The Express.
London, England, 1859-04-04 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

The new Covent-garden Theatre opened far the
Royal hell= Opera season on Saturday evening with vary
favourable promo= of encase. We underatand that the
subscription Y large, both for boxes and stalls, and en Sa-
turday night dame parts of the how, had • brilliant and
fashionable sepia. The pit was crowded—though it is now
reducel to such narrow dimensions as to have become quite
insignificant—little better than • nun*. How different
front the old days of the Italian Opera—the days
when the pit was the focus of musical amaMmino, and
‘. Fops' " was the favourite lounge of the fashionable
lfmnew•s of the day. The upper regions were well tenanted,
and altogether there was an excellent home. We trust the
augury of a good num will prove moth ; though the lawn
will doubtless find it an arduous one. He has, very unex-
pectedly, got rid of his old and formidable rival, Her
Majesty's Theatre; but he will probably find a new rival of
a serious daseripekm. The Drury Lane manager is about to
take the Geld at the heed of a powerful force; end each pasty
will find it necessary to exert himself to s` hold his
own." Competition will be good for the public, pounded
that both competitors are able to stand their ground ;
and this we think mey be the ease, for Italian opera now
=joys in London a degree of favour much more general
then at any former period. We merely mention the fact,
without at pneent speaking of its muses, or inquiring hew
far it is desirable that the English metropolis should lure
two great foreign musical theatres, without supporting a
single English opera-house worthy of the name.
The open of Saturday was the Zander*. Will thla
tern out to be the beginning of another Verdi season like
the last, when both the opera-houses gave us
the Trovatere end the Trendies every week—not =-
frequently both houses giving the one or the other
of those pie= on the game night? If so it be, we shall not
think ourselves settled to complain. We shall not blame the
managers of either house ; for a manager will naturally give
those things which fill his house. He will give them be-
cense the public desire to have them ; and though, for our
poor part, we are heartily weary of the Innate and the
Trorato"", we are far from setting up our own impression
sealant the general feeling. Pieces which attract so greatly
and so long mmt have qualities intrinsically attractive;
and this, at all events, is certainly the case with the
Truest ors, which is probably the beet of Verdi's works.
Whether considered M a dramatic c r • musical point of view,
it is • strange mixture of good and bad. The plot ent iui.
dente ere unnatural, and se alaurd that it is actually =pos.
tibia to relate them intelligibly; while aU that poetics which
filet., to the glpere vengeance has a wild and startling
horror that =prams us in spite of ourselves. Then, with
regard to the nnuic—emid much that le Delay, commas.
place, and trivial even to vulgarity, them are really fine and
striking impiratices ; and these, it can scarcely fall be ob-
served, are almost all to be found in the =am fa which
the gir sy beers a part. The Nene of the
gipey camp, with the chorus and dances interrupted by
Amicena's wild, passionate tale of her wrongs and her terri-
►le tevenge, is the best thing in the opera; and the whole
music of the last act, Including the famous peens of the "Him.
nee," displays power as well as beauty. When we com-
pare there pastimes with the oahaletta of "Tama la nolo,"
and such like trivielitier, we can hardly imagine thin
so d.fferent emanating from the same mind.
Oa Saturday evening there were two new a.piranta to the
favour of the English public; Sigeora Lotti, who appeared
in the character of Leonons, and Signor Detareini, who per-
fermed the part of the Count di Lona. Mlle. Lotti may be
cleamoterieed i• one word—she Is charming. She has all the
bloom and freshness of youth, end her beauty le of a kind as
rare as It is touchier ; for it Is the beauty of form and
fasten united to the visible signs of • beautiful mind. She
is of middle stature ; her figure Is elesile,, but premien
to grow fuller; bar herd is of the Grecian type, and her ta-
rsier features vast intelligence and feeling. She hes a pare
soprano voles, w►ose beauty can hardly be exaggerated by
, descriptive. It is at once MIA and brilliant,
and is emitted so freely that it puma from the
softest planbeimo to its utmost strength without
strain, effort, or the slightest loss of sweetness. As an
artist she has sunithtng to learn, both In Merl= and acting.
Her execnUen was ocoasioneliy deficient in animation and

Inisb a defect especially apparent Is her aria gringrata,
most usgratefal recreate, (Or it is florid and devils, without
grace cr twaaty. She was, too, overwhelmed with timidity,
sad this air, her fist nosy, did not give proaVte of what she
afterwards achieved. Neither has she yet gained that
fandliarity with the Maga which to obits an actor to give fall
GOOF' to the passion of the scene. Bet bee def, els, as it *p-
pm= le as, ore those of youth sod inexperi,nos, while she
hos the gifts and qualities of a great performer. tier mop-
ties was warmer and warmer as her powers developed them.
selves, end hose smear was complete. Bigtor Debassini is a
bardeeme OWN ',blowfly no longer prang ; and his voice
shows Item tithe weer dad tear of time and exertion. He
looked and toted the Imperious table very well, and .4ag
Ulm a pal ausitdsn• le the single air of any importance
whkik below tote part—" II bales del rueserriso,- which
bee gained so much popularity from the mellifluent tones of
Ora:lent —his went of ouch tones mused disappointment; and
though he gained an Encore, it was not without opposition.
We cannot form a judgment of Signor behassini e powers
from a single perforrow e ; but we ate inclined to think
that ho will be a valuable performer.

The other characters were flied by well-known pubes...
was the Gipsy, a pert in which her powerful
otetralto dies is very effective. But her " making-up "
wee uncouth end frightful. Arum* @Mold be a mod of
Nig Wordily., grand and pletoresque; and Wife'. adios,
bodies, wes too violent —an siaggeraaed Imitation of
Kedatne Vierdot. The part of Maarbro wee seeteleed in a
sedimentary manner by Signor Ned Beraldf. He certainly
did not teatime the idea of tha gallant young warrior ;
bet he sang with much Erne and eweelaun end well de-
served the applause he received.
The seise ins wes was rich end splendid, and Costa's mag-
nificent bend was in full bros. That emellest chief, when
he took hie place in theorobesers, wee welcomed with rounds
of appears from every pert of the hooey.

Isens's great success which
attended the performance of Idendelseohn's dw Maria.
by the Vocal Association, has rendered it again neomeary to
Meat the work, with the whole of the dude to the opera of
Loral", on Wednesday evening neat, April B. " Two
Marches," composed for a military bend at Dusseldorf by
Mendalasohn, and a new cantata. " The Birth-day," by Wr•
Lindsay Eloper (both far the first time In public), will be the
additional attrastions of the evsainsee performance. The
bond and choir, under the direoticn of M. Benedict, will
number 400 performers.

"It is stated," says the Bieteacte, "that Rossini
stoat to writs ea opera in tea otb tae the Aoadlokis
bast:isle ds Musks' of Pati.."

DRAMA.