_From the Note-book of Mr. Pips Senior._--_Monday, May 19._--To the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. First night of the Season. The
house infinite full, and the Prince of WALES and the Princess, and the
Princesses their daughters, there in a box, pretty to see. DRURIOLANUS
OPERATICUS ET COUNTICOUNCILLARIUS mightily pleased at what I hear is
the biggest subscription to this class of entertainment ever known.
Many fine faces here to-day. The sight of the ladies exceeding noble.
A new wench, Mlle. NUOVINA, to sing for the first time, taking the
part of _Marguerite_ in the Opera of _Faust_, which she did prettily
and quietly. Curious to see a _Marguerite_ with jet-black hair and a
white face; yet comely and with much grace.
Everyone extraordinarily content with Mons. JEAN DE RESZKE, the best
_Faust_ that did ever sing and play this part. But vexed to see one
M. ORME DARRALL act _Mephistopheles_ in the room of EDOUARD DE RESZKE,
who, poor man, is sick. The scenes and the chorus all very fine
indeed. All of us pretty merry at the droll mimicry of Mlle.
BAUERMEISTER as _Martha_, who makes this part go most rarely.
[Illustration: "Harmony in Black and White."]
Pleased to see Madame SCALCHI dressed as a boy for the part of
_Siebel_. The house mightily content, and wishing her to sing one song
twice over, which she would not. In which matter she did wisely, as
also the others.
Went out before the last Act began, to find it raining heavily, and,
good lack! not a _Commissionnaire_ to be met with for a quarter of an
hour. Whereat mightily troubled to get a coach, till one did fetch me
a four-wheeler, which I entered, in great disorder, after much strife
and contention. Cost me sixpence. To RULE'S, in Maiden Lane, being
mighty thirsty, where had supper on excellent lobster and fresh salad,
with eggs of the plover, and a draught of the best stout, which
did much content me. Comes young SILLIGREW, who makes merry about
"sticking to Rules for supper and no exception," or some such
nonsense, which I have forgot, though we laughed heartily at his
manner of saying it. Drank to the success of the Italian Opera and of
DRURIOLANUS. After paying the reckoning, took cab, and so home to bed.
_From Note-book of Mr. Pips Junior._--_Tuesday._--PIPS Senior doesn't
go to Opera to-night. PIPS Junior does. Think PIPS Senior, as an
Admiralty official, will be at the Court Ball with Madame PIPS. Glad,
therefore, to take his stall at the Opera. _Carmen_ always delightful.
Tuneful, melodious, and bright. Good Bizet-ness. Mlle. ZELIE DE LUSSAN
as _Carmen_ mighty difficult to beat, and she sings and plays the part
with all the diabolical waywardness of this impudent Spanish baggage,
as PIPS Senior would call her. Pity that MAGGIE McINTYRE is indisposed
to play _Michaela_; she used to do it so prettily and so innocently
that she shone out as just the very contrast intended by the author.
Instead of MAGGIE, Mlle. COLOMBATI sings the part to-night. She is
very graciously received, as is also Signor FERNANDO VALERO (from
several Opera Houses abroad) who makes his _debut_ here as that
vacillating tenor, DON JOSE. Clever Mlle. BAUERMEISTER as frisky
_Frasquita_, and Mlle. LONGHI as _Mercedes_, both excellent Bohemian
Girls. To see them going nap was a treat! Which wins? One excellent
Irish-Italian, DAN DRADY, as the _Toreador_, first-rate. What a song
it is! _Encores_ refused all round, of course. In spite of State Ball,
House very nearly as full as on first night. Brilliant effect of some
ladies who are "going on," and who can't of course "go on anyhow," but
are obliged to appear in their diamonds.
Pretty to see little Mlle. PALLADINO dancing. Very short life and a
merry one has the _premiere danseuse_ in this Opera. Just a few steps,
and then she "steps it," and is not seen again. There is too little of
PALLADINO at any time, and in this case, as she only comes on for five
minutes at the commencement of Act II., and then "_bon soir!_" she may
be described as "Small and Early."
_Thursday._--_Rentree_ of Mlle. ELLA RUSSELL as _Leila_ in BIZET'S _I
Pescatori di Perle_, another version of _The Diversions of Purley_,
a work now more or less forgotten. Signor VALERO better as _Nadir_
(isn't this the name of a well-known photographer?) than as _Don
Jose_. Not unlike the lamented GAYARRE. The more like he can become to
that tenor the better. M. DUFRICHE came from Madrid to play _Zurga_.
A long journey; almost sorry he gave himself the trouble, but there's
more than this for him to do. Lovely finish to First Act, but after
that the Opera is not a stirring one, the story being so idiotically
undramatic. ELLA fresher than ever.
_Friday._--_Lohengrin._ Wagnerian worshippers in their thousands. What
shall she do who comes after _Albani_ in the part of _Elsa_? That
is the question, and MAGGIE McINTYRE supplies the answer, which
is Uncommonly well. A sweet picture in a gentle frame of mind, so
Macintirely pure and simple. A trying, very trying, part. How grand
are the DE RESZKES--JEAN and EDOUARD--or more familiarly as we come to
know them better, JACK and NED. NED looking well, and singing so too,
in spite of recent chill. Warmth of reception to-night would thaw any
chill. But what a couple of bores are the characters of _Ortruda_
and _Telramondo_, even when superbly played as to-night, by Madame
FURSCH-MADI--(the real Mahdi at last!)--and Signor DAN DRADY, bedad!
Fortunately the Opera is considerably curtailed, or we should never
hear the last of it.
_Saturday._--_Il Trovatore._ Great night for "the big, big D",--that
is, for "the high D," on which the new tenor, M. RAWNER, alights with
a sudden bound that electrifies the house. His "high D" is quite an
_Eiffel tour de force_. Henceforth M. RAWNER must be known as "the
High D-iddle-diddle" tenor, and His Highness will be expected to
sustain his high reputation. Vocal effort almost eclipsed by wonderful
physical force, which enables him to burst through the prison
walls and bow to audience, who are enthusiastically applauding the
_Miserere_. Unfortunately M. RAWNER, being a stranger in these parts,
cannot find his way back again, and so is unavoidably prevented from
being present at his own execution, which, in his absence, takes place
without him. Madame TETRAZZINA--her first appearance here--not so
great, perhaps, as she is good and graceful. DAN DRADY and Madame
SCALCHI as "per usual," which is the highest praise. End of first
week. General satisfaction.
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