New-York daily tribune., 1865-10-26
MusicaI.

| Inc prOuucUOn Oi "a He" OpcIdi OI' NJ ic"Si
an opera new TO this country, would, 20 years
ago. have created positive aud perceptible
excitement In the city. Then New-fork was
measursbly innocent, and found It's exete1ionts In
the public smusements; on the contrary we have
become bldH, have grown old In the seuiblance OF
art and fail to recognize, with rare EXCEPTIONS the
genius which flashes here. IL unndorsed by Eu.
ropesn reputation and let pass that which We should
cherish and be proud Of until by repeated triumphs it
makes itself felt and literally compes an scknowledg
mcnt on its own merits. So on Tuesday the announce
ment OF opera made no visible sensation in our
social circles the Opera house was well filed. but er'
cite ment there none, until. act by act, the genius
OF the actors and the telling beauties Of the mnHc
aroused the passive and frosty audience unto point Of
enthusiasm which is rarely sttained. This Is one Of
the trinnphs OF art, and Riceis opera "Crspno Ia
Ccmsre" achieved It against mary odds for after oil
il is only comic opera.
The Riccis did many good things which will come
p again ater many years, snd renew their name with
additional strength and estimation. Both brothers al
dead now that tie Old and the New world bear tess
mony the genius Of the authors Of the Scarramnca
and Crispino G Ia Conare"
Tie plot OF the opers is very senJT all the force
and telling points being found in the details. Crspno
II cobbler with young wife. and is very poor and
much u dobt His ~fe Il loved BY BIS landlord,
w6 being rejected with scorn vows to turn husband and
wife into tho street Crispino rJshes away In despair,
and plates suicide. bu: is prevented by good
Fairy who gives him gold and endows him with the
power to cure dscases He performs some extraordi'
nary cures grows Inflated with and the wealth
II brings Ill treats bis wife and scorns the Fairy,
who AS le ,son transports him to the cave CT death
and shows hin his lamp Of life dwindling to It's last
flashes His better nature is awakened, he sees his
for he repents and is restored to his wife and friends
This is all the plot.
The zeal downright fun OF the opera consists in the
jealousy OF the two regusr Dootor who protest against
the Quack Crispno but beaten by him upon every
point and the musical illustration by the Riceis. and
the inlmitable personations by Roverc and Belini
exceed in breadth of hnmor and positive fun any
representation that We have seen on the operate
boards for years
The music il claiming in all respects; Il is every.
day life music never soaring uto the sublime point
which few in ality achieve but possessing tender
vain OF sentiment and an imagination brimmlns over
with genuine hutnor and perfectly irresistible fun 1t
will only he necessary 10 mention as IN Illustration of
this admirable humorous facility. the trio OF Doctors in
the third act there nothing in the whole range OF
comic opera more broadly humorous and, at the same
time so FULL Of character and so repete with melody
The music OF this opera spsans its character IRON the
beginning to tho end; IL IL hight end fppant, If you
please but it ia all well composed, snd its very plati
tudes are calculated TO hghten the brlianey and the
dash which are to follow. The character OF the
wife IS frivolous aud cOquetish, and how admirably the
volatile music assimates TO the character Crispino
is at once humorst and gruD,ber, and the music
indicates his character his terror. though real
being highly aud dramatically grotesqne. And then
Doctors, how tho nee.breeches. powdered wig. and
gold. headed cane, stand out In every phrase OF Their
roles. ,,,-,,,.
than IL merits IT is kfrT in grade very far. than
Barberre. and less massive than the comic operas
Of Doniyetti but in genuine hunor, in roickng fun.
in its adaptation TO character in its flirting brlianey
in its cleyerness Of construction, and in its light dash
ing and effective Instrumentation it is second to
Oaenbach's admirers may dispute for him posses
sion OF the palm. Az any rate II is thoroughly
ENJOYABLE opera one TO which can listen and
over again. and laugh aud admire it at the last
heartily at the first.
Royere the Crispino OF the occasion. is master OF
his art Age has not dmmed his faculties nor robbed
him Of one spark OF that broad yet chastened humor
which has made his reputation buffo singer known
and respected for years. His lacks the strength
and freshness Of YOUTH but his ntonaton always and
inalby true and his pronunciation. which is wonder
fully distinct is a model OF purity and refinement His
acting is grotesque without being absurd or raveste
and while he compels from the audience shouts Of laugh
ter he at the same time wins their admiration and re-
spect for great artist.
The serious Belini the spplsudea hero OF hundred
cdHt0bs movements, is, after Revere the best bufo
singer that we have on the operstic stage He has
Of the vgor aud sprghtness youth in him. but
he is just as artistic, while being fully broadly hu
morous and earnest in the development OF his char
scter. These two admirable artists acted up TO each
other with much vgor. aud such semblance OF re-
ay. that the living 9uerulous. disruatious men stood
revealed before US. The effect was such as might be
conceyed-they carried their audience with them, and
pursued their labor, to the end amid r0ars oflaugher
and shouts efnpP'arse