Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-01-07
AMUsEMENTs.
rHE COMING OPERA.

The English opera troupe TO visit
us next week is a strong one, with a
long list Of splendid artists, judging
from the encomiums bestowed upon
their efforts elsewhere. 1t is a very
expensive company, too, the weekly
salary list lowering close about 1880,
and the expected visit of the troupe
has been a subject of deep interest to
lovers of music for a number Of
weeks past--indeed, ever since
the Abbott company left. The
first agent Of the company came in
several days ago, and announced that
the programme arranged for us would
include Boito's latest musical arrange
ment Of the old legend Of Faust
RossiDi's grand opera of William
Tell" Bizet's brilliant but wicked
structure of Carmen" and Verdi's
grand composition, founded upon
Egyptian history, entitled Aida "
Three Of these operas have never
been rendered here in any language,
and Carmen was only given on a
single occasion to a small Saturday
night house by the Abbott troupe.
Now another agent drops in, and
says we are not to have
Aida but THE Bohemian Girl, y
too sweet and sparkling to ever wear
out, hut familiar to every ten year old
musician in this city, will be given
instead. This is all right with the
management, but the treasurer will
doubtless find it all wrong when he
counts up his returns. The remain
ing operas will doubtless draw full
houses, and as the opening night will
be setapart for "Mefistofele" it may be
well, by way of prelude, to tell the
public something about it. The lead
ing role, it may be remarked, has gen
orally been sung by Marie Roze in
other cities, For US, however, it is to
be carried by 0staya Torriani, a lady
whose profile makes a fine picture az
it appears in store windows along
Main street, and who, it is supposed,
can sing the leading part a~cceptably,
or she would not have been
cast for it, and also that the
opera will be given in its entirety,
with all of the characters strongly
cast, as it has been the custom to rem
der it at other places. "Mefistofele, "
which is sung for the first timsin this
country by the,Strakosch Hess troupe,
created a great sensation at various
places in Europe where it has been
recently presented. When first
brought out at Milan by its Italian
author, some ten or more years ago, it
was hoOted from the stage, its sup
posed Wagnerian features not taking
with the Italians, who had then little
appreciation of the north German
barbaric style of music. The cOm-
poser altered and reproduced it
in Bologna in 1875, and it hen met a
decided success. It contains, in its
new arrangement, much rich melody,
but the reviewers say the Wagnerian
idea largely predominates. The opera
is in six parts, and begins with a pro-
logue representing heaven, with an
invisible chorus of penitents, mystics
and cherubim, M~e6stofele appearing
alone, wrapped in a black mantle aud
%sneering at virtue, the vanity of the
world and the power Of the Almighty,
and he lays a wager, in connection
with a choral symphony, to tempt and
ruin Faust. The first act, or human
part of the drama, opens on Easter
day at the city gate, where Faust
and another sit and talk of the
gay people; a Kermesse scene full
of bright features and pleasing music.
Mefstofele, in the garb Of a gray friar,
envelopes Faust in his diabolical cir
Gle, and subsequently throwing off his
disguise, enters into a compact for
evil with the unquiet old man. The
second act is a garden scene, where
Faust appears young and handsome to
WOO Marguerite, while Mefstofele
Hirts with Martha, a bright and inter
esting scene, which ends with a lovely
quartette. Following this is a weird
scene on the heights ofBrocken where
Mefstolele presides over the Internal
revels Of the "Walpurgis Nacht," the
Witches Sabbath, which is so graph
ically described by Goethe, and
full of ~grotesque music, impressive
if not horrible appointments, and
closing with a fne musical climax, in
PRODUCING the celestial chergs Of the
prologue. The third act is a prison
scene, devoted to the death and Tor.
giveness Of Marguerite, and the es.
cape Of Faust. In the fourth act
Faust appears on the banks Of the
Grecian Penneus, where Me9stofele
has revealed 70 him the aplrit Of classic
art as experienced in communion with
the representation Of Grecian beauty
Helen, Of Troy, a queen whom he
meets to reyel with in the night o.
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