The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-05 00:00:00

r scatters them upon the cold and unpitying earth! But
1 this period of tribulation past, is not all repaid by that
i wild, full-toned exclamation of delight,
"Oh! gioja, oh gioja—lo ti ritrovo, Elvino!"
The finale, " Ah! non giunge," is the real gushing
over of a heart, to which the streams of life have been
suddenly restored. Nothingeould surpass the enthusiasm
with which this fascinating artiste was last night re-
ceived. The moment of her entrance in the third scene
of the first act was anxiously expected by the audience ;
and then there was a burst of cheering, accompanied by
waving of handkerchiefs, which lasted for upwards of
a minute. The opening notes fell like oil upon a trou-
bled, boiling ocean, and charmed all to silence. A burst
of applause followed this first passage ; it was . one of
mutual congratulation : the throat of the nightingale
had lost none of its sweet and soothing power. Num-
berless as are the points worthy to be noted in Mdlle.
Lind's dramatic conception of the part of Amina, they
are only adjuncts to her splendid vocal performance. It
is as .a singer, and not as an actress, that we are now to
speak of her, and hero we find excellencies still more
r,quarkable. We shall net at this time attempt to spe-
cialise every beauty which marks her performance, but
shall confine ourselves to the most prominent character-
istics. Enough has been written long ere this to make the
public acquainted with the peculiarities of her voice ; it
is nothing new to say that it is a soprano slogan) of
singular power and brilliancy, about the compass of two
octaves and a half of good notes; the upper register
being surprisingly clear, full, and equal. Flexibility is
one of the most striking attributes of this wonderful
organ. In two particular feats of vocal art, Mdlle. Lind
has, perhaps, never been equalled. One of these is the
facility with which she accomplishes what the French
call (and we have no synonytne for the expression)
filer k son, that is, holding a note for an unusual length
of time, increasing and diminishing its volume of tone at
will, until at last she brings it to such an intense
pianissimo that, as Sheridan Knowles has poetically
written—

The other feat in which the Swedish
" Nothing lives 'twixt it and silence."
Nightingale so
wonderfully excels is the sotto voce, which she has so
completely at control that in the softest pianissimo she
commands as much variety and intensity of expression
as in the passages of mezzo voce, or those of energy and
Mdlle.
fioriture. These and many other of Lind's vocal
peculiarities are frequently called into play
in the music
of Amine., and perhaps they were never more happily
exemplified than in last night's performance.
But to mention some of the great features. The cavatina,
" Come per me sereno," in which Amine gives vent to
the happiness she derives from the influence of external
nature, is a fair example of real cantabile singing. Al-
theugh ornamented, it is ornamented with such grace
that the composer of the air could not but have felt
gratified to have heard his melody so ingeniously and
happily embroidered ; the cadenza, beginning with a
trillo, deliciously in tune, which joins the first and second
couplets, is both new and elegant. Almost every phrase
of this charming cavatina was followed by suppressed
bursts of delight, which at the end exploded in a com-
plete tumult of applause. In the plaintive duet, " Sovra
it sen la man," the theme of which was given with ex-
quisite tenderness, Mdlle. Lind prefaced the repoise of
the burthen with another cadenza peculiarly original
in form, and executed with extreme finish. In this
duet a good opportunity was afforded for the
sotto voce singing we have elsewhere parti-
cularized. The duet at the end of the first
act (or rather first scene, for the curtain only falls
to give the Amina time to change her costume) we par-
ticularly admired the soft expressions with which the
graceful ensemble, " Mai pia dubbi," was given, to which,
by the way, Gardoni lent valuable and sympathetic as-
sistance. flore the cadenza re-introducing the theme
was as remark-able for its elaboration as for the perfect
case and finish with which it was executed. The morccau
at the end, without accompaniments, " Pur nel sonno,"
which is of itself nothing, was rendered singularly ex-
pressive by the charm of Mdlle. Lind's voice, and the
exquisite simplicity of manner with which she delivered
it. The curtain fell amidst the loudest acclamations,
and Mdlle. Lind was compelled to appear twice before
the foot-lights to be again and again applauded. In the
first grand finale there was no particular vocal point to
remark, except the well known " D'ume accento," in the
morceau d'eusemble where Amine protests her innocence
to Elvino. This was a fine display of passionate
tenderness; and the wonder was how Elvino could
have been cold enough to remain sceptical to such an
irresistible and impetuous an appeal. At the fall of
the curtain Mdlle. Lind was again compelled to come
forward, and was greeted with a shower of bouquets.
But the triumph remains to be told. The last scene is
also the greatest; and it would be difficult indeed to ima-
gine anything more impressive and beautiful. From the
instant that Amine descends from the window of the
mill to the last burst of exultation, when she finds her
innocence acknowledged and her lover once more at her
feet, Madlle. Lind's singing was a succession of beauties.
It suffices to mention, en passant, the tenderness with
which she whispered the words, " Rea non son io,"
the pathos that accompanied her prayer for Elvino's
happiness, " Felice ei sia," and the touching plaintive-
ness with which she uttered the lament for the
withered flower, " Tibacio ancor, ma, inaridito sei!" But
the largo in the minor key, " Ah non credea mirarti," we
could willingly dwell upon did space and the late hour at
which we write permit: it was the perfection of expressaive
vocalization, involving a purity of intonation, a roundnes.s
and elegance of phrasing, and a power of sustaining the
breath impossible to surpass; the long shake, pianissimo,
preceding the final cadenza, quite enraptured the
audience, who were enthusiastic in their demonstrations
of satisfaction. But still more brilliant was the celebrated
cabaletta. " Ah non giunge," in the execution of which
Mdile. Lind lavished her vocal accomplishments with a
liberality and independence that was only surpassed by
the unerring surety with which she accomplished every-
thing she attempted. The thema, with slight modifica-
tions, was delivered according to Bellini's text; but in
the cadenza the gifted artist revelled in the indulgence
of her vocal facility, introducing an arpeggio which ran
through the entire register of her voice, reaching to C
in alt with amazing power. In spite of the singer's
exertions, the audience would have no denial, but in-
sisted upon a repeat of the cabaletta, with which unrea-
sonable request Mdlle. Lind gracefully complied, dis-
playing little or no signs of fatigue. The curtain de-
scended amidst the loudest acclamations, and again the
heroine of the evening
was twice brought before the
footlights. We can only passingly notice with praise
the performance of Gardoni as Elvino, in which he
exhibited the vocal grace and artistic skill fur which he
has been so often lauded.
F. Lablache was pains-
taking and effective as Rudolpho.

