SIMONSEN'S OPERA COMPANY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3033, 16 March 1881, Page 2

SIMONSEN'S OPERA COMPANY.

JjX SONNAMBDXA. The selection of Bellini's pastoral opera for (he second appearance of Mr Simonsen's company was justifie'l less by its popularity than by the admirable facilities it affords for displaying to advantage the capabilities of a light soprano prima donna, and we were therefore not surprised to 'find it chosen for tbe debut of Miss Martina Simonsen. Of the work itself little more need be said than that in its English dress much of tbe beauty of the original Italian score is lost. Thus, instead of the admirable recitatives —in which form of musical expression Bellini wasalways particularly happy—we have substituted a frivolous dialogue, never rising above the level of the crudest mediocrity, and often setting the rules of good English at defiance; instead of tbe flowing periods of the original libretto we have an anglicisation half translation and half adaptation— whicb, as a rule, is little better than abject drivel, and tbe sinking of which must tax alike the patience and the skill of the performers to the utmost. Duly considering this it becomes matter of marvel that the Italian should not be more generally preferred to the English version. Of the performance last evening we are enabled to speak ia high terms. Possessed ofa light soprano voice of zood quality, exceptional compass, and commendable culture, coupled with a charming stage appearance, Mice Martina Simonsen may congratulate herself upon having achieved a genuine and signal success in the part of Amina. We know of no part in the whole range of opera better suited to her capacity than that of tbe guileless Swiss maiden, and in the hands of the fair debutante it received ample justice. From a performance of such level excellence as that of Miss

Simonsen it were perbaps difficult to select a particular number for special comment, nevertheless we should bedoing scant justice to the subject were we to ignore her beautiful rendering of the first cavatina, Come per me serenn, and of the cabaletta Soiira ilsen (with choral accompaniment), in which were noticeable the perfection of the artiste's runs and fioriture and the even closeness of the trills, or to omit mention of the fact that tbe effect of tbe recitatives preceding the final Ah non credea,&nd Ah, non ghmge, was considerably marred by a too vigorous scratcbiness on the part of tbe leading violin. Signor Bianchi wai far more successful as Elvino than upon the occasion of his Hrst appearance, and both in einging and acting displayed a marked improvement upon his previous performance. He was fortunate enough to secure the hearty approval of his audience, •was repeatedly favored with unequivocal expressions of the same, and was deservedly encored for an excellent rendering of his principal solo, Ah! perche non posso odiarti. The somewhat Mngrafeful part of Count Rodolpho found an able and accomplished exponent in Signor Riccardi, whose performance, not less in the cavatina Vi ravviso than throughout the opera, was that of a cultured artiste. Tbe role of Lisa was allotted to Miss Carrie Godfrey, whose indisposition necessitated a change of cast, Miss Frances Simonsen replacing the first named lady, and Miss Chapman assuming the character of Dame Teresa. Both ladies acquitted themselves in a highly creditable manner. Cnce more referring to tbe English version as contradistinguished from the Italian, we must protest against Alessio being transformed by the former into a vulgar low comedy buffoon. We do Mr Benham the justice to assume that he is in no way responsible for this, and to hope that hie clowning was an uncongenial duty. Mr Wentworth represented the Notary. The chorus, generally commendable, was occasionally unsteady, and sometimes perceptibly ignorant of tbe words which, be they good or bad, should be learnt. It does not involve a great amount ot labor, and ie much more satisfactory to the intelligent listener than a senseless jumble, or, worse still, a continual " Lai! Lai! " repeated to weariness, such as that which marred the beauty of a portion of the finale to tbe second act, where the motive is sustained by Elvino. But for this blemish the twelve-eight movement had been faultless; the ensemble was, however, so vigorously executed as to secure a hearty recall. The orchestra, in all places where a pianissimo was not required, left nothing to be desired, and the conductor, generally energetic and watchful, seemed occasionally embarrassed between a desire to use his baton and bq equally urgent inclination to assist his forces with his wonderful violin. We cannot conclude our notice of a thoroughly enjoyable performance without remarking that the excisions, although frequently necessary, and as a rule judicious, need not have included the beautiful duet Son geloso,. which in this version should conclude tbe first act, and without which the act-drop falls with inexcusable abruptness, This evening Boieldieu's romantic opera of "La Dame Blanche" will be produced for the first time in Napier, tbe plot of which will be found in our local column.