The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-14 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE•

The season has commenced in good earnest. Lablache
—the great Lablache—greatest of singers and of men
returned to us in as good " case," in every sense of
:he word, as ever. He made his delnit for the season
last evening in a scena from the Matrimenio Seyretto,
ht. dancing scena, which every one who remembers
Lablache in this opera must also remember. In this scene
Lablache gives full swing to the wit, drollery, humour,
and " gag" of a Neapolitan buffo, and never was he in finer
cue than last evening. His voice—mellow, rich, and
flexible—seemed gushing with humour: his gag (such
gig, such a strange compound of English, French, and
Italian as none bnt Lablache could conceive, as none but
Lablache could utter) was full of wit and drollery, and
his dancing was superb—never did he exhibit his
powers, vocal, terpsichorean, or humourous in greater
force than he did last night. His son was the Conte
Robinson, and proved himself worthy of his sire; the
last duet, " Abbraciatao ci, " was splendidly
sung, admirably acted, and rewarded with an
unanimous encore. This scena was preceded by two
acts of Nino, in which Mademoiselle Abbadia made her
second appearance as Abigail. She was less nervous
than she was ou the occasion of her first appearance;
and, consequently, sang and acted much better, but it
was evident that she was still suffering from a❑ unde-
fined sort of dread of her audience, which prevented
her from doing justice to those powers which she undoubt-
edly possesses. When she shall have become more
used to an English audience she will, no doubt, show
herself fully worthy of her high Italian fame. Madernoi
selle Schwartz, the celebrated contralto from Vienna,
was to have made her davit last night as Orsini in
Lucretia Borgia, but, in consequence of the illness of
Mademoiselle Cruvelli, who was to have been the Lu-
crezia, the production of the opera was postponed till
to-morrow.

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA,
COVENT-GARDEN.

Mozart's Don Giovanni was performed here for the
first time this season, last evening, for the rentree of
Signor Mario, as Don Ottavio. Madame Grisi was to
have appeared as Donna Anna, but in consequence of
the illness of La Diva, Madame Castellan appeared in
the part, and looked the character to admiration. She
sang the music exquisitely, and infused into the part a
graceful feminineness (if we be allowed the expression)
which strongly reminded us of the perhaps most perfect
representative of the character that has ever appeared
—Henrietta Sontag. Mario, who was in excellent voice,
gave the exquisite " I 1 meo tesoro" with all his wonted
sweetness and expression, and Tamburini was the very
beau ideal of the 1)on. Madame Persiani, who was in
excellent voice and spirits, was the Zerlina, and was de-
servedly encored in the " La ci darena" with Tamburini.
Msdemoiselle Corbari made an admirable Donna Elvira.
The trio in the first act, in which she takes part with
Castellan and Mario, was exquisitely given, and of course
encored. Rovere was the Leperello. An Italian
audience would have been convulsed with laughter, but
his fun is of so local a character that an English audience
scarcely uaderstands it. The house was well attended.