(From the Post.)
From two concurring circumstances, this theatre pre-
sented last night one of the most striking spectacles we
ever witnessed, At five o'clock there were already vo•
taries of Jenny Lind posted at the pit and gallery doors;
later, the crowd stretched across the street; while the
spectators covered the
Pavement for a long distance, up-
wards and downwards. When the doors opened the
rush was eager beyond expression • but new precautions
had been taken, both on the gallery stairs as well as at
the pit entrance, to prevent the consequences of pres-
sure. The pit and gallery were filled at once to an
overflow, and long before the erformance began, the
stalls were filled, and the major part of the boxes
tenanted by a crowd,
amongst whom we observed the
highest personages of the land—the display of rank
and fashion, as the list of company will testify, being
greater even than on occasions
of visits of state. Her
Majesty the Queen Duwage r arrived before the ap-
pointed hour, and exactly at eight o'clock her Majesty
and their Royal Highnesses Prince Albert and the
Duchess of Kent appeared in their box. At the
sight of the Queen there arose a shout of welcome
that seemed to shake the very roof of the building ;
it partook in no degree of the character of ordinary
plaudits; it bespoke,
in a peculiar manner, intensity and
depth of feeling. The performance immediately com-
menced. On the appearance of Jenny Lind a far more
familiar scene arose. She was received with applause,
waving of hats and handkerchiefs, and short compli-
ments of welcome from every part of the house, which
at one moment appeared as if they never would end. We
had foreseen yesterday, and announced the astonishment
which would be experienced by all competent to appre•
ciate vocal art. Jenny Lind was found at once last night
superior to herself last ;year. At first the auditors
s, and the
marvelled at the increase of volume of her voice; the
quality of tone at the same time being such that, how.
ever poor the comparison, we can only compare it to
the sound elicited from musical glasses, but. the vibra-
tion dwelling on the ear long afterwards, w.ith.a peculiar
penetrating power of extraordinary fascination. The
next circumstance that struck the audience with amaze-
ment
capableh of being
we have. heard before; not
singer--now
ltmor
iueindi
it, was
wt
rto‘hld,ehucharacter t
hotehfyi tsh e
marvelloussustecl n est !, n
prolonged at will for any given time,
.wit out effort of
iteration—the sound pure and. argentine, beyond every
instrument and every other voice. The embellishments
of
fhe fascination of the singer
l ike heard,
in
passing inspiration. introduced resembled nothing
only so bright and playful, but so involved and chro•
matic, and at the same time
.s? germane, to the musical
subject and the dramatic position, whilst in appearance
The
nhoautusreaal,papneadrtehdeworffaspppreindgisn
applause more eche.
went than any we have ever witnessed., Mdlle. Lind
at —atan
ooneth another
momentmom e :to
breakingsilent tuheavtiennrtotev whispervralftonremssaendc e
t,
kweas
we
Mademoiselle Lind had to support the
was called forward twice after the first act, and twice
recalled at the last, the whole house joining in shouts
onlyan y theatre.
to ad d
and cheers as well as plaudits. The scene was beyond
description striking. We
have
thatA
whole burden of imparting amusement to the au_
dience, every other singer labouring under influenza
Gardoni was still so ill,
.that it became necessary tO
suppress the most beautiful morceaux of
-- his part
As regard regards
Mademoiselle Vera, who with great. good taste under-.
took, in order to gratify the public, a part very inferior
to her talent, as well as Frederick L. a.blache, managedhowever, to get over their portion of the evening's
per-
formance with great credit to themselves. What we
have reported did not, however, constitute the greatest
enjoyment of the night. .After the second act there w
an outburst of loyalty of such intensity as to form a p as
nunciamento of the most gratifying description. -11;;:"('
distinguished company that filled the pit, the stalls,
and the boxes, as well as the close-pressed crowd in
:
the gallery, all joined in the loudest calls imaginable for
the National Anthem, accompanied by the warmest and
the most varied expressions of respectful loyalty, directed
to the royal box. The scene when the whole house rose
was brilliant beyond description. in the course of thee
anthem every allusion was seized with eagerness, loudly
commented upon, and still more loudly cheered In -
word, we have only to repeat. that a more gra.tif. a spectacle than that of last. night we never beheld, andu
never hope to behold again, as it is very improbable
'Nvo circumstances of such peculiar excitement Should

tWUCUI'.

(From the Herald.)
The re-appearauce of Jenny Lind last night was tho