THE OPERA AT ST. JAMES'S.
J3eartaar seems, at length, in earnest about the affairs of his theatre. He ept•ned it without a vocal company, relying oil his owe unaided powers for success. These curried him through the fist season ; but, probably discovering that the repetition of such an experiment would not be likely to advance the interests of his house, he has now assembled around him an efficient operatic corps. During his absence at the Fes- tivals, a succession of flimsy though not unamusing pieces have been brought out ; but on Thursday night the St. James's may be said to have opened, for .hiss RAINFORTll and Mr. BENNETT were asso- ciated with BRAliAM in the performance of Artaxerxes. The English Opera. born with PURCELL, with bins became extinct.
All the musical piece's produced during nearly the next century (the Beggar's Opera excepted) were tratislatioes, adaptations, or servile copies of the Italian. Rarely indeed did an English writer venture on the production of an original mirk. Compilation, not composition, was the duty of those who assumed the musical direction of our theatres ; and the motley colours of these pieces, their ludicrous admix- ture of styles and sometimes of languages, secured for them only an ephemeral existence. At length ARE, who had previously evinced great facility in the construction of melody, ventured on the experiment of writing a musical drama to English words, on the model of the Italian opera. It was just as if Hisiloe or BARNETT woe to trans- late Semirantide into English, and reset it in itnitation of the style of RossiNt. ARNE here quitted, though not entirely, the simple and natural cast of melody, which in Comas. Eliza, and a countless variety of single songs, had attracted and pleased every class of society. The experiment was a bold one, but it succeeded. Artaxerxes, powerfully supported by the taletits of Miss BRENT and TENDUCCI, became at once a favourite with the public ; and many of its airs, for half a century, were familiar to all ears. The nature of ARNE'S undertaking admitted of a resource which he liberally availed himself of. Many passages of his bravura songs were copied note for note from contemporary Italian airs, merely connected and arranged with new symphonies and intro. ductions. These, like the originals, are now faded and old-fashioned, although they still serve for a varied display of a singer's powers ; but some of the melodies, written in ARNE'S own style. are as fair and young as ever. The want which a modern car feels in Artaxerxes, is a richer flow of instrumentation. ARNE assuredly was not in advance of his age as an instrumental writer ; for, usually, nothing can be more bald than his score. Like the Italian operas of its time, Artaxerxes is but scantily furnished with coecerted pieces. This is a want which the modern ear feels ; and one which might easily be supplied, not by the insertion, neck and shoulders, of any thing so destitute of resemblance to the rest of the opera as "Mild as the moonbeams," but by a judi- cious selection, and, where necessary, arrangement, of the author's own materials, of which there are abundance.
The first deficiency has been, in part, supplied ; and the talents of
WILLMAN and CARD have been put in requisition in order to give the added accompaniments fair play. But, after all, Artaxerxes will never again become a popular opera. Like every thing mitten in mere deference to fashion, its fame is necessarily transieet, and its power of attraction less on every repetition. The poverty of the language, the absurdity of the situations, the total want of dramatic incident, and the delivery of the entire dialogue in recitative, are defects which the pleasing melody of u few airs will scarcely outweigh. Artaxerxes will not fail this time for want of efficient support. Miss RAINFORTII justified the expectation which we formed of her at her first appearance at the Vocal Concerts last seasan. Her person and deportment became the representative of Persia's princess, and a little more acquaintance with the stage will fit her in all respects to occupy the situation of prima donna. She entered with great spirit into her character, and overcame all its difficulties with little apparent effort ; while the graceful simplicity of Arts:E's own melodies was commend- ably preserved. The beautiful air, " If o'er the cruel tyrant," was sting as the author wrote it; without any of those absurd additions and imitations of time in which some of her predecessors have indulged. A few new readings were introduced into the " Soldier tired; " but they were all in good keeping. Baanam's Artabanes is well known to every playgoer. It was as energetic as ever; and his singing " Thy father—away ! " commanded its usual encore. Arbaces is always a heavy part for a tenor ; but BENNETT did his best with it. Miss SMITH'S Artaxerxes was some- vault ludicrous, and her delivery of the recitative inarticulate. The reception of the debutante was most flattering ; and Mr. BRAHAM has now the power to produce a succession of good operas in a cre- ditable and effective manner.
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