New-York tribune., 1867-03-15
MUSIC.

The record of italian opera for the past week Il
one Of unvarying popularity. Faust this season. ss
striking improvement on the past production in it,
eat Grafton of scenery, and Mr.. Maretzck wfbe les
than manager if he reslsts the temptation TO repeat
IT, Apart from its stage effect t II be possible 10
separate FdRs from one of Its most artistic eemeptl
it is work of fine art, ranking almost with such
an opera Der EteischUts IN unverSaty OF sngges-
ton Moreover. il assmates melodously TO the
Thought and feeling of GOethe's Faust, and this
small merit, popular or otherwise. Good ideas Of
many kinds abound in it, with treatment seldom o.
never inartistic From the first scene To the last
ia sustained, various, never ineffective, sometimes
POWERFUL and ii is throughout poetic, both in 10
spect to music and TO scene For all these reasons
Faust is among the more modern OF popular operas
the most popular, and in respect 10 weil-baanced
art il barely surpassed even by Meyerbeer The pei
formance at the Academy Is unsatisfactory IN its
most essential part but, considering the voice and
stye of Sgn0r Mazzoeni, this ought to be taken for
granted An actor less in harmony with the part VI
FAUST could not have been chosen; for Faust Is an
idealist, and it must be psin that Slgnor haz1oen
Is not Personal verisimilitude, musical sympathy.
are alike wanting III his assumption and all this be-
cause Mazz0leni is portly artist, with wry tenor,
accustomed only to the stock par Oh tne itain stage
These are all involved in the element of frrore and
so is MazzOenis robust TaptuTOns style; whercfofs
we do not wonder that, being bold and energetc
actor and an earnest even II false singer nazloeni
Is favorite. We are content that he should be 80 ia
a certain range of parts which, ON general grounds
he might as well sing as anybody else put fdHa
land to its great cre.iit be II SPOKEN Is par
and style far than mannerism. Let
US not however disparage Mazzoleni for as compared
even to such super-swec, tenor as pngh1l NC nss
as an actor and singer We are content To say thatn
Faust he is unappreciatlye, and here we leaTe
him. The Dephistophetes OF signor snt9nuccI
IL still inferior To the German performance.
But we take Oecasion again 70 pralss
a singer whose fine breadth of tone and vocal sel'-
possession always give interest and even accuracy
10 the character he pers0nafes. OF Miss Keiloggs
Marguerite the recognized favOrlte OF several seasons
il is all but unnecessary To speak; Her performance
is fresh and neat-what else could II be characters
tically Yet it il too ladylike and, therefore rot
Gretchen-ike; nor does the voice, with all its crystal
cearness and brilliancy, strike us as the gend
simple voice of Marguerite IL Is charming neyertae-
less and evidently ppreciative-indispeusable IN.
deed 10 the performance at the Academy, Of whleah
is the chief luster.
Mr. Theodore Thomas's benefit at Steinwaysa
night or two ago. was creditable to Madame Parepa.
Mr. Rosa, and the other artists who volunteered H.
and % Mr.. Harrison who originated and managed
it. The occasion conspicuous for q concerto "a
which four of ablest yiolinists took part with
great effect-Thomas, Moenhauer Rosa and K0ptx
and for Madame Parepas delivery of 20 quail furon'
from ETdeio. In this passage q troubled recitalve
accompanied by half-stormy Instrumentation. char
acterstic of Beethoven, lapses into beautiful air.
Madame Parepa sings it well. though the contrast OF
voice with the accompaniment is unusually
exacting one The great feature, and, indeed,
the event of the concert the performance Of two
interludes by Schubert for the drama of Rosdmapd.
The first is an degro moderate conceived in the large
mood of Beethoven himself: and the second On an
ddHfnO full of ingenious combination and plantYe
poetry. To hear these haunting entdces once is not
enough they must be often heard and studied and
Mr. Thomas will. of course, rehearse them again Ia
his OWN good season. They prove that Schubert,
denied his legitimate rank with the largest and
hi CHEST of musicians. Is of the truest Ot sym
phonSfs. as well Excepting Beethoven only the
greatest of sOng-writers.
TO several items of musical news we commend
attention. This evening, the oratoro of Judas Mac
cdbGs will be sung at Steinway's, heretofore an
nounced; and the popular opera of Crspino will 10
given at the Academy. with its usual highly attrae
tive cast. On Saturday matinee will be given AZ
Wallack's for the pianist Mr. L. p. Wheat, Mr. and
Mrs Rosa, and Others assisting. In the evening;
Mr.. Oscar Pfeffer, a pianist of reputation, and
Madame Guditta Altieri Pfeiffer well-known
vocalist will appear for the first time in concert n
this city, with Mr. Pollack intelligent baritone
and Mr. Rudolph Hennig, well-knOwn inStrt-
mentalst. TO aid them.