The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-30 00:00:00

THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA,

Iladlle, Lagrua's Norma,

The eighteenth season of the Royal Italian Opera
commenced last evening. And Mr. Gye ought,
certainly, to be satisfied with the success of its
inauguration. For, an opening night could hardly
have gone off more brilliantly or more auspiciously.
The magnificent hoese itself was filled throughout.
It is never, in the ordinary acceptation of the word,
crowded—each occupant of a seat there (even those
relegated to the pit and amphitheatre) having plenty
of elbow room : but last night, we repeat, it was
filled in every part, and looking superbly. If there
was no conspicuous novelty apparent in the mere
selection of the opera chosen for this first night's
performance—there was, at least, one especial
attraction (there being also several minor attrao•
tions, visible at a glance to the eye of any habitué)
in the cast of the ekef d'oeuvre thus, and with good
reason, picked out for the first night, from the
Royal Italian Opera's ample repertoire, Bellini's
lovely lyrical tragedy of " Norma" has often, of
course, been (as it certainly never can too often
be) heard in this country— heard season after
season, and that alternately, sometimes simulta-
neously, at both houses—at Her Majesty's of late
years with Madlle. Titiens as the High Priestess—
at the Royal Italian (until now) with Madame
Grisi as the love-lore Druidess, a character in truth
which, it will long be remembered, was high up
among the glories of la Diva! But last evening
" Norma" was heard for the first time with Made-
moieelle Emilia ',True as the heroine of the grand
lyrical tragedy. The first night of the season was
the first night of Madlle. Lagrua's appearance, hero
in England. The debutante was there, moreover,
upon the scene of so many of Grisi's triumphs,
was there to rival one of Grisi's most renowned
impersonations, was there, in fact aspiring to
occupy the position of Grisi's successor. And, as
the result of her triple daring, we may now say,
at once that she has not only aspired to it,
e'le has assumed it. Mademoiselle Lagrue's
success last night was unmistakeable. Even
from the frigid and fastidious audience of
Covent Garden she extracted round after
round of applause. Called before the curtain at the
end of the first of the two acts--her success being re-
cognisable from the very commencement—the fair
soprano was again summoned to the footlights at
the conclusion of the opera, thence retiring, at the
close of her first night, amidst a burst of =lama-
tions;the cordiality of which had about it, as a.token
of her success, a very manifest significance. The
wonder, perhaps,
would have been—remembering
her antecedents—had the result been otherwise.
For, during several years past, Madlle. Lagrua has
enjoyed a high reputation, among the highest repu-
tations, as a leading soprano in both hemispheres,
in America as well as in various parts of the Euro-
pean continent. Hence, possibly, the early fresh-
ness of her lovely voice has apparently passed away
already, before her advent to England. Though,
when saying
this, we cling to the belief that our
impression, as to its being so, may prove
to have been suggested by the not unna-
tural nervousness incident to every debutante, no
matter hew familiar already that debutante with
the lyrical stage elsewhere. Judging from appear-
ances there was
night,oremera o
tainflylasnto
either in her
one touch of timi-
dity about the N
acting or in her singing, but—in lieu of any signs
of timidity—every token of the most complete self-
possession. Nevertheless, either from the hidden
nervousness we have supposed, or from the disap-
pearance already of the earliest freshness of her
voice, the exquisite organ of Madlle. Lagrua
(excepting only upon three or four rare and for
that very reason, of course, thrice-welcome occa-
sions) seemed to lack the resonance requisite to fill
the immense building, and the capacity to soar
now and then above the harmonious tumult of
the orehestral accompaniment. It appeared to us,
in fact, that Madlle. Lagrua last night was for
the most part singing under her capabilities. This
it may be frankly said at once, was the most no-
ticeable where, for years, we have in Norma
been the least accustomed to look for any sense
whatever of deficiency, namely, in the " Oh non
tremare, o perfido" in the impassioned scene
with Pollio and Adalgisa, and immediately after-
wards in that same scene in the " Oh ! di qual sei
tu vittima." Grisi, however, in this, probably, has
taught us to be ovenexacting, as Pasta must have
done—in that character which was hers especially,
hers par excellence-4a the former generation.
Having made this one exception in regard to
the Norma of Madlle. Lagrua, we have said
all that we have to say—in the way of
exceptions. Otherwise her impersonation of the
High Priestess of the Druids was a trluraph both of
acting and of vocalieetion. Her every movement
is grace—her attitudes again and again were pre-
eminently statuesque. Personally she has the all-
essential advantages for a leading soprano, of hand-
some and intellectual features., of a finely developed
form, and of a noble bearing. Her rendering of
the famous '‘ Cas,,a which the Priestess,
armed with the golden sickle, apostrophises the
moon as the Goddess of the Druids, in the midst
of the kneeling multitude—was delicious through-
out, in every phrase, and note, and cadence the
audience at the close of it evidencing their appre-
ciation by their plaudits. Usually, this prayer is
sung by Norma with her arms extended towards
Heaven. Here, in the very manner of her delivery
of it, the Norma of last night, stood before us—excep-
tionally : her Lands, from the first note to tho last
—that is, of the " Casta Diva," and of its con-
tinuance, the " Tempr& tu de' cori ardenti"—being

