The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-11-24
The Opera.


MARTHA LAST M0Hr-ras NEW OPERA OF DON
sgBA6IIAk0 TO MORROW MONT.
Martha was given last night to very fair audience
with the heretofore, and was enjoyed with
the usual pleasure which rotow's light and captivating
production insuros
The great event OF tho season at the Academy win
be production Of Donzetts grand opera OF Don So
basano-the rst time presented 10 an Ame-
rloan audience-on evening Tho nrst general
rehearsal took place yesterday thus enabled
TO form opinion Of tho character Of tho opera, and the
very large artistic force employed upon IT, IL s,
haps without equal the grandeur OF It's dramatic
edecshardly falling short OF tho Huguonots or Robert
Diable OF Mcyerbeer in this respectwhic the music
will SURPRISE by It's freshness and brancy, many who
already appreciate fully the composer other works with
which we famnar-Lucia, Lucrezia Borgia. Fa
vorita, Don Pasquale Ia Figa del Regmento, LElisr
dAmore, all stamped, though in different degrees
with tho great ability and elegant style OF this
remarkable and prolific Finder or many meo-
dies as tho inscription on his monument In tho cathe
dral at Bergamo happily Expresses il.
Dopizetti his Don Sebastano in two months In
tho year 1914 and hts last work. excepting CATERING
Cornsro, which was produced at Naples. The former
opera written for and nrs played at Paris, tho com
poser having enjoyed the invaluable advan
tage the services French playwright,
Scribe than whom better the arts OF the
C0mplisned Scrloe, Wfote tue Woru5 ot
Meyebeers grandes operas understood thoroughly the
requirements Of the Grand Opera and while bis brettos
wero admirable purely literary point Of view, they
were yet arranged bring INTO play all the scenic
and mechanical OF the STAGE Hence Scribes
brettos not only the attention Of the auditor
but unfrequenty inspired the composer himself TO
VIGOROUS efforts.
The plot OF the opera IN question founded tho
mantle career OF Don Sebastiano King or PORTUGAL who
assembled the throne In 1857 He undertook various
QuxoC crusades against the Moors OF Darbary and was
killed In . disastrous baltic in 1854 defoat which
broke military power Of Portugal The mass Of the
people, however, believed he had not falle but
living 10 my torous secluson, and would in time reap
pear TO lead his armies to new Victories Various pre-
tenders meantime arose, claiming to be tho true
Don Sebastian and thus there enacted In the little
kingdom Portugal those romantic incidents which the
reader OF history will At recognize as having also
occurred under almost Identical In larger
empires.
The opera Of Don Sebastano originally comprised i've
acts involving tho usual operate variety Of human emo
tions unusual opportunities for scenic display Tho
curtain the port Of Lisbon with the feet which
IL about away Sebastano ready TO SAIL Soldiers,
sailors and popuacs generally I'LL the foreground The
King having delegated authority prepares to depart
whom o soldier approaches and seeks interview
Il IL the Portuguese poet, Camoens, who, after an
explanatory ario, Omia Lusiade, Is recognized by
the King whose genius Is 70 honor bis people
Camoens the Kings ciemency for Zaida, African
infdel woman, who at that moment s brought on the
stage by officers having condemned to be burned at
the STAKE punishment for poisoning affair p which
she was engaged. Tho King, with that exalted moral
tone which Ia not peculiar TO royal potentates declare
that such beauty not PERISH and commutes the
sentence to Punishment to Africa. Camoens makes
prediction as TO the fate tho expedition and
the King and his followers depart for Africa and the
Noors This incident, predict will be OF the
most brilliant scenic effects produced 81 Acade,
| Of Music.
In she second act We are In Africa. An Arab warrior
socks 70 gain the Of zada who is In the house
1 OF her father, Ben sem. battle occurring between
tho Christians and Moors Sebastiano IL defeated, but
preserved from death by grateful Zaida, 10 set
liberty and ends the act with exquisite romanza
upres and runs far higher than most OF the
music Of modern operas.
Tho snrd act opens tho royal palace OF Lisbon with
duet between Zs,da aud Arab lover, who there
ambassadors from the Moors 10 tho Court OF Portugal
In the scene, before tho cathedral Of Lisbon, Ca
and the King both returning poor and unknown
from Africa meet and recognize each other funeral
procession, In honor OF tho King, supposed dead, ap
proachcs, and In this spectacle are promised some
thiBg superby sensational. Sebnstiano announces him
SELF but denounced impostor and In the last act
tried in court az such and with Zaida, Is sentenced 10
torture and DEATH
Il viii be seen from this brief outline Of she plot that
SCri0o ADOPTS the theory (fnOre
true that Sebastano not killed the hed OF battle
and he sympathy for tho Portuguese Ferkin
when this opera FIRST produced 10 PARA the cast
Included Madame Stoz aud Messicurs Duprez, Baroet
MasHo and the great Iaxasseur The audience received
the earlier whtUnly partial favor but the last thrse
created decided Juror, and for three consecutive ses
Ion sebastano the favorite in Paris and
Vienna.
without specifying the particular beauties Of tho opera.
we may observe that the sens wll be found 10 tue
delicious the closo or me second act,
the trio and ductt IN the second and third acts,
and scptette 10 tho fourth-the iatser being, por
haps the GROWING jewel OF the work The scenery aud
have been got up expressly for boa Sobas,ano
or the dresses cannot speak but the scenery com
prses OF tho very best efforts OF Calyo, the Ari
landscape being Of the finest specimens OF scenic
10 this country. We understand that
cost OF putting this opera the stage will reac
between fifteen and twenty thousand dollars IL
will demand nearly the entire strength OF the company.
From the fact that he opera long, has become
necessary tho punctually al
half-pn O'Clock, instead OF the usual hour.