tf4ie titatrts.

The performance of lion Giovanni at Her Majesty's Theatre, on Thursday, did a great deal more than furnish "the agreeable change" that we anticipated last week ; for the operahas been produced in a style of completeness and excellence certainly surpassing all its-former repre• sentations in this country. Mr. Lumley has bestowed—and it is to his honour—as much care, thought, and cost in restoring this antiquated work, as if it had been the newest fashionable novelty. And ho has his reward. The public flocked eagerly to the first performance, and applauded it rapturously ; and the run of the opera will doubtless repaythe manager's exertions.

The most judicious attention has been given to the opera both as a drama and a musical work. The beautiful and picturesque scenery serves to clear up the obscurities of the plot. The first scene—no longer a publie street, but a secluded garden of the Cornmendatore's palace—gives a new colouring of truth and consistency to the striking incidents with which the drama opens ; the Don's stately chateau, in the background of the scene where the rushes are dancing, fixes the locality ; the festive hall to which the merrymakers are introduced, with its gorgeous architecture and fountain of "real water," is redolent of Spain ; and a scene of a different character, the square where the Statue stands, brings before us the cloisters of the cathedral of Seville, glimmering in the pale moonlight. The spectacle is not a mere sight to please the eye—it is full of illustrations of the drama.

In the "cast," the right persons are in the right places. Individual parts may have had greater representatives ; but, taking them together, the effect of the ensemble has not before been equalled in England. Particular morccaux may have been better sung ; but Mozart's music, as a whole, has never been performed so well. The effects of careful rehearsal were everywhere apparent. The superb finales and concerted pieces bad a delightful unity, clearness, and brie; and the precision, fire, and softness of the orchestral accompaniments—from which the noisyinstruments thrust into the score by modern innovators were excluded— reflect the highest credit on the able conductor.

Signor 13eneventano had a greater success than most of us expected in the character of the hero. Though his figure is heavy it is manly, and. he has a noble head ; he was becomingly attired; his bearing united the haughty courtesy of the grandee with the careless and familiar levity of the roué; and the sinister scowl, which crossed his handsome features in the midst of his blandest moods, showed the busy devil within. His voice, skilfully subdued, was not without sweetness ; and in the "La ci darem la mane," his tone was sufficiently insinuating to account for, if' not excuse, the little flirt's frailty. In this part, however, singing is a secondary consideration,: the airs belonging to it are exceedingly slight; and the best Don Giovanni our opera stage has ever boasted, Ambrogetti, was scarcely a singer at all. The special individual charm of the performance lay in the Zerlina. Piccolomini bewitched everybody by her rustic grace, her sparkling vivacity, and the thousand little touches of nature which were the evident impulse of the moment. Her Hinging was as mire and simple as the severest German would desire, but still more engaging from its happy reflection of every passing mood which flitted across bar mind. Her " Batti, batti," was the prettiest, the most intelligent, and most eapti, -rating reading of the air we have over witnessed. In Mademoiselle Ortolani, we had, for the first time it may be said, a real representative of Donna Elvira a character commonly, assigned to inferior performers who can neither act nor sing. Elvira—full of fire and passion, expressed by some of the most energetic music that Mozart ever wrote—demands a powerful actress and an accomplished singer; and Mademoiselle Ortolani proved herself to be both. Her voice is not naturally of a fine quality, but her skilful and effective use of it heightens her claim to highpraise as an artist. Donna Anna, the noble daughter of the Commendatore, sunk in gloom and burning for revenge, showed Mademoiselle Spezia in the light of a real tragedian. The grandeur of her gestures belonged to the heroic school of the stage. In the part of her insipid lover, Giuglimt could of course only do what every one else must do—walk through it; but he sang his two airs, "Ii mio teaoro," and "Della sus pace "—an ex-post-facto addition of Mozart, for the most part omitted—with tasteful finish and true expression. Belletti gave an intelligent and consistent reading of the part of Leporello, but without any strongly-marked feature : he was neither humorous like Lablache, nor tragic like Fox-nice, but he was alert, shrewd, and sarcastic—very much of a knave, realizing the adage, "like master, like man " : he sang, of course, like a master of his art.

This opera, we observe with pleasure, is to be repeated every night next week ; and even that, we trust, will be far from satisfying the demands of the public.

There has been another Don Giovanni at the Lyceum. Mr. Gye had the start of Mr. Lumley, his performance being on Tuesday ; but the intended production at Her Majesty's Theatre, if not actually announced, had been talked of ; and so the Lyceum Don Giovanni seems to have been a stroke of rivalry. The performance was similar to what it had been before ; the only difference being that Grisi, who had once given up the part of Donna Anna, now resumed it. Ronconi, who was so illadvised as again to appear as the hero, made another fiasco.

