THE OPERA.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 55, 9 December 1871, Page 3

THE OPERA.

% This music crept hi/ me upon tlic waters ; Allaying hath their fury and my passion. With its sweet air. —Shakespeare. Tiie plot of “ Pipclc ” is taken from what I may term an incident in Eugene Sue’s “ Mysteries of Paris.” The incident is not astriking one, the plot is by no means complicated. The incident is that concerning the woes of the old porter and shoemaker Pipele, when tormented by a young painter,Cabriori. With this is mixed up the very necessary ingredient in all Opera, a little love, and the plot maybe described as follows :—A ridiculous old Avocat, Jaques, or Jacopo, (Signori)ondi), endeavors to separate a pair of lovers—his clerk, Carlo,(Signor Zeunari) and Rigoletta, a workgirl (Signora Coy), for the latter.'ho himself having a devouring passion;thc friends of thelovcrs,Paris ouvriers andgrisettes, headed by a young painter, Cabriore,SignorTourncrie,foil his attempts and manage to get a good-natured old porter and cobbler Pipele (Signor Grandi), to help them, after they have plagued him and his wifeMaddalcna,SignoraCortesi. The music in “Pipele” is quite diilerent from anything that has been heard since the short opera season commenced, yet it is not unsuggestive in parts of “ II Barbierc,” “Lc Comte Ory,” “La Traviata and other works. By this Ido not mean for an instant to make an inuendo in the way of {plagiarism, quite the contrary, for lam certain no plagiarism exists. The work of one author may remind one in places of the work of another, whilst the two may be, for all practical purposes, totally dissimilar. When I write, therefore, of being reminded by “ Pipele ” of operas by other composers, I do no injustice to the author of “ Pipele.” {And, by the way, this brings into my head the fact I have mentioned who the author of Pipclc ” is, a serious omission on iny part, because I am certain few, if any of us, ever heard of him until we' • saw his name printed on the books of the opera. The author of “Pipele” is Signor Ferrari, and having said thus much, I have said all I know about him. His Opera is remarkable to us, who have never heard any work of Offenbach's in one respect. In many places, the instrumentation, instead of being subordinated to the singing, rises into a greater prominence than the vocal work, so much so, that the singing seems to accompany the orchestra, and not the orchestra the singing. I believe that this is a quality possessed by all Offenbach’s works, but I am also told that, except in this respect, the music of “ Pipele” is different from the music of any opera of Offenbach's.. Besides its pleasant music, “ Pipele” will be remembered by me lor its introduction of Signor Grandi in a leading part, i had heard previously from those competent Jo judge, that his acting was something wonderful. In his case the reality has not exceeded his previously acquired fame. I can now understand how, as I am informed, many of our leading Colonial actors used to go night after night to see his I’ipete, when lie was performing in Melbourne, and used to come away asseverating that lie was a great actor. So he is : witness his drunken scene. His drunkenness is not offensive, it is not caricatured, it is not coarse, it is not exaggerated, and it is so comic that it makes you laugh until you realise a desire to lie down on the floor and have your laugh out comfortably. Except Mr Jefferson, I never saw so great a master of pantomime and facial expression assignor Grandi. He speaks a foreign language with his tongue, with his hands, eyes, and features; lie speaks a language which anyone can understand, and which makes us forget that we are not acquainted with the actual words he utters. Signor Grandi, I repeat, you are a great actor. I wish you were English, and I could see you playing some good old man’s part. In writing of Signor Grandi, I have almost forgotten the other characters, therefore let me pay a short tribute to the Rigoletta of Signora Coy, the Maddalena of Signora Gortesi (whose acquaintance, by the way, we should have been favored with previously), the Jacopo of Signor Dondi, the Carlo of Signor Coy, and last, the Cabriore of Signor Tournerie, wnicli was most excellent. and to whom I may apply the same remark as I did to Signor Grandi. In a duct in the second act. wuerc Cabriore and Pipele call each on his patron Saint to aid him, Signor Tournerie was really not a whit behind Signor Grandi. There is no need for me to mention the many particular beauties of the opera in the way of aria, duct, or chorus, because they are all good. It will be enough if I sav that of the five operas Signors Cagli and Pompei's company have performed. I regret most that I shall not have again an opportunity of hearing " Pipele. lonight we are to have the great " Nonna.” Incledon.