SIMONSEN'S OPERA COMPANY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XL, Issue 191, 3 August 1876, Page 2

SIMONSEN'S OPERA COMPANY.

Those who last night heard Flotow's beautiful opera " Martin " enjoyed, in our opinion, the be3t operatic performance that haa ever been given in Nelson. The lighter style of music exactly suited the performers, who had had time to recovtr from the effects of a sea voyage which, no doubt, told severely up-n them the night before, and who in *• M'irtba '' threw themselves with the utmost vivacity into their part?, and from Madame S monsen down fo-say,the monkey— all went with the greatest life and spirit. Of tbe Prima Donna herself we need only say that she seemed equally at home in comedy as in tragedy, an i sang and acted throughout with a voice and energy that were untiring. Ic has been said of " Martha " tint it has been kept alive solely by •■The last Rose of 1 Summer" This is by no means our opinion, j but whatever may be the worth of the rest of j tb-* opera, to hear Madame Simonsen sing I this one song was well worth the cost of a ticket which the public apparently so much | grudge. Sung soft'y and simply with no florid p-ssages or "training after effect, it was fo utterly beautiful as to f.irly bring the tears into one's eyes We have often heard it remarked that an operatic prima donna cannot sing a ballad. If any who think so would change their opinion let them hear Midame Simonsen sing thn, the sweetest of all baliais. Miss Lambert, as the saucy Nancy, acted with more than all her usual spirit, and was in excellent voice, and both tho b.iss parts — " Plun«-et" (Mr Barrington) and ' Sir Tristram " (Mr Hodgson)— were excellently rendered, with perfectly correct intonation throughout. "Lionel" (SignorMorley) amongst a great deal of exquisite music gave two well known airs " When to life I woke," and "None so rare" (Af apparf), and we doubt very much whether th.re has ever betn a t. nor in Nelson who could have sung these as he did. He displayed a power of voce indeed, throughout the opera, which his previous performance had not led us to expect, whi st its tone and quality are of a kind but seldom heard in tbe Australhn Colonics In our opinion he is the finest tenor we have seen here. The chorus did its part with geat spirit and precision, and the Band was simply delightful— a'l that even its able conductor could h'.ve wished. The appointments of the piece were exceedingly complete, the dresses g od, the buffoonerits of the Fair scene well managed, in f ict we cm only end as we began by saying that we believe the whole performance to have been the m:at complete of its kind yet ee.n in Nelson. We have been taken somewhat severely to task by the Imprestario of the Compmy, for having '• hit a man when he was down "in our critique of yefterday, to s\y nothing of the enraged " Musician " ia our morning contemporary, whose wide experieuce seems still to have failed to give him an ear. We need hardly say that the critical columns of a paper are by no means intended to be an advertisement, but should be a t;uthful guide to the public. From a critic, therefore, who is not afraid to speak the truth, praise should he duly valued as meaning something more than a mere string of thanks (or favors past and to come Our praise pf to-day is as honest as our criticism of ye terday, and we can only add that in our opinion, the Ne'son public is making a grievous mistake in so neglecting that which must, after lest night's performance, fairly be called the fi'ieet Opera Company that has ever been here.