The Express.
London, England, 1857-07-10 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Fro Dian,lo, in its new dress, was produced last
night at the Lyceum, with a success well deserved by the
elm sad skill with which the Italian version has been cm-
nand. The opera, indeed, to a considerable extent, Las been
vs-written; and the rilatiottnto has employed the Joint
taints of tho dramatist and the temperer, both old own now,
who must have laboured eon emote upon one of the most
lailliast works of their younger days. Scribe has thrown
the spirited spoken dialogue of the original piece Into • lyrical
foe..; this has been rendered into excellent Italian; sad
Amber has worked it into music, glowing of the fife and
sparkling with the brilliancy which characterise his happiest
works. In this new portion of the music there area kw,
sad but • very few, recitatives; the greatest part of it, ma-
nning of careened pieces, in the busincse of the scene is
carried on with great rapidity and animation, slid at the
same time with perfect clearness ; while the car, I.llottlatlf, lb
delighted with graceful and melodious phrases, and the deli-
cious play of the ors hates. The original music of the
spars, we need hardly say, Is to • great extent of
the rens kind ; and the great beauty of the new
sawn he, that it is entirely akin to the old—quite
shriller in style and spirit—so that a person unacquainted
with the opera (if we could puppies any person to be
naacqualated with Pie Dictate) could never imagine that
the old and the sew have an interval of nearly thirty yaws
between them. Probably no foreign opera has ever been se
popular on the English musical stage—when we had one.
It Ire been performed times innumerable, not only in the
metropolis but in every town in the three kingdoms, till the
mune. of its characters bare almost tax-time household words,
and its airs an familiars. English Lolled., And its popularity
is well merited. As a melodrama it to one of the happiest
things of Its class; constructed, in regard to plot awl inci-
dents, with all Scribe's unrivalled skill; full of gaiety
and comic humour, with enough of the serious an-I the
romantic to create excitement and interest ; awl (a thing net
to be despised) admirably calculate lbw the displayed' musical
end scenic affects. From all these calve* it happens that
whenever end ►owsoever it is reformed, Fro Mara', is sure
to canoed. Ws bars seen it many time, and in many
thsotras at haws sad abroad ; and we have never owe sees
k fail r (Ms pleasure.
Noah bang the rear, its SWeeMS last night was a matter of
wane. The performance wee in miry respect ad-
unable. Gardo•i was the brigand in the cane
d the gay, oh -gout, insinuating Marquis of lan

Hares. He acted tho part with consummate skill
midiedgmeni, preitery Mg the .month exterior of the assumed
chancier, end allowing transient glimpeee of the concealed
roam He sing beautifully. and we do not remember ever'
to ban beard the favourite aim (which Brahma made so
temiller to English cars) warbkd with more delightful effect.
Thebafo wog, which °gam the third act. was admirable ma
far ea his singing went ; but we du not like the air itself—it
is laboured, heavy, awl quite at variance with the situation.
Hoskin. the Zurlina, and a more captivating little enstadirta
It would be difficult to imagine. Iler looks, her
attire, her acting, her singing, were all portent. The
part in the original piete, though exiieedingly
chinning, ia not very strong in a musical point view ; and
bee now been strengthened by a Learura air, taken front an
elder opera of Auber's—Le &count, if we remember rightly.
It la a brilliant compleition, sad was brilliantly sung ; but
we could hero dispensed with it, for it was wit of keeping
with the simple character of the little rustic. Lord ltoeburg
eat lady Penela his wife Wiwi Lord anil L•ly
VIM personated by !Macon' find Mille. Mani. Itunconi'a
English tonne wae a capital satire on the elms of our
conanymen who are to be seen at this very time on
bard of every Rhine steamer, and to the highways
sad byeways of every part of Europe. There is not
much music in the original part, but it is strengthened by a
clever buffo song, and by the prominent share given to it is
the concerted seems. Mille. Mere'. Lvly Atte cab, ton, le
excellent, both in acting and singing. Loren., the Captain
of Cambiums*, is the walking gentleness of the pies ; bet
the part has pretty lOUSiC, and it is I seellently sung by Novi-
Bar.ildi. One of the nest remarkable features of the whole
piece WU the performauee of the two bandit., Oiennolo and
Heppe, by Ledger and Taglialico. They were a pair of mad
quaint and amu►ing ruffians, and the now concerted movie
which they sting is among the very beet in the opera. The
aeon in the first ant between these smithies and their chef
le vaned into a trio en very masterly and dramatic that It
reosived a Mud sad unanimous encore.

•
The Owe lime got up ins runner worthy of the Royal
Italian Orem The choruses were elmiratily sung, the
orchestra plays& meet delnetely ; and the apeeterle was u
brilliant and pieturesque as it could poenbly be mole on so
mon a stago. Tb Performance, however, is somewhat too
long. ends few eurtailinoits, we think, might be made with
edrantage.