The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-22 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Fon some time past the more fashionable portion
of the Covent Garden supporters have complained
that the constant and almost exclusive performance
of German music has gone far to deprive the Royal
Italian Opera of its distinguishing characteristics,
and loud have been the clamours for a greater
allowance of Italian music. Donizetti being quite
" used up," and Verdi at a discount, we presume
the manager has determined upon the revival of
Matilda di Shabran, produced last Monday, as a sop
to these frondeurs. The history of this opera we be-
lieve to be this :—ln the year 1821 Rossini, being in
the north of Italy, was requested at a very short notice
to write an opera for the carnival season of the
Tordenone or Apollo Theatre in Rome. At first he
declined to do so, but upon being greatly pressed by
the mangement to meet the emergency he proposed
to make up a pasticcio opera out of materials he bad
already used. His offer was accepted, and an opera
intifa, Matilda di Shabran, written in ten days, was
the result. Any person familiar with Rossini's music
will at once, on hearing this opera, suspect the na-
ture of its origin. Though there is a perpetual flow
of melody in the vocal score, and much brilliancy of
instrumentation, we are at every turn met by some
familiar phrase which we have no difficulty in recog-
nising as belonging to one of the gifted author's
better-known and more successful works. If the
opera were of shorter duration, or its action in any
degree intelligible, it would, as what the Italians call
" musica Imp," be ever listened to with pleasure ;
but, wedded as it is to a libretto positively in-
sane, and occupying as it did three hours and a half
in representation, it can never render any lasting
benefit to the Covent Garden treasury. The
heroine was excellently represented by Mme. Bosio
indeed, we have never seen this lady in a part
which, musically speaking, gave us so high an opinion
of her abilities. The melodies she gave with great
expression and feeling, and her execution of
the difficulties with which the part abounds, espe-
cially the rondo finale, was beyond all praise. Mine.
Bosio is no actress, and, as far as we can judge, will
never be one ; but in those characters where the in-

terest attaches exclusively to the singing she cer-
tainly stands at present without a rival on the
Italian stage. Mlle. Marai as Odoardo made a very
favourable impression. She sang with great accuracy,
and was deservedly applauded. Sig. Ronconi enacted
the buffo character of the opera, a " wandering
minstrel " of the middle ages—it need hardly be said
with success, for in what character did be ever fail ?
Tragedy and farce are alike familiar to this gentle-
man, who by the truth of his expression, the excel-
lence of his vocalisation, and last, but not least, the
clearness of his enunciation, shows himself the
first singer of the day. Sig. Lucchesi is not fit to be
a principal tenor in an establishment of the first
class : the sooner be is got rid of the better. We
sincerely wish that the ballet, except where it is in-
cidental to the opera, were extinguished. It does
not possess any attraction, and nobody stays to see
it. The manager would do far better to let the cur-
tain rise at half-past eight, and confine his bill of fare
to the opera.
DRURY-LANE.
THE musical public have been taken quite aback by
the sudden appearance of an opera at this theatre,
and one, too, of no mean pretensions, inasmuch as the
company numbers amongst its members several
singers of reputation. Mme. Caradori is the prima
donna assoluta, Mme. Sedlazek the prima donna,
Sig. Pavesi the tenor, and M. Formes the basso. This
last-named gentleman is also announced to be the
regisseur of the theatre, though what that office may