Madame Ristori reappeared at the Lyceum on Monday, in the character which first introduced her to the London public—Medea, in the Italianized French play of that name. The style of her performance is essentially the same as last year, and her return awakens among connoisseurs a discussion ae to the comparative merits of Mademoiselle Rachel and her Transalpine competitor. The Ristorians point to the largeness of outline and the elevated character that belong to the impersonations of their idol ; the partisans of Rachel dwell on the variety of colour and the apparent spontaneity by which the French tragedienne is distinguished. That Rachel is more natural, both parties will probably agree : so that the discussion resolves itself into the question, whether the real or the ideal is preferable in tragic art ; and this question will remain unsettled as long as tragedy itself exists. Signor Montanelli's Camma, of which we gave a tolerably full account when it was produced at Paris a few weeks since, was brought out last night. As might be expected, the scenes in which Madame Ristori creates the greatest effect, are that in which the Galatian heroine tempts the murderer of Sinatus to make an avowal of his guilt, and that in which the terrible retribution is effected by means of the wedding-cup. The lady has achieved a new triumph, but the merits of the author, who from a mere anecdote in Plutarch's " Morals " has constructed an interesting work, should not be overlooked. Possibly we shall have more to say on this subject.

The performances of the " Bouffes Parisiens " at the St. James's Theatre approach their termination. Though the entertainments have been frequently changed, Les Dear Aveugles and Les Pan tins de Violette seem to remain the favourite pieces. In both of them M. Pradeau is the principal figure ; and we may be allowed to surmise that when the month's allowance of French pleasantry has been long consumed, this singularly comic artist will be remembered as a humorist of the most original kind. Nature has marked him out for a farcical comedian, by endowing him with a broad good-humoured face, that can scarcely be seen with gravity ; and as the pieces played are of that thoroughly nonillusive genus that put the actor on a confidential footing with his audience, he has ample room for the display, of his eccentricities. One of his great points of humour is to enter with gravity into the business of the action ; but while he has a solemn face for his fellow performers, to glance at the audience with an air of overflowing merriment, as if he were laughing at the whole affair. This school of art can be called neither real nor ideal ; for it certainly does not copy the actual world, still less does it soar above it. Nevertheless it is highly amusing, with such an artist as M. Pradeau for its representative ; and indeed the " Bouffes" are generally most agreeable when they aim at absolute nonsense. Their pieces of the vaudeville kind are simply weak specimens of an ordinary class of drama ; but in an avowed absurdity they are in a region that is entirely their own, and they seem to luxuriate accordingly. Fancy a father of a family so attired as to bear a strong resemblance to the male of domestic poultry, without ceasing to be human, crowing whenever he laughs, and even moving his legs after the barn-door fashion ! Monstrosity can go no further ; but the representation of such a character by M. Pradeau, in Six Demoiselles a Marier, is a masterpiece of grotesque talent.

Signor Volpi concluded his series of dramatic readings yesterday afternoon. The last two were occupied with a bipartite tragedy on the subject of Flfrida, the wife of the Anglo-Saxon King Edgar. Part the first is devoted to the death of Athelwold and the elevation of Elfrida to the throne of England ; part the second to the murder of Edward the Martyr. These plays are, to a certain extent, on the Alfieri model, though the unity of plan is not regarded with the most extreme degree of severity. On the delineation of motives, Signor Volpi has bestowed great attention ; and his dramas, if published, would probably be found well worth a leisurely perusal.

PARISIAN TRRA.TRICALS.

Several novelties have been lately produced in the French metropolis. At Opera-Comique there is a new work, written by M. Melesville and composed by M. H. Reber, with the title Les Dames Capitaines. The action takes place in the time of the Fronde ; and the principal character is the Duchesse de Chatillon, one of the many heroines in that most courtly of rebellions.

At the Vaudeville, a drama by M. Octave Feuillet, entitled Bahia, has created much interest. A young musical composer, on the point of marrying the daughter of an old German musician, is made unhappy by the success of his first opera at the Teatro San Carlo ; for a countess of lax morality honours him with her handkerchief in addition to a bouquet, and thus turns his head. The poor little German damsel is forgotten, and the composer, reduced to a state of slavery by an imperious mistress, who is not even faithful, finds his genius evaporate, as the strength of Samson dwindled beneath the scissors of Delilah. When he is in utter despair, caused alike by abhorrence of the yoke and an infatuation that forbids him to shake it off—(no impossible case)—chance brings him into contact with the funeral car of the deserted maiden. He joins her in death; but as he expires, music is heard in the distance announcing the marriage of the Countess with a tenor-singer, who has been his favoured rival.

