ENGLISH OPERA—THE ROBBER'S BRIDE.
FERDINAND Riess new Opera, Die Raiiberbraut, was produced at the English Opera-house on Wednesday, to a full and attentive au- dience, an extraordinary proportion consisting of professional musi- cians and amateurs. The authors reputation would attract many, and to these would be added a number, who, like ourselves, had en- joyed the pleasure of personal intercourse with him when he resided in England. RIES was the pupil of B. ROMBERG and of BEETHOVEN; and in his compositions are to be distinctly traced the hold wad origi- nal features of the latter. As a vocal composer he is scarcely known in this country. Li few songs have found their way into our catalogues ; but the present opera is the work upon which his fame in this, the highest branch of his art, must repose. RIES was justly admired and beloved when in England. The vigour and originality of his writing, and the brilliancy of his execution, established his reputation with the public ; while the suavity of his manners commanded the friendly re- gards of those to whom he was personally known. He realized a handsome independence by his professional exertions ; and withdrew from the more irksome part of them, to enjoy the " cilium cum dig- nitate " at Godesbuig neay Bonn. Here he has lived some years, literally cultivating music and wine, improving the flavour of his Rhenish, and enriching the quality and the stock of his compositions. We can hardly help pausing for a moment to contrast the circum- stances under which Die Rauberbraut was written, with those under which our English composers are generally compelled to work. Instead
of the quiet and happy independence in which RIES was enabled to compose, consulting only his own fancy and his own fame, taking his own time, and giving to the first impulses and promptings of genius the reiterated polish which brings out their .fuff and final lustre, our composers write under fetters of every kind :—they must snatch hours or moments from rest, or from the laborious and depressing drudgery of their profession ; they are bound by the interest or the caprice of managers to apply the whip and the spur to their jaded powers ; their work must be produced, at any rate, in a given time ; its progress is impeded, its character marred, by the folly, caprice, or selfishness of singers ; and the composer is constantly afraid that the very excellence of his music will render it unpalateable to the performers and the public. His endeavour must he rather to write down to the taste of the multitude, than to elevate that taste to his own. We know it was said by a certain manager to a composer, on giving him an opera to write, " The worse your music is, the better I shall like it." We con- fess that we envy RIES the pleasure of writing as he pleased, and when he pleased.
Before he brought out his opera at Frankfort in last October, he resided some time there, and diligently superintended its getting up. Its success was complete. The finale of the first act was received with great enthusiasm ; and he was compelled, though with some re- luctance, then to appear on the stage in order to receive the gratula- t ions of his auditors. He expressed his thanks to his countrymen for the attention with which they had heard and the favour with which they had received his opera, and promised, as the best return he could make, to endeavour to emit rihute to their enjoyment by devoting, him- self to the composition of another. It is rather surprising:, that with such a Continental reputation as Die Raiiberbtaut produced, neither of the managers of our Winter Theatres should have turned their at- tention to it. But, like several other good things of this kind, they left it to ARNOLD, and its selection is an additional proof of his good taste. By the way, the bills, books, and advertisements, announce, that " the whole is arranged and adapted to the English stage by Mr. HAwEs." What does this mean ? If Mr. HAWES neither adapted the music to the words nor the -words to the music, (and we suspect he will not assert that lie did either,) we beg to ask, upon what pre- tence this announcement of arranging and adapting is made? Who- ever did it, it is creditably done ; but we surmise that Mr. HAwEs is rather playing the part of BATHYLLus than of VIRGIL on the present occasion.
The outline of the story we take, ready-made, from the Times:- " The monarch of one of the Italian states is kept in sulijeci ion Iva faction, who in reality wield all the power of the government. The Count of Viterbo (Mr. H. PHILLIPS), retires from court in disgust, and carries on a correspond- ence with some of his friends, in which he freely censures the conduct of the party in power. Ills courier, Pietro (Mr. SALTER), betrays him, and the Count is in consequence denounced. Escape from his enemies seems almost impossible, when Roberto (Mr. Peaarxs), the captain of a band of robbers, appears on the scene, and declares to Laura (Miss Barrs), the daughter of the Count, that he will effect her father's deliverance, provided she solemnly pro- mises to become his bride. Roby rb) had, some years before, when residing in the Count's castle, aspired to the affections of Laura ; his presumption was rewarded by instant expulsion from the service of the Count, but his pas- sion remained as violent as ever. He now describes all the misery which he had undergone, since, driven to despair, he had become a leader of banditti. He impresses on the mind of Lwow the certainty of her father's arrest un- less assisted by him, and he finally induces her to give the required pledge, in order to save the life of her parent. By means of a secret passage, Roberto conducts the Count to the cavern in which the banditti conceal themselves; and the troops, headed by Fernando (Mr. Smut)), immediately after enter the castle in search of their victim. Here Fernando recognizes in Laura a young lady whose life he had preserved some years before at Palermo, and whom, though he then became passionately enamoured of her, he had never since seen. He now avows his passion for her ; but her vow to become the robber's bride presents a fatal obstacle to his hopes. Roberto discovers that Laura's aversion to him arises from a preconceived love for the young soldier, and he orders his band to capture Fernando, which they readily accomplish. He is dragged to the cavern ; but Roberto moved by the tears of Laura, in- stead of wreaking vengeance on his rival, after a struggle between fury and affection, joins their hands. Perna/v/0'$ troops having tracked the robbers to their hiding-place, now appear, and capture the band as well as the Count. All give themselves up for lost, when Carlo (Mr. Tuoam), the friend of Per- MNO, arrives with the grateful tidings that the faction has been overturned, that the Prince is free, and that, as his first act of justice, he has sent a par- don to the Courit, and commuted the punishment of the banditti from death to banishment. Of course Fernando and Laura arc made happy."
