less firmly on the French throne AuCih-
or iustraton If il be needed OF thc political grgyi
" of this undenaLer's question IL that the true
- blues" bad better say the true whites, oi ihe
FaubOurg ST. GERMAN, regard the lodement OF a
NapOeonc corpse in the burial vaults ol ~. Denis,
where rested till their revolutionary sacrilgOus Dis
~, uultrp Leu al
all bingy skulls that had worn the French crown for
six centuries-woud regard it, say, and do now
regard the probability Of it, rs any timely cultured
gentleman would regard the use OF his toothbrush
by the first come passenger.
Passion week is over as you see by M date.
Passion week it has been for other than pious olk.
speak not as irreyerent, and therefore douby
despicable punster, but reporter OF Paris ilcls
A compatrot of my friends presented himself, with
u picture under his arm lasi Friday, at the door OF
the Paiais de hdpsiris, where the grand biennial
art exhibition is to open next month. say pre-
scented himself at the door This is not true. IL
presented himself as near 10 the door as he could
come His number in order of entrance was Two
thousand and something. IL is to be q fine expos
ton of master aad apprentice pieces although, az
is always the case, several Of the most approved
masters offer nothnG-TroyOn, for example, whom
Americans aud English will i'll u few years more 1t
is to be hoped, come TO accept, as the Preach for
some time have accepted, as much higher artist
than Rosa Bonheur She is IN admirable portrait
isl of animals; Troyon H. TO say the least OF it, as
faithful pOrtrayer of bovine mugs, aud sets them IN
landscapes and 0tmospheres of whose reproduction
nature has not given Rosa Bonheur the secret.
Merle sends his beautiful picture OF d" Hester and
Pearl" This picture beongstO Mr.. Walters OF Bal
tnnore The subject, taken from Hawtbornes Scar
let Letter was selected by Mr J.. of Baltimore, Mr..
Walters friendly agent for orderiDgit have no right
10 say that il is the best thing that Mr.. Merle has
done but having seen rnny Of Lis best productions,