MUSGROVE'S GRAND OPERA COMPANY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11711, 22 July 1901, Page 6

MUSGROVE'S GRAND OPERA COMPANY.

" FAUST." . . The second revival of the Musgrove grand opera season was that of " Faust," which drew another crowded audience at the Opera House on Saturday . night. Gounod's delightful work again received an • intelligent and successful interpretation, many signs of approval being evoked by the elegance of the staging and mounting, and by the chorus and' orchestral. work.- Two changes were made in the original caste, ■ which had the effect of giving the production an added interest to those who witnessed tho former presentation. Madame' Slapoffski effected a triumph in the role of Marguerite. .She sang and acted in a manner which vividly portrayed the ill-fated heroine's gentle, yet passionate, character. .The great love duet with Faust in the garden scene, with its tense' undercurrent of emotional feeling, was forcible in the extreme, and the talented prima donna's appealing cry to her lover to come'back to her, and the realistic swoon of ecstasy as she suffered his embrace at the window, fairly brought down the house. It was a brilliant performance altogether. Madame Slapoffski sang with her usual beauty of intonation and delicacy of phrasing, and imparted real pathos into her vocalisation. Her death scene, with th© incidental pathos of the reminiscent music, and the effective final tableau, put a finish upon her impersonation which entitled her most justly to tho rounds of applause which greeted her. Fine as her previous work has been, this great artiste excelled herself as Marguerite. The Valentine of Mr. Max Eugene, constituting the remaining change in the caste, was a really good conception. "He was manly and vigorous, acting with force, as well as sieging with effect. Ho*. seized the great opportunity afforded to him in the trying and dramatic denunciation scene in the third act, and portrayed tho ; death of Valentine with dramatic intensity. ! His voice was in excellent condition, and he used it with an inherent art, which enabled him to" do full justice to his vocal numbers. Mr. Lempriere Pringle repeated- his great, performance in tho role of Mephistopheles, his fine-toned voice being heard to especial advantage in solo work, as in the concerted numbers. His impressive impersonation met with the appreciation it merited. , The Faust of Barron Berthald was also on the same par of excellence he exhibited oh the initial production of the opera.' His delicate treatment of the love duet with Marguerite in the second act evoked the greatest approval, his entire performance ranking very high from every point of view. Miss Lillian Boanas as .Siebel and Miss Enriqueta Crichton as Martha repeated impersonations already referred to as admirable ones. To-night, the company will produce the French opera " Mignon" (Ambroise Thomas), which should ensure popularity, as it is most melodious and of fairly light character.It is a free adaptation of an episode in Goethe's "Sorrows of Young Werther,". sketching the adventures of Mignon, who has been stolen by gipsies, is released by •Wilhelm Meister, and eventually restored to her father. ' The story is full of bright incidents, and gives great scope for scenic effect and brilliant costuming. The melodies are mostly popular, some of thorn being well known, notably the song, " Knowest Thou the Land," and the Polacea (Titania fair Tho caste will be as follows:—Mignou, Madame Slapoffski; Wilhelm, Barron Berthald ; Lothario, Charles Tilbury; Laertes, Clarence Leumane; Giamo, Gilbert King; Frederick, Madame Agnes .Tanson: Antonio, Mr. E. H. Sutton; i and Filina, Miss Lillian Coomber. To-morrow and on Saturday '.' Mori tana" will be staged: on . Wednesday,' Wagner's " Tannhauser;" Thursday, '' Carmen ' and Friday, "Lohengrin," the last-named by universal request. ■■•■■.■