An eccentric musician, who some years ago used to wander about the streets of Paris attired as a Marquis of the old regime, has been chosen by MM. Dupeaty, Clairville, and Michel Delaporte, as the hero of a new vaudeville now performing at the Varietess This novel Marquis who is played by M. Levassor, is represented as a lackey, who has saved the life of his master (a real marquis) by exchanging clothes with him, during the reign of terror, and now carries about with him a large sum of money stitched in the lining of the faded coat. The loss of the coat and the successful efforts to regain it form the leading incidents of the piece, which is entitled Le Marquis d'Argeneourt.

THE HANDEL FESTIVAL OF 1857.

The Handel Festival of next week will not only eclipse every former commemoration of the mighty master, but be by far the greatest musical celebration that has taken place since the origin of the existing art of music. The gigantic magnitude of its arrangements, compared with those of the greatest choral performances which have preceded it, shows the gradual but immense increase, since Handers own day, in the means of producing grandeur and power. When Handel himself was likened by Pope to " Briareus with his hundred hands," the description was literal or nearly so ; for Handers hands and throats taken together seem not to have greatly exceeded that number. When the first great commemoration of Handel in Westminster Abbey took place in 1784, the whole strength of voices and instruments was 513—a host considered something unheard-of and astounding. Then, as now, doubts were entertained of the possibility of their combined action ; and the success of the trial afforded surprise as well as satisfaction. At the subsequent commemorations, in 1786, 1786, 1790, and 1791, the number gradually increased, till in the last of these years it reached the maximum of 1067. From that time these commemorations ceased : the excitement of novelty had worn off, and the public failed to support them. But they gave rise to the Provincial Festivals, which began to spring up at York, Birmingham, Norwich, and other places, at which Handers music could be heard in its grandeur, while in London there was nothing but the wretched "Lent Oratorios," where the choruses of The .hfessialt were jumbled up with opera songs and popular ballads. The beginning of the present state of things may be dated from 1834, when the great Handel Festival in Westminster Abbey took place. Even then the numerical strength of the performers, including a long list of solo-singers, amounted to only 644: and this magnitude has been very little exceeded up to the present time ; the orchestra and chorus of the Sacred Harmonic Society now numbering about 700, while at the greatest Provincial Festivals the amount is considerably less. The present scheme of bringing together two thousand five hundred voices and instruments is a novel idea, grandly conceived, but apparently attended with difficulties which have suggested some doubts of its success. There seems to be a physical obstacle, arising from the rate of velocity of sound : a note struck at the same instant of time by a great number of persons at various distances from the listener must reach his ear not simultaneously but successively, producing, it might be supposed, some degree of dissonance or confusion. But this effect is expected to be obviated by the construction of the orchestra, which is to consist of rows or tiers of semicircular benches, rising like an immense sloping wall, so as to equalize as much as possible the distances of the performers from the audience. As to the difficulty of obtaining precision of movement from such a host, reliance may be placed on the energy and power with which Costa wields his baton. The experiment is of great interest, as its success may create a new (era in the history of music.

The change in the relative proportions of voices and instruments in oratorio performances, since Hander s time, is also worthy of notice. Hander s gigantic bulk was measured in his own time by the number of his "hands." Choral music was in its infancy; the singers were few and bad ; and even in his choruses Handel relied less upon them than upon the instruments which accompanied them. When " Jove's own thunders follow'd Mars's drums," the thunders came from the orchestra; and Handel left the world without ever knowing the true power of his own vocal harmony. At the Westminster Abbey Commemorations in 1784 and the subsequent years, the instrumental element still preponderated. In that year, the total number, 513, consisted of 268 instruments and only 245 voices. Now the case is reversed. Next week, at the Crystal Palace, there will be above 2000 voices and under 400 instruments ; the voices being to the instruments as more than five to one. This is approaching, if it has not realized, the due proportion.

Of all music, pure vocal harmony is the most sublime and the more pure and unmingled, the more sublime it will be. Instruments are necessary to swell the tide of sound when it would otherwise be too weak, and to secure precision and accuracy of tune when these qualities cannot otherwise be obtained. In the accompaniments to Handers choruses there are none of the effects of varied instrumentation with which he embellishes his airs. The instruments merely " double " the voices— that is, play the same notes, to support the singers; and Mozart, in his additional accompaniments to The Messiah, does not meddle with the choruses—a proof of the light in which the function of the instruments was viewed. At the Crystal Palace, therefore—supposing that Mr. Costa has been able to bring his two thousand voices into perfect discipline—we may expect to hear Handers glorious masses of vocal harmony in a more entire and catholic shape than they have ever been heard before.