New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-01-22
MUSIC.

to IlaQeS, may lOJ DC unlltcIt6tlDgs
Orpheus is polite burlesque-that is to say, u Is
drOl and French; yet it is anything but tame 1hae
Offenbach has lavished such wealth Of fancy and
ali originality and culture more than merely appre-
ciative. upon musical travesty may seem strange
want of economy in the application Of talents but II
requires Just such genus as his to show us Whae
actual burlesdue IN music should be, and probably
nothing of NJ Offenbach's can be so good as DIS
gayety and mockpathos. He is as light and fantas-
itch as Terpschore can DESIRE his droeTyis keen ana
delcate-too lively to be ever caught asleep IN. llS
affected gravity. In word, O1fenDachs lyIIcaai
burlesoue is a fine art. Though the composer s9ts
ont With fhe avowed purpose of tTifling with the
genius of the great Guck and the majesty Oh 'llo
NEUROLOGICAL JOve it would be hard TO ina LnaV no
ia trivial in any strict sense OF music or merit 70
fake such liberties with the gods OF music as does VI
OffenbaGh in his Hadean extravaganza preSuppoSes
that he is not too distan relative OF thelrsIhat no
knows them famary enough to make fun OF them
So Offenbach's Orpheus in He'll IL merry, leltss
handed tribute TO the genius Oh me e. composer VI
Orpheus and Eurydice-the immortal Giuck'
The family of tho burlosque are the gods and god
desses with unimpOrtant EXCEPTIONS then Pubic
Opinion feminine friend OF Orpheus; thon Or
nheus who is bad fiddler, and Eurydlce, scoidhg
wife The scene varies from the sleep OF gods on
Olympus to the wake of demons e. sewhere PuDhc
Opinion recites a dTOll prologue, wherein II is sald
in confidence that the ancient chorus was emPoyea
| TO explain to people what they knew IN nd-
vance when they were intelligent. In the opening
scene Eurydice enters gathering flowers ana lS
| Gluck Then ensues q comic dialogue, duet, ana
boisterous ensemble in which the termagant Fury
dice refuses to listen to orphen? muSc o. e1,
maintaining with enthusiasm that 1t is delicious;
The latter has begged in vain that his cara sPoa WI"
listen 10 his last concerto; 49,.
III duTe heure I'M quart.
eft Is the hight of artt lasts an hour ana guar
| teri I'm fhe person of Eurydce the handsome Mde
Iaurentis sings with charming good taste, and NJ
Armand as 0rpheus acquits himself credlta6ly' IN
the fourth scene ATisteus announces hlmSeu rs an
Arcadian shepherd and manufacturer OF honey, ana
sings an air in the style of Gluck: lie finally ex,
hibits himself in the character OF Put0 bearing OH
the InPesisting Eurydice-tOO glad to escape IRON,
her husband, the viOlinist. She sings beautiful
death song and descends into Hades with Pluto,
who is well represented by NJ de SurmOnt. Orpheu5
onnea ~ oyerwLeImed with iov at his good luck
In the second tabloau occurs the song OF tuc sleep
ing gods suggestive and imaginative, but IN no wise
"Let us sleep. so our sleep
Should never end
AS the only happiness In fact,
In our Olympus is to sleep
Ron, ron, ron"
It is a hint of the ideal brief "a clever-drowsy.
rocking music, as that of cradlesong IN the clouds
with all the enfdns terrible of Olympus snoring.
Here enters Morpheus shaking poppy incense over
the noses of the gods Cupid follows celestial
wasp making good uso of his sting. Then comes
Dame Venus, with music. Jupiter suddenly wakes
up TO an instrumental effect; Diana lMdlle Naddil
approaches, and patheticay laments the disappear
anCe OF her ACteon, TO an absurd refrain. mo-
jealous of Egdce quarTcls with her henpecked hus-
band but is at last raconced in the following bit of
mock-TOmantic dialogue:
Juno. say. dost thou not deceive me. Ernestf
Jupiter. No, BbiChel ~
Pluto enters on the scene escorted by three little de-
mons with preternaturay swelled-heads, and physi
economies expressive of bounlloss idiOCY. Pluto twtS
Jupiter with his amorous peccadilloes the gods in
chorus protest against the fastdOus regime OF nectar
| and ambrOsa and the concludes with hilaT-
| iOus rOndcau, in which the amOurs of Jupiter with
Acmena, Dana, and the rest, are dashingy dis
| cOursed amid the laughter of the gods. At the
shock OF these revelations Juno faints in the arms Of
Pluto. Jupiter expostulates, calling him bad names
and Pluto responds IN great trouble, do not finish.
! but take my wife. She cramps me-" "Jupn' -
acted with an experienced and excellent sense OF the
buriesque by NJ. Kerkel.
The third tabeau brings in John Styx, n sort of
! doOrkeeper to hell who is continually intoxicated
| with bottled Lethean water. He makes maudlin
love to Emydce and with the voice OF H. Vert sings
The King Of BGtaa song in the quainteSt style and
one of the very best characterized morceauX OF the
whole opera. subsequently happens the most amusing
scene Of the Opera-Jupter III the mctamOIphOsls OF
! big fly wOOng Eurydice, who endcdYOT5 TO catch
| him, wlnle in the welldevelopcd person of NJ
KeTkel, he is supposed 10 wing his way from wall TO
! wall. most ridiculous but exquisite ensemble
| winds up the sccne-EurydiCe singing and Jupiter
buZIng their several parts with indescTbable effect
Jupiter Is at last caught and confcsses himself a
In the fourth tablcau Eurydice is dressed az bac
| chante, and among the gods in Hades. The opening
chorus herein. aud particularly the hymn TO BacChus
/ by EuTydCe y al WI le dieu BaCChus,' are admTa-
| bic. OTphcus, impellcd and supported by Public
Opinion, comes to seek his wife much against his
I
journey back towards the StyX without looking be-
hind. Public Opinion insists that Orpheus, in spite
of himself, shall not look back at his wife; but Ju-
piter, with sinister aim. recalls him by thunder
| bolt. Thus the King of Gods retains Eurydce and
| the enraptured musician VOWS that this conclusion
enchants him. The most brilliant vOcazation of the
opera Is here introduced with exquisite taste by
Mdllc. Nadd in the part of Diana II is . high-flying
| high-f.OweriDg invitation TO the g0lop rfsRal
| Ce bal est original
| Dun galop Internal
| Demons tOus le signal:
| Vive 10 gaOp informal
Thus prcluded begins the celebrated dance finale
and gods and goddesses inspired with the champagne
! humOr of Hadcs mixed with Elysum, go whrlng
round to the Ophcan fiddleplaying of NJ. Offcubacl
! OF course. pleased with all this ninth OF
! music, which IS carnival spirit put into opera. We
hope, too that its viii induce the production
of more of Oftcnbacs best pieces, with other lights
Of the Partisan opera oODique at which he pyc5idcs
! director as well az composer.
Mr.. Alfred Pea5e's concert Friday evening was
| chiefly remarkable fOg the temperance of Madame
GaZzanigl whose distinguished ability IN opera il 50
| well known To NicdeImaycrs romance, " lie Lac"
she gave a beautiful rendering; but cannot speak
| 90 well of her encore choice, the ave Maria of
Schubert This is of the most spiritual Of songs
| it is emotional and not dramatic; but Madame
Gazzaniga, like many dORuas of her school land she
is of the best of tem) is nothing not dramatic
I