The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-03
THE PARIS OPERA.HOUSE.


Opera has taken place at last. The tickets tC
the first representation were issued by th
Ministry, who managed things In a sort {
halt-and-half way that was neither pleasa1
nor polite. Two courses remained open to tn
authorities on the occasion. One was to le
matters take their usual course, to throw ope
the box-otfice as on ordinary occasions, an
to sell the tickets as usual The other, an
the proper method, would have been to hav
taken possession Of the house tor the night
and to have issued invitations to the leading
dignitaries in the social and diplomatic world
| Instead of which, tickets We're sent to til
favored personages, with polite intimatio,
that they might have them if they chose t.
pay for them Each of the Ambassadors o
the foreign powers received two. The res
were divided among the Partisan fashionables
to the almost total exclusion of the American
colony. In fact Dr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Ev
ans were almost the only Americans of an,
note who We're present, OF course with the ex
ception of the american Ambassador Thu
Lord Mayor OF London (heaven save ths
mark !, was the great feature Of the occasion
owing to much gilt coach, official robes, maces
heralds, etc, all the paraphernalia, in fact, O
his civic office.
1t was certainly an odd choice, this invita-.
ton sent to the head of the City of London
instead of to one of the representatives of the
English nation-one of the Royal family, foI
example. Even such collateral representa-
tive OF English royalty as the Princess of Teck
or the Duke of Cambridge would, methinks,
have proved a more appropriate guest than
was this heavy civic official. The night was
mild and, as is usual in mild weather here,
extremely misty. The houses all around the
Opera and in its immediate neighborhood
the American Club, the Travelling Bazaar, the
Hotel Splendid, the Grand Hotel, etc-were
all brilliantly lit up with lines of gas-jets.
The Opera House itself looked dark amid
the surrounding radiance. The rows Of lamps
encircling it are found to be totally INSULT
cient to illuminate the exterior of the vast
building, and the bronze statues which up
hold the burners are too dark to be effective
at night; they disappear amid the shadows.
As regards the performance, the old ill-luck
Of the Opera-House chung to it STILL Nilsson
refused to sing, owing, it is said by some
persons, to severe indisposition, while others
declare that she has taken offense at the con-
duct OF the manager respecting the last re-
hearsals.
This last statement appears to be the true
one. 1t seems that when Nine. Nilsson went
TO the Opera-HOuse on last Sunday night, in
order to 60 through the last general rehearsal,
she found the house packed from top to bot.
.om with large and brilliant audience Hav-
ng come to rehearse, and not to go through
set performance, the lady retired and de-
,lared she would not sing at the first repre-
Her withdrawal put an end, of
course, to the representation Of Hamlet"
Then Faure got mitfed because "Hamlet
vas not to be given, and he withdrew also.
However, it made but little difference as to
Who sang or not on that night. The house,
ba cfa ha ttrao no
Hence, and not the performers, attracted
Universal attention. Among the first to ar
i've was the Marshal Mac Mahon, who came
Il very quietly, as was BETTING the President
If Republic. The blind King of Hanover,
With his daughter and the young King of
spain, were the representatives of Royalty on
he occasion. The Deputies of the Assembly
Who were invited were chosen by lottery. and
nance favored many of the Bonapartists.
The house, when full, presented most
brilliant coup do3i. Nearly every lady was in
I'LL Dress and the few bonnets worn looked
lorribly out of place. Two grave defects are
oticed in the auditorium it is gloomy, and
be boxes are cramped and comtortless,
yhile the ventilation, as is usual in Partisan
heaters, has been totally neglected The
coustic qualities of the house are also TAR
rom being above reproach. Though fairly |
OOu lOI lut FOlCS, lLc UICUSStId tLtIGlu lGCkS
onorty, and loses its volume of tone, owing
artly, it is said, to its being sunk below the
evel Of the stage. Therefore, the opening |
lorceau, the overture to Massaniello, was |
Stoned to with some disappointment by |
nose who did listen to it, but most Of the |
udience was still lingering In admiration ON
le grand staircase or in the superb foyer
blaze with light and with gliding.
The change from this gllttering hall to the |
sombre and ill-lighted audito-
um was not favorable'for comparison to the
tier. Had it not been for the gay dresses,
lie glittering diamonds, and the white
loulders of the feminine portion of the au-
fence, the theater would have looked extreme
gloomy. At last the guests (invited at SO
UGH per head got settled into place and the
lrtain rose on the first act of GO La Juiye"
be scene, street in Constance, with the
Iperb Cathredal at one side, was a triumph
art, and was loudly applauded. The organ,
hich resounds to celebrate the reunion of
e Council has most disagreeable, smiling
ne, and ought to be put to rights The
linking chorus, usually sung by eight voices,
rs executed by sixteen.
Then came Bohemian advertisement,
I'd then the long and superb procession, the
en-at-arms with long Lalberds, archers,
lets, monts, knights in armor, golden
rlnes, banners and remnants, and finally,
e Emperor Sigismund who went before the
'or of the Cathedral amid the accamations
the crowd. In the second act, the powers
Mile. Krauss and II. Vil!aret found oppor-
nifty for display Mile. krauss proved her.
Ii to be, as ever, great lyric artistic, and |
Q has almost wholly overcome the Ger
anic accent which used formerly to mar her
onunciation of French. But NJ. Viiiaret,
arse and plebeian of person, commonplace
gesture and expression, a voice and moth :
: elsa nightingale in a beer-b barrel !
D, Grand Opera OF Paris, whittier have you
nix when this is the best tenor you have to :
er the public on so solemn an occasion
d where are the great French singers of the
7 There are two of them, if no more
ne. Miolan, Carvalho and NJ. Faure The q
ter has ''gone off mad the second has |
IN contemptuouslyi ignored, although sweet {
lsson herself made interest for her appear :
ce on this one evening. Verify, the au-
'rities have managed things charmingly |
10 an artistic point of view. But see the '
ctain rises for the ballet. Here, at least, l
ench artistes will reign supreme = the
etc Bean tha heautifui Eioora Not |