MUSICAL AND DRIMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9775, 23 March 1895, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRIMATIC.

At a recent concert of the Knr Orchestra at Franzensbad a new symphony (No. 3 in C minor), by Julius Major, was produced and adjudged an original and effective work in which the characteristic features of Hungarian music—Major is a young professor of musie at the teachers' seminary at Budapest much in evidence. We have had English, Scotch, Welsh, Irish, Scandinavian, Bohemian, Spanish, and American symphonies—why nob a Hungarian ! Is the Jew's harp a musical instrumental The question (says the Daily News) has been raised in the United States; for if ib be only a toy it will be liable to another rate of import duty. Most people with delicate ears would probably be inclined to negative the idea that any music could be extracted from this implement. But the authorities say the reverse, and one Charles Eulenstein, who died a short time ago at the age of over ninety, was a great performer in hip day. Eulenstein, in London in 1827, gained a Jreat reputation by playing upon sixteen ew's harps ; and be so delighted the then Duke of Gordon that he was induced during the next year to tour in Scotland, where, particularly in the Highlands, the Jew's harp is still said to be very popular. The name of the instrument is of course an absurd corruption of " jaw's harpbut in Germany, where most of them are manufactured, they are called "buzzing irons."

Mr. Oscar Wilde, encouraged by the favourable reception accorded successively to his "Lady Windermere's Fan" and " Women of No Importance," has made a third essay in histrionic construction, and has produced "An Ideal Husband." There is not very much of a plot in this piece. What plot there is cannot claim much originality, but this does not matter as it is manifestly designed merely as the frame on which to hang the elaborately manufactured epigrams which constitute Mr. Wilde's chief stock in trade. "If you make a clean breast of it," says an old statesman to a younger political friend whose conscience prompts him to confess a youthful peccadillo, "you will never be able to talk morality again, and if a man can't talk morality twice a week to a large immoral audience there is no hope for him as a politician : be can only fall back on botany or the church!" "Vulgarity is the behaviour of other people." " Morality is the attitude we adopt towards other people." "Too much rouge and not enough clothes." These are some of Mr. Wilde's verbal fireworks, and they go down well, says our London correspondent. I think the play will have a fair run, but I doubt its attaining a permanent pls.ee in the dramatic repertory. First as to the play itself—it is no use telling us that Mr. Carr has founded it upon the Malory " Morte D'Arthur" just as Tennyson did bis immortal poem. That is all very true, but unluckily we have all become thoroughly Tennysonised in our conception of the King Arthur story and even in the very words used by the chief personages that we unconsciously resent any attempt to alter the characters or to change their language. Mr. Carr did both quite legitimately—be did not purpose presenting us with a dramatisation by himself of Tennyson's poem. What he gave us was his dramatic version of Sir Thomas Malory's story. We understood this, but we could not shake off the spell that Tennyson has woven around us by means of his "Idylls of the King." When the Arthur legend comes to the front we are virtually hypnotised by Tennyson and can behold it only through his spectacles. And hence Mr. Carr's play was at a" disadvantage. Secondly, there were personal draw- . backs. It is no use pretending that Irving looked like the King Arthur of our , imagination, for he didn't a little bit. Tennyson has pictured to us a sort of . Lohengrin with a wealth ot golden hair and beard, a knight clad in shining armour and beating about with him a halo of demigodship. There is nothing like that about Mr. Irving's King Arthur, who might be the Black Prince or Brian de Bois Guilbert or any other mediaeval short-haired knight in black armour. Nor did he have any really good situation until near the end of the play. It might be added that physically Mr. Irving is scarcely suited to the part. Neither is Ellen Terry an ideal Guinevere. • But the guilty Queen is nothing if not the creature of stormy and overwhelming passion, and Miss Terry is not that.- And lastly, there were drawbacks even in the stage arrangements. Everything was as rich and lavish as ever. But the men had short hair. That seemed incongruous. And, as 1 have already said, the King seemed incon gruous too, both in physique and in attire. It would perhaps be rude to say that a more youthful Guinevere would have been more appropriate. Yet this was unavoidably felt by many. And the general effect was too much that of the different performers having each to come and speak his or her lines and then go off— much as is the case in Tennyson's "Queen Mary." So at least it seems to me. Nevertheless, " King Arthur" will hold ~~the Lyceum for months to come, and prove doubtless a fresh " Waihi" to those interested. It will be a matter of course for everybody to go and see ib, and perhaps some of my readers will have the opportunity of judging for themselves as to the correctness of my views. I anticipate, however, that there will be a steadily unobtrusive course of amendment where this proves advisable, and above all that there will be material curtailment of its present excessive length of over four hours. Two dramatic events of some importance have to be noticed. In most of the theatres the " runs" of favourite plays still continue. "Charley's Aunt," The New Boy," The Lady Slavey," *' The Shop Girl," The How Woman," " The Derby Wiuner," " Rebellious Susan," etc., do not seem to

abate one jot of their long popularity or to attract any smaller or less enthusiastic audiences, than of yore. But the Haymarket and the Lyceum have come to the front with two novelties which bid fair to achieve equal success.

The "Y\ eber Haus" at Hosterwitz, a suburb of Dresden, in which Carl Maria Von Weber composed his most popular opera, " Der Freischiitz," is offered for sale. Up to the present it has been kept in the same condition as in Weber's time.

There is some talk among actors out of engagement, both in Melbourne and Sydney, to form a " commonwealth" company, and endeavour to run a minor theatre on the " collection" system. Under this method of management no fixed rent could be paid, but more than one lessee is willing to let his theatre on a percentage. It is considered that very little would be made out jf the venture; but, on the principle of balf-a-loaf being better than no bread, the wrperiment is worth the trying. It would it any rate keep the wolf away from the door. Another good suggestion is to form a " commonwealth" company, and play at one shilling and sixpenny rates.

: Sir Henry Irving has started a discussion among Shakesperian echolars in England by his recent utterances concerning Macbeth. He told a body of Manchester students that he did not hold the popular notion of Macbeth's character. Macbeth according to Mr. Irving is one of the most minded, hypocritical, and self-seek-ing characters in Shakespere.

Madame Modjeska, the celebrated Polish tragedienne, drew £100 a night steadily for the first eighteen nights of her season at Lemberg, Austria. The ban against her presence in St. Petersburg, caused by reading a paper at the Chicago Fair on the woes of Poland, has been removed, and she is to make her re-appearance in the Russian capital in March. Madame Modjeska owns a country seat in the Carthians, where she has such neighbours as Faderewski, the De Reszkos, Sembrich, and Josef Hoffman. The last-mentioned has grown into a young man and commonplace pianist. v

The Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh was crowded to the doors recently, on the occasion of the production for the first time of " Jeanie Dean," a now Scottish opera by the talented Hamish MacCunn. It was but natural that enthusiasm should reign supreme, for the occasion was unique. Scott's works have been used for operatic purposes before, and Danizeth's " Lucy of Lammermoor," Bizet's " Fair Maid of Perth," and Sullivan's " Ivanhoe" readily occur in this " connection. But a Scottish opera, composed by a Scottish musioian, and 'produced for the first time in the Scottish capital, was a unique combination of ' circumstances peculiarly appealing to national pride. "i M U3ICO-DRAMATICCS.