calmly crossed upon her bosom. Indisputable as the
success achieved by Md lie. Lagraa was clearly in the
first act, that success was more than confirmed in the
second—it was very considerably enhanced, becom-
ing an unmistakeable triumph before the fall of the
curtain. Then it was, indeed,in the concluding moiety
of the opera that her powers were signalised at their
best and highest. Her " Deh l con te, con to li-
prendi," in which she commits her children (and
Pollio's) to the care of Adalgisi—her tender, loving,
bewitching " Qual cor tradisti, qual cor per-
desti," in which she 'makes her final and
at last effectual appeal to the heart of Pollio, the
perjured Proconsul whose affections have been
estranged from her by his later and fatal passion
for Adalgisa—above all, her kneeling, tearful, heart-
broken appeal to her father, Oroveso, the appeal in
which she invokes him to guard her little ones
from destruction—crowned, confirmed, completed,
we may say perfected, the triumph achieved last
evening by Madile. Lagrua. Hers in effect has
been a success justifying that unusual passage in
the Prospectus of the Season thus auspiciously in-
augurated—that, we believe, almost unprecedented
passage in an Opera Manager's Prospectus—in
which Mr. Gye thus announced the advent of
Madlle. Lagrua :—" It has never," said Mr. Gye,
" been the habit of the Director of the Royal Italian
Operajto herald forth the praises of artistes about to
make their first appearance at his theatre, however
great their continental reputations may have been ;
and in the case of the engagement of Madlie.
Lagrua it is not his intention to depart from this
custom any further than to express a very confi-
dent hope that this artiste will sustain in London
the reputation whic'i she now enjoys abroad,
viz.—that of being, in the Opera Stria, by
far the greatest dramatic singer of the period."
That confident hope of the Director has now been
realized.

We have said that the cast of the opera generally
was attractive by reason of its novelty as a cast—
Flavio and Clothilde being the only characters not
newly portrayed last night to a Covent Garden audi-
ence: the former having been allotted to Signor
Rossi, the latter to Madame Tagliafico. •It should
be remarked at once, however, that while Madlle.
Battu had, as announced, " kindly consented" to
assume the part of Adalgisa, she has by so doing
added yet another leaf to her already umbrageous
laurels. The same may as certainly be said of
Signor Naudin, whose Pollio may take rank at once
among his most gracious performances. Of the new
basso Signor Attri, we can hardly venture to pro-
nounce an opinion, hearing him as we have only
yet done as the Druid chief Oroveso—a chap
ratter affording him no opportunity for the
display of his possibly large capabilities, both
lyrical and histrionic, Signor Costa's ap-
pearance in the orchestra a‘n s the signal
for his great annual ovation—his matchless
dexterity in wielding the baton, as evidenced by
the performers both on the stage and in the
orchestra, serving yesterday to signalise anew the
secret of his popularity. The National Anthem,
it should be said, preceded the opera—the fall of
the curtain, at the close of Norma, being duly
followed by a divertisement, in which Madlle. Sal-
vioni re-appeared before her admirers.
To-morrow evening "Norma" will be repeated,
and on Saturday next Mario is to make his first
appearance this season as Masaniello.