CLOSE upon the heels of Mr. Gye's plain, business-like prospectus
comes a verbose et grandis episfola from the Haymarket, announcing, in stilted sentences and flowery language,that Her Majesty's—" that great and renowned Temple of the Muses"—will openfor the Italian season on Saturday, the 26th April. It is not, however, Mr. Lumley who is this year to preside over the fortunes of "the first lyric theatre in Europe." Mr. J. H. Mapleson, emboldened by his successful essay of last year at the Lyceum, is the adventurous managerwho enters the lists in com- petition with Mr. Gye. That, under ordinary circumstances, London cannot maintain two Italian OperaHouses, has been too often demon- strated; but in the present instance there is doubtless an opportunity for Mr. Mapleson to obtain a fair amount of patronage without seri- onslydetracting.from the prosperityof the other OperaHouse. Whether he will avail himself of it to its full extent is another thing.. His
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will notto thearistocracy as the exeot serve him unless he banks it up by more substantial at-
lusive supporters of Her Majesty's,
traction than fashion and prestige. The list of artistes engaged, though somewhat deficient in bassi, certainly presents as many attractions as could be expected, considering the extraordinary strength of Mr. Gye's company, but with two or three exceptions the operas to be performed are the most hackneyed that could well have been selected. Five by Verdi and five by Donizetti, out of a total of twenty, leave but scant room for the introduction of novelties. As for the rest, Roberto Diavolo will be revived as well as at Covent Garden, Oberon will be reproduced, La Nozze di Fi.garo given with a powerful cast, and .Der Freyschuis is hinted at : but, as in young ladies' letters, the most important event of the season was an- nounced in a postscript, which did not appear for several days after the first issue of the prospectus. The sisters Marchisio have been secured for the riles of Arsace and Semirantide, in Rossini's grand opera. None of the other operas, unfortunately, in which they are so familiar to continental audiences, are announced; but if the revival of Semiremide is only carried out with a splendour worthy of the reputation of the two principal artistes, Mr. Mapleson may depend on having at least one winning card in his hand. Madame Gnerrabella, who siarcely appeared half a dozen times daring her recent engage- ment It Covent Garden, will make her first appearance in I Puritani about the middle of May. Madame Kellogg makes her debut in Linda cr CA oasis early in May; and Madame Trebelli's first rile will be that of Asueena, on May 6th. The orchestra will be that of the Philharmonic Society, and Signor Arditi will be sole conductor. Saturday, April 26th, is to be the opening night, and Um Ballo in .Afaschera the performance.
" Vestigia nulla retrorsutn" might fairly be taken as a motto for the Monday Popular Concerts. Steady and uninterrupted as their success has been ever since their first establishment, Herr Joachim's engagement has recently given it an impetus, the result of which is that even standing-room in St. James's Hall bids fair to become out of the question after eight o'clock. Every concert of the present season, has ssessed some special feature of attraction, which has rendered it s• cult for any lover of music to stop away. At the last concert but one Herr Joachim created a perfect furore by his mar- vellous execution of a chaeonne bf J. S. Bach. Of the last, it is only necessary to say that it was Miss Arabella Goddard's benefit, and that she played the celebrated prelude and fugue elle tarantella by the same composer, to imply that it was even a greater success than the former. AMATEUR.
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