French Opera: Diamants de la Couronne

“The beautiful little Théâtre Francais was well filled at yesterday’s matinée by an audience principally composed of ladies. Auber’s charming opera, The Crown Diamonds, was presented on the occasion. We have spoken of this work at length before, and it is only necessary to add that in the performance yesterday there was a marked improvement. The chorus and orchestra are much better in every respect. Mlles. Naddie and Laurentis were charming in voice and acting, as usual, and M.M. Anthelme and De Surmont far excelled their previous efforts in their respective rôles. The cool, phelegmatic Robeoleddo [sic] [Rebolledo], a perpetual source of annoyance to the nephew of the Minister of Police, was well played by M. Walter. The Minister of Police (M. Chol) acted fairly but sang poorly, his voice being weak and strained. It is like enjoying a bottle of champagne after dinner to go from the solid feast which Beethoven and the other great classical composers spread out before the musician and spend an hour or two at the Opéra Comique. The music is indescribable. It scintillates through the lively, never tiresome dialogue in a manner so different from the formal, stately Italian opera that it must be heard to be appreciated.”

“The hall at the French Theater was packed at Saturday’s matinee. The ladies, above all, were there in great numbers. The performance was excellent: never was the Diamants de la Couronne better played. One knows how much the matinee audience, composed mainly of ladies who don’t applaud, is relatively cold. This coldness couldn’t hold up against the exquisite delicacy with which Mlle Naddie sang the second-act aria Je veux briser ma chaine, and the bravos broke forth from all directions. M. Anthelme pleases more and more; the same for Mlle Laurentis. MM. Surmont, Walter and Chol were also praiseworthy. The orchestra rendered the charming andante for violins that begins the overture perfectly, and showed itself most favorably the whole day, as did the chorus. This performance assures the success of Saturday matinees.”