The overture was heard with mute attention, and was received with considerable applause. It is skilfully written, and has some beauties ; but it is not a first-rate composition : the introduction is somewhat disjointed, and the want of a pervading characteristic melody is felt. The first duet between Laura and her father is marked by some passages of great beauty. The effect of the wind instruments, in gliding from the recitative "Ere distraction (mite o'ercloud me," and the whole of the first movement of the succeeding air, are exquisitely beautiful. Its conclusion is rather tame and disappointing. The finale to the first act (lid not realize our anticipations : it displays much fine writing, but we could not find any thing sufficient to account for the extraordi- nary raptures of the Germans: we felt a cool, deliberate, and decided approbation, but no enthuslasm. The music which introduces the commencement. of the second act is delightful ; and the ronianza, sung by Laura, with which it opens, is a plaintive and touching melody : but its effect, as well as that of the song by Gianetta in the same act, was materially impaired by the manner in which the words were delivered, or rather not delivered, by Miss Bares and Miss CAWSE. The terzetto between Fernando, Gianetta, and Laura, is the gem of the opera. It is long, and therefore was not encered, but we shall think our time well bestowed in going again and avail' to hear it. Fernando's song, " Bright as the cup," was not very well calculated to exhibit SANO'S powers to the best advantage. We shall have future opportunities of doing him justice; and we shall only now express our gratification at finding him placed in a situation so well calculated to display his excellencies as a singer, and where, if he pleases, he may soon take the lead. The third act opens with a spirited and characteristic glee by the robbers. It is in the true na- tional style of Germany ; and it was the only thing in the piece which excited the enthusiasm of the audience sufficiently to produce an encore. Some other, rather injudicious attempts were made, but they were too feeble to succeed. The duet between Laura and Fernando, " Yes, yes, my Laura," which is essential to the thread of the store, failed from its unintelligibility and too great length : it had better lie cut out. The song by Count Viterbo, " My daughter, yes, my daughter," has some passages of very touching expression. To the cantabile part of the air PiiiLnins did very ample justice—it was po- lished smoothness : the concluding allegro was deficient in force and volume. The finale contains too much dramatic action; and it would be improved by casting the greater part of it into dialogue, for, as sung, it savours strongly of the ridiculous. A battle is supposed to take place on the stage, and the robbers are supposed to be defeated and made prisoners ; but both parties having to sing during the pe- riod of this event, and not being very well able to tight and sitig at the same moment, they, naturally enough, prefer singing, and the battle is lost and won without either moving a leg or a finger !
Such is our report of Die Raiiberbraut, as performed at the English Opera-house on Wednesday. We derived pleasure, great pleasure from the performance, but we also experienced some disappointment. Perhaps we expected too much, and allowed ourselves to be over-ex- clted by the extravagant praises which had anticipated its appearance. We ought to have recollected that the school of BEETHOVEN is not a vocal school, and to have looked only for those excellencies which the opera really possesses. It is justly remarked by HummEL, that " among those musicians and composers who have been singers, there will generally be found a more pure and correct musical feeling, than among such as have only a general and extrinsic idea of melody and good singing." In the number of those who have been educated singers, BEETHOVEN and RI E S are not ; and hence the melodies which arrest the attention and linger in the memory are to be found but now and then in their vocal compositions. It remains that we do justice to the band. As a whole, we should say that the opera was better played than sung. WAGSTAFF led it admirably—with decision, and with delicacy. He was powerfully sup- ported by CARD, young COOKE. PLATT, and DENMAN; nor ought we to Omit the excellent playing' of SMITHIES and his "fratres Tromboni:' The rehearsals have evidently been long and laborious. With an ex- ception not worth noticing, every performer was quite lip in his part. The performance was heard throughout with great attention, and with a just appreciation of its excellencies. If it succeeds, as we hope, it will mark a decided progression in musical taste, for which we shall again have to thank Mr. ARNOLD.
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