PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
VOL. 108. June 29, 1895.
edited by Sir Francis Burnand
OPERATIC NOTES.
Monday.—Tannhäuserites disappointed. Signor Vignas indisposed.Tannhäuser's understudy Faust put up. House good.Performance better. Plançon,—once Jupiter nowMephistopheles,the extremes meeting in one singer,—excellent. Melba quite theGerman Fräulein. Bevignani, C. B.,i.e., "Conducting Beautifully," inthe chair.
Tuesday.—Many other attractions,yet heart is true to Opera. M. VictorMaurel, as Iago, adds another leafto his victor's wreath of Laurel.Maggie Macintyre makes distinctadvance, and sings, "O Willow, wehave missed you" most melodiously.Tam Agno as Misther O'Tello, theIrish darky singer, uncommonlypowerful. Richard Green, Montano,greener than ever: quite fresh.Percy Mordy a good Roderigo Randomo.The highly Pole-ish'd Olitzkaa fair representative of Emilia. Andthis cast, with Merry Mancinellimanipulating musicians, makes theOpera a delight to the fine fleur ofthe Covent Gardenian Hot House.
Pagliacci.
Wednesday.—House crammed tosee and hear Adelina Patti as Rosinain the ever delightful Barbiere diSiviglia. Rossini for ever! "Whar'syour Wullie Wagner noo?" Patti's acting worth a third of themoney; her singing makes up t'other two-thirds. "Bonus" toaudience in "Home, Sweet Home." Wrapt attention! Here we areall of us out for the night, so to speak, in silks and satins and jewelsrare, and with feathers and diamonds and all our war paint on, offafterwards to routs, balls and supper-parties, and yet all hushed,conscience-stricken as it were, in the midst of our gaiety, by sweetvoice warbling so distinctly "Home! Home! Home! Sweet Home!Wherever (including the Opera Covent Garden) we wander (and wecan't wander when our attention is riveted on la Diva) there isno-oh-o-o place like Ho-ome!" And then, second verse finished, astorm of rapturous applause bursts over the singer! Yes! those areour sentiments. "Home! Home!" by all means. Only—excuse us—we"won't go Home Sweet Home till morning, till daylight doth appear."But why, Adelina mia, didst thou sing at the end of the Operathat remarkably anti-climaxious waltz of Ti-to-tum Mattei's?Ti-to-tumall very well in his way, but not a Rossini. And then yousang it from a paper in your hand as though doing penance in a musicsheet? A mistake, Adelina, don't do it again, spin yourTi-to-tumat a concert, but not in Rossini's Barbiere. BerthaBauermeisterobtained a rapturous encore, but shook her finger at the audience aswho would say "too late! too late!" So Bevignani bowed, and on wewent again merrily. Pini-Corsi...