The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-11
SOCIAL TOPTCs IN LoNDoy
Patti and Niisson-Mr. Paurc a. M.ph,.,.
pbeIes-Upfortunate Ross,

| r"" ana Nhsson-Mr. Faure ne Mephi.,..
| pheies-Unfortunste Rossi.
LONDON, May H.-The season musical,
dramatic and artistic this year has a fair and
oashlnR outside, but those who are most inter-
es.eu III ''s conditions will tell you that within
Us iu'l Oh corruption and ravening wolves; the
reason for which Is to be found I'm the heavv
commercial losses which have af,i,cted variou.
| great ones Of the earth The theatrea and mar,
houses are, however, tolerably full. Giovanni
| Garden has been adorned by the return OF Nina.
| Patti with her marvellous voice, which In pas-
saRes riddled with roulides IL IA true and sure
| as musical box. As to Nine. PATHS dramatic
| qualities, which according to her more violent
partisans are great, cannot say that have ever
| observed them. She appears to me to have
| an actress; while Nine. Nilsson has true talent
and something more than talent even for acting
as well IA for singing.
very 1ne performance OF Faust" was given
| Tor the nrst appearance a. Drury Lane Of NJ.
faure, who is out Of sight The most perfect actor
and singer OF this generation. Every note that
he sings, every movement that he makes ia
promoted by genius and controlled by art. His
MephtdOphetes Is one Of his most admirable per-
formenccs. The devilish Raiety, cold mockery,
and at times hellish grandeur which he puts into
the part, never found more complete px-
appearing as a member OF Mr.. Mapleson's
company. Nor did he ever sing better the dia-
bolcally jovlal Dio dell Or" or the serenade.
with the hooking allurement Of which and the
Satanic laugh at its end he makes ones blood
run cold. IL Ia difficult to believe now that
when he first appeared as Mephttopheles NJ
faure was terribly nervous, and more than
doubtful as to his CAPACITY for PLAYING
duced to assume. He was very anxious.
among other things, about the management Of
tue red light in the first scene, which stage
mechanism had not then rendered az II
now is. He wanted this hgnt to follow him
about he moved, and to fall only on him.
Harrison, the English tenor who was among
the audience, suggested when he went round to
see Fauro aud found him perturoed about this
matter. that he snoulI carry small red light in
his hand, for which a better plan has since
plain than NJ. Faure's former nervousness about
MephtstOpkclos Ia the ct that Partisan audi
enoes, much as they Worship bis vast talents, do
not like him In this part. They prefer to SEQ
Gailhard, a fat little man, who skips about ike a
decayed dancing m aster and sings his music a.
II II were written for one Of the ooars In
"Robert lie Dlable " has been revived at Drury
Lane, and has. hope, conduced to prove that
while copies OF Meyerbeers operas are In exist
ence we need not GO 70 Tristan und Isolde or
even 70 Lohenern TO una omolnation OF
covered the fact that varieties Of character may
be given to people In operas as well as In plays,
music Just us playwrghts give IL to each ones
dialogue Wagner having, no doubt, to be an in
augurat0r, the founder Of an epoch, disdained
what Dannreuther. one OF bis disciples, is
pleased to call " the disgusting ola podrida" OF
Meyerbeer; and he Invented the amazing fact
that IN dramatic opera tue voices should attend
humoly on the Instruments, should follow them
painfully through the mlzes OF transitions
hitherto numerically unheard and, owing to
the ruthless determination OF airs and full
closes should through the whole weary evening
get neither rest nor thanks. The Fliegende
HollHnder," "Tannhauser' and "LohenRrin' are
works where the composers madness can be
forgotten for the sake OF their grandeur and
beauty. But doubt If any audience here would
sit through Waener's later works In long suffer-
ing and patience. .
You will have heard OF the "mysterious
thehs Chefs and other crimes according to tho
London police always are MYSTERIOUS OF tho
portrait Of the Duchess Of Devonshire, ascribed
to Gaines borough and bought by ARnew Tor
LOO guineas. The portrait Is a very doubtfuI
one and not good ut that. IL 10 not hkely that
any one would again give iorit anytn,nR IKE the
n wicked suggestion that the only person
sufficiently Interested In the picture To steal IL
was the man who bought II. II would not be a
bad recldme certainly: every one would 20 to
see the picture which, after costing such asum,
had been lost and found just as Mr.. Lenville
thought every one would 70 to see the actor
| who pinked a man nv mistake.
Talking of actors, poor Signor H0ssi has fallen
terribly nat public enthusiasm exhausted itself
last year over Saivini aud there Is now but little
| left even for its original object, who, to nv
| thinking. never deserved half the praise he got
which the leading feature is. In the cant OF "a
writer in that aesthetic" journal, the Academy.
who saw It IN scotland "a hesd,ong unity I'LL ~
articles that talk this kind OF language. III this
were done, however. the safety Of the writer
would disappear; at present, az no one knows
what the words mean, none can deny that Sal
yini's Macbeth, OF anything else, has headlOng
| unity" shall hope to give YOU some account
| OF this phenomenal appearance when have seen
It; when perhaps my anguish To ind out what a
| headlong unity is may he appeased.
| Legal anecdotes are generally very DUH. but
think would like to finish by telling you this
one, which pleases me. Two Judges, one light
Of the Queens bench, the other lately retired,
met at dinner. Said the one to the other, " A
very distressing accident happened 10 me ia
court yesterday-my wig fell on"
wakad yOu'