THE OPERA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4131, 17 June 1874, Page 3

THE OPERA.

THE ROSE OE CASTILLE Was performed last night by the Opera company to a full house. It is a pretty and thoroughly finished work, and offered —to those who prefer opera to extravaganza —a complete contrast to “ Genevieve de Brabant.” Take it all through, it was probably the most perfect performance the company have yet given, although the chorus was not quite so efficient in one or two instances as it usually is, and the trio of the three Dous was not at all satisfacfactorily rendered. The parts were well cast and well sustained. The story of the opera is a simple one. The hand of Llvira, the Queen of Leon (Miss May) has been solicited in marriage for the Infant of Castile, who, anxious to discover what sort of person the Queen is in private life, disguises himself as Manuel, a muleteer (Mr. Hallam), and departs towards Leon in search of adventures. Llvira has learned from a certain source the intention and disguise of the Infant, and in the same spirit dresses herself as a peasant girl, and attended by a maid of honor, Donna Carmen, (Alias Lambert), as a page, leaves the Court. At an inn, in the midst of festivities, the Queen is insulted by the landlord, and is rescued from his uncivil attentions by the muleteer, who,_ in the belief that Elvira is a simple country girl, falls violently in love with her, Don Pedro (Air. Rainford) plots to obtain the throne of Leon for himself, assisted by Don Elorio (Air. Templeton), and Don Sallust (Mr, Vernon). They discover the extraordinary resemblance between the peasant girl and the Queen, and arrange to carry the Queen away to a convent, and place the peasant girl on the throne, determining that as soon as they have done so they will force her to abdicate. Warned by the Aluleteer of the plot, Elvira contrives that Donna Beatrice (AXiss Florence Howe) shall wear the regal mantle for a day, and so escapes the abduction intended for hei-. Finding the Queen herself on the throne of Leon, and avowing her love for the Aluleteer, the conspirators resolve that the pair shall bo wedded, so that Don Pedro may claim the throne on the ground that the Queen has degraded herself by marrying a simple muleteer. The marriage takes place, and the lufaut of Castille further tests the love of Elvira by forwarding a despatch to say he is married, and leaving the Queen to infer that after all she is the bride of a base-bom muleteer. In this fine scene, however, she avows her love for Alanuel, whether muleteer or prince; in accordance with his advice, she declines to abdicate ; and when pressed by Don Pedro, and declining to say the words that would place a traitor on her throne, Alanuel throws off his disguise, avows himself King of Castile, calls

upon the traitor Dons to seek for mercy on their knees, and leaves their fate in the handsof Elvira, who ordains “neither sorrow nor pain and the opera closes with the chorus—- “ Oh no, by fortune blcss'tl, I cannot speak despair ; Aly heart would feel distress’d, Even by a foeman’s care.” bliss May, of course, claims notice first. We have so often spoken, and as often so favorably, of bliss May's talents that we can only now say that Elvira is a part in which she has always excelled. It is difficult to say in what she most pleased the audience, but there is no doubt that, though the rondo, “ Oh, were I Queen of Spain,” was sung most deliciously, the ballad —very difficult to sing, and only effective in the hands of a thorough artist—- “ Of girlhood’s happy days I dream," was the gem of the evening. The rich liquid tones of Miss May’s voice in this song seemed to entrance the listeners, and warm applause and quite a shower of bouquets rewarded her at the close of as fine a piece of vocalisation as the public of Wellington are likely to hear for many a day. Weneed notsay that the joyous song “ I’m not the Queen, ha J ha 3” was given in quite a different strain—that is of course—but it was’ equally excellent in its way and equally productive of applause. Miss Lambert had a better opportunity than she has yet had, and for the first time let her voice be fairly heard, in “ Though love's the greatest plague in life,” which she sang «with g great spirit, and a richness and power of voice for which she has not hitherto been credited. She was most warmly applauded. Mr. Hallam has not before made so favorable au impression as he did as Manuel. He had considerably, if not quite, recovered from the severe cold under which he labored, and spirit and vigor seems to have returned with health. His Mauuel was intelligent and excellent throughout, while he sang with more sweetness, and his voice exhibited a greater range than had previously been shown—features that were not unmarked by the audience. He sang “ I am a simple muleteer” deliciously, and also the pretty ballad “ Could’st thou, dear maid, thy form array in gems that monarchs prize;” as well as the smart, spirit-stirring recitative, “ I’ll try to tell.” He was also very effective in the duet with Elvira, “ The maid I met to me did seem.” His “Twas rank and fame that tempted thee” was not quite so effective ; but the applause which Mr. Hallam. met with throughout afforded good proof that ■ his efforts and his genuine abilities were appreciated very highly. Mi’. Rainford’s Don Pedro was an able performance—though the Don was too much of a courtier to be letter-perfect. His acting throughout was judicious, he sang all his music very carefully, and his “Though fortune darkly o’er mo frown” was particularly relished. Mr. Templeton’s “Don Florio,” and Mr. Yemen's “Don Sallust,” were not exaggerated, and wore most creditable performances. Wo should have mentioned, before criticising tho performances of the gentlemen, that Miss Howe’s Donna Beatrice left nothing to be desired. This evening

BARBE BLECE will bo produced. It is one of Qffenbaeh’s popular comic productions, and is founded on the old story of Blue Board. The part of Boulotte will be represented by Miss May. The opera is a striking one, in many respects.