3Ensir.
There has been this weelE an occurrence of considerable interest to the musical public. Weber's Oberon has been produced at her Majesty's Theatre, in an Italian dress, and evidently at ua small cwt. It has been twice performed, on Tuesday and Thursday, and apparently with success ; but it remains to be seen whether this success will be sufficiently solid and permanent to repay the Lessee the expenditure of money and labour bedewed upon it.
Oberon, though the work of the author of Freisehiitz, has had a differ- ent fate from that most popular opera. Abounding, as it does, in musical beauties, it has never obtained a footing on the stage, and, indeed, is almost forgotten, its memory being kept alive only by its magnificent overture, and some of its most prominent morceaux which are performed at concerts. Its singular history may be told in a few words. It is an English opera, written for the London stage, and pro- duced at Covent Garden by Mr. Charles Kemble four and thirty years ago. The libretto was written by Mr. Planche, and the opera was brought out under the joint superintendence of the dramatist and the composer. Nothing, apparently, could exceed its success. Musical London was in a tumult of excitement ; on the first night the theatre was crowded to suffocation, and presented a scene of unbounded enthu- siasm. But this did not last. After a few nights the houses got thinner and thinner, and in three or four weeks Weber had the mortification, to see his opera performed almost to empty benches. He had come to London in declining health, being, indeed, far gone in a pulmonary disease • but it can scarcely be doubted that this blow contributed to hasten his death.- On the 5th of June 1826, less than two months after
the production of Oberon, he was found lifeless in his bed, in the hou of Sir George Smart, under whose hospitable roof he had real from the time of his arrival in London. After his death, th , was a performance of the opera for the benefit of his fami but it produced nothing. A great clamour was raised in Germany aga, the English public, and writers among ourselves have echoed the cha of unjust neglect of a great artist. " The neglect," says an En t biographer of Weber, "with which he was treated, arose partly fw his own character, and partly from the quality of his music. He incapable of the arts by which even genius stoops to court favour and pularity ; and the English public, though they were beginning to acq a relish for the German school of music, were not yet in a condition to appreciate and enjoy such a work as Oberon." We do not know of any art by which popularity can be gained on the English stage, save the art of producing a work calculated to please the public taste. Weber had already produced the Freischiik, and his popularity when he arrived in England, was already gained. The author of the Freischiitz was welcomed with an enthusiasm which would not have cooled had his new work been found equally attractive. As to the alleged incapacity of the English public to appreciate such a work as Oberon, they were just as able to do so in that day as they are in this. Our progress in taste especially inasmuch as the opera is concerned, is not so greatly to be boasted of. The truth is, that the cause of the failure of this work is to be found in
the work itself—not in the music, but in the drama. Oberon is too much in the style of the pieces with which its accomplished author has been
accustomed to entertain the public at Christmas—a splendid vehicle for music, dancing, and spectacle, much more refined and elegant than such things generally are ; but it lacks the elements of dramatic attraction, plot, character, and incident. The subject is a mere fairy extravaganza, utterly fantastic, and void of real interest. Without splendid scenery, magnfficeut decorations, pageants, dances, and music, Oberon would be nothing. With these things it will give pleasure, but such a pleasure cannot be lasting.
As now represented at Her Majesty's Theatre, it has these elements of attraction. Though the music is more elaborate, and smells more of the
lamp than that of the Freischutz, yet it is masterly and delightful ; the scenery is beautiful, and the dresses, and everything appertaining to the spectacle, are not only' rich and gorgeous, but locally and historically correct, giving a striking view of the European and Asiatic magnificence of the age of Charlemagne and the Caliph Haroun Alraschid. Great pains have been bestowed upon the adaptation of this opera to the Italian stage. Mr. Planche has shortened the dialogue, and simpli- fied the plot. Mr. Benedict has converted the dialogue, originally spoken without music, into recitative ; a step demanded by the exigencies of the Italian stage, on which (unfortunately, we think) there is no such thing as speaking : and he has interpolated several pieces, composed by Weber, but not belonging to this opera—a proceeding of doubtful propriety. The performance is excellent. Mademoiselle Titiens.plays the part of Reiza magnificently, and sings the enormously difficult music better, probably, than it has ever been sung before. Mongini, with his powerful tenor voice, does justice to music originally written for Braham, and calculated to display the whole extent of that great singer's vocal power. Alboni sings the wild and lovely melodies belonging to the part of Fatima, with incomparable grace and beauty ; and Eve- rardi sustains the comic character of Sherasmin, with great spirit. The choruses are well sung, and we have never heard the orchestra of this theatre to greater advantage.
All the serial concerts are now over for this season. The last per- formance of the Vocal Association took place on Friday last week ; the last concert of the Philharmonic Society on Monday last ; and the last matinee of the Musical Union on Tuesday.
At an excellent morning concert given on Saturday last by M. Depret, the eminent Belgian singer, great interest was excited by the appearance of Miss Annie C--, a little girl of some ten years old, who showed vocal talent of the most promising kind. She sang two little French songs, not with any display of precocious acquirement, but in the
simple style becoming her age, and at the same time with so sweet a voice and so pure a taste as to make it plain that nature has made her a musician. Though her name was not announced, we may mention that (as we have heard) she is the daughter of Mr. Chamerovzow, the Secre- tary of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society.
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