The Press.
London, England, 1855-04-14 00:00:00

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ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN.

AFTER a protracted recess, the commencement of
The opera season was inaugurated on Thursday
evening by the performance of Rossini's 11 Conte
Ory, the characters being sustained by Mine. Bosio,
Mile. Marai, Mlle. Didiee, Signor Gardoni, Signor
Tagliafico, and Signor Zelger. With the exception
of Signor Gardoni, who happily takes the place of
Luchesi, the cast is precisely the same as upon the
previous performance last season. The light and
sparkling music of this opera, despite much that is
meretricious, is yet so fresh and glowing in melody,
and so exquisite iu harmony, as to take rank with the
finest inspirations of Rossini. It is essentially a master •
piece of the Italian school, and, as such, the music
proved to be peculiarly suited to the voice and acting
of Gardoni. His pure and graceful execution of the
brilliant and airy passages was unrivalled for facility
and exquisite feeling. The opening aria, " Amici
ciel pietoso," was given with the most expressive
sweetness, and in the difficult duets with the
Countess, especially the " Si, nel socorro mio,"
and in the finale to the first act his singing was
perfect. In the second act, in the unaccompanied
prayer, " A to sole, 0 donna," the effect of his sweet,
melodious voice was much injured by the coarse
and uncertain execution of the chorus, who
appeared to have neglected a rehearsal of their
parts ; but in the duet, "AM qual rispetto, 0 donna,"
and in the terzetto, "Di trema," his execution of the
florid and difficult passages was of the most refined
and expressive brilliancy. His acting, moreover,
was throughout spirited and perfect, and we may
well congratulate the subscribers upon the acquisi-
tion obtained to the strength of the company in the
engagement of Gardoni. Mme. Bosio, who per-
formed the part of the Countess, found the rich
fl rid music of this opera admirably suited to her
powers; nothing could exceed either the delicacy and
finish of her execution even in the most rapid and
difficult passages, or the excellent taste with which
she avoided all extravagance in her delivery of the
brilliant morceaux which belonged to her part. In the
duet, " Soffrir, penare ognora," and in the soli, " Ancor
pavento," and " Venite, ore►l partiamo," in the first
act, her singing was remarkable for purity and
finish ; but in the " Quel vii the insulta " her exe-
cution was superb. Mme. Bosio is undoubtedly
a most accomplished and conscientious artiste of
consummate ability. Her voice is strong and
unimpaired, and from the smoothness, delicacy,
and perfect finish of her execution we anticipate her
achieving great triumphs this season. Both Gardoni
and Mme. Bosio were well supported. Mlle. Marai,
though with a weak and thin voice, yet possesses
great musical acquirements, and performed the cha-
racter of holier° with every success. She sang the
duets with the Count with great taste and expres-
sion, and in the trio, " Di trema," both acted and
sang to perfection. Mlle. Didiee played Ragonda,
an ungrateful part, with intelligence and effect,
while Tagliafico supported the character of Bairn
baldo with great humour and thorough dramatic
power. In that difficult aria, "In quel deserto loco,"
he evinced peculiar skill and talent, and was warmly
applauded. Signor Zelger was a fair Preceptor, but
the part is rather beyond him. In conclusion we
must neither omit to notice the execution of the
Evviva l'allegria " and the " Beviam, Beviam di
cor," both of which were admirably rendered despite
the uncertainty of the chorus—nor the efficiency of
the orchestra, which as usual, was perfect. Alto-
gether the performance was beyond average ex-
cellence, but the audience were far from enthu-
siastic. The applause, except that awarded to M.
Costa upon his appearance in the orchestra, was
meagre in the extreme. Not one single encore was
given, and when the curtain fell the singers had
scarcely an excuse for coming before it. However,
we are glad to see that R Conte Ory is likely to be
one of the stock pieces of the repertoire. Though
the plot is slight enough, and the libretto possibly
about the worst that watt ever written, yet the
sparkling melody and the expressive and impassioned
beauties of the music will ever obtain for it the
character of one of the brightest and most fluent of
Rossini's compositions. After the opera " God save
the Queen " was sung by the whole company, and in
lieu of the new ballet, which the illness of Cerito has
unavoidably postponed, the evening concluded with
the pretty ballet of Une Etoile, in which the dancing
of Mlles. Battalini and Esper, supported by M.
Deplace, Mr. Payne, and an efficient troupe of
cor)pbees was much admired. The house was
fashionably, but by no means fully, attended.
II Conte Ory is to be repeated to night, and upon
Thursday next Beethoven's Fidelio, in which Mlle.
Jenny Ney and Signor Tamberlik will appear, is to be
performed by express desire of her Majesty, who,