[Illustration: Fancy Sketch for a Brazen Statue of a Composer notable
for his "Horns and Brass."]
_Tuesday._--_Première_ of _Elaine_. BEMBERG Composer, LÉON-JEHIN
Conductor, and Sir DRURIOLANUS Producer. Full House, determined to
give New Opera a fair hearing, and sit it out. Don't get a new Opera
every day. Congratulations to BEMBERG in a general way. "In a first
Opera" (if this be his first), to quote the Composer of the recent
De-La-ra-Boom Buddha, who was complacently listening to the other
Composer's new Opera, "originality breeds contempt." So a little
bit here, and a little bit there, here a bit, and there a bit, and
everywhere a bit, gets rid of all superfluity in the Composer's
brain, and saves the listening critic much trouble. Then his next
Opera--Ah!--_that_ ought to be all genuinely new and original
Sparkling BEMBERG Cabinet. "_Elaine_," observed a lady critic,
"is graceful and airy"--which, in the lady's presence, the present
listener was not prepared to deny.
Contented must have been Composer BEMBERG with such a cast as was made
and provided for him by Sir DRURIOLANUS. MELBA, as the "Lily Maid of
Astolat," charming, with a charming song, "_L'Amour est pur_." The
audience was in an encoring humour, but, thank goodness, only a few
encores were taken, and the others left, otherwise none of us would
have been home till sunrise. In the swan-like dying scene the Composer
wrings our heart-strings with his harp-strings, reminding everyone
forcibly that, as _Mr. Guppy_ observed, "There _are_ chords!"
Wagnerian, sometimes, is our BEMBERG, with his horns and brass. Fine
chorus at beginning of Act II.--the Tournament Act--which shows, as
a foolish person observed, "a Rummy lot at Camelot." At end of Third
Act MELBA and JEAN DE RESZKÉ (who must have joined the Salvation
Army, as he was, apparently, "saving himself" all the evening) were
enthusiastically called. Engaged in curtseying her thanks, MELBA
didn't notice--as, how should she?--property steps behind her, on
which, at about her tenth curtsey, she suddenly sat down about two
seconds before she could possibly realise that there was any chance of
sitting down. But JEAN LAUNCELOT DE RESZKÉ was there, and rescued her!
Good Knight! JEAN DE RESCUE! Then EDWARD, as _Hermit_, own brother to
_Friar Laurence_, excellent. But so were they all, and the Opera will
well repay several re-hearings.
_Thursday._--_Aïda_. Generally considered rather a heavy Opera by
VERDI. "But to-night," says WAGSTAFF, "the Verdi-ict quite t'other
way." MAUREL excellent as _Amonasro_, and MAGGIE MACINTYRE looked,
acted, and sang Maggie-nificently. Uncommonly good was GIULIA RAVOGLI
as _Amneris_, _Aïda's_ rival for the love of the small-sized _Radamès
Dimitresco_, or Dimi-nutive-Tresco (comparatively speaking), to whom
EDWARD DE RESZKÉ, being quite _a Ned_ and shoulders taller, might
spare some of his superfluous inches.
EDWARD uncommonly good as _Ramfis_, which name, considering the
peculiar make-up, might be appropriately changed to _Rum Phiz_, and
nobody be any the worse. BEVIGNANI conducted himself and the orchestra
admirably; M. PLANÇON, in English Plain Song, did all well that as _Il
Re_ he had to do, looking every inch a _Re_, and not a bit _Il_. Mlle.
BAUERMEISTER was _Una Sacerdotissa_, but she would be anything and
do everything well. Signer RINALDINI was _Un Messagiero_. His costume
might have been more effective had Sir AUGUSTUS brought him up to
date as a Messenger Boy for the Telephonie-sol-fa Company. This can be
amended. House good.
_Friday_.--Covent Garden, _Elaine_ expected, but didn't appear. JOHN
THE RISKY, the _Launcelot_ of the Opera, unwell. "Not _Launcelot_,
but another!" cried Sir DRURIOLANUS, only there wasn't another. So
_Carmen_ was played. "Not this _Elaine_," continued Sir AUGUSTUS, "but
Drur-e-lane." So away! to hear the Trumpeter of the German Band. This
_Trompeter_ might be played as a trump in a small house, but 'tis
trumpery for Drury Lane. One phrase of an old music-hall ditty, the
words of which were, "She walked forward, _I_ followed on, tra la
la!" constantly recur. Who originated it? Unwonted excitement of
going to two Operas told on shattered frame, so staggered to Maiden
Lane, which, on account of its being the home for oysters, crabs,
and lobsters, should be renamed Mer-maiden Lane. Behold! good Dr.
BAYLIS "within the Rules" making up his evening prescriptions.
"_Quis supperabit?_" asked the learned Dr. B. "_Ego_," replied I,
like JEAMES, knowing the language. And "supper-a-bit" it was. "'84
_wachterum unum pintum frigidum sumendum cum_ '92 _chickeno_," &c. "My
benizon on thee!" said CRITICUS REDIVIVUS. "Dr. BAYLIS, I bay-_liss_
thee!" with the accent on the "_liss_." So home. After all the chops
and changes of this operatic life, I am with "chicken and champagne"
content. _Finis coronat opus._
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