The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-21 00:00:00

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HER MAJESTY'S T
The season has commenced, any
with great eclat. Her Majesty's
Saturday evening, and opened, as\
opened since Mr. Lumley assumed the
nagement, in a manner which reflectKibe
credit on his enterprise, taste, and assiduity. The
opera was Verdi's Ernani, and the artistes, with the
exception of Gardoni, who appeared in the character
of Carlos, were all new to the English boards, but
before the conclusion of the first act they had all
established themselves as first-rate favourites. The
following was the cast :
Don Carlos, the King Signor Gardoni.
Ernani Signor Cuszani,
(his first appearance).
Ruy Gomez de Silva Signor Belletti,
(his first appearance).
Elvira . .
(her first appearance).
Mdlle. Sofia Cruvelli is, if we mistake not, des•
tined at no distant day to become the prima
donna, par excellence of the Italian lyrieal stage.
She has only just completed her musical education,
and is not yet twenty years of age, and has appeared
for a short time only at the theatre of La Fenice, at
Venice, where her success was immense. Where
Mr. Lumley saw her or heard of her we know not,
but we congratulate him on having been enabled to
secure the services of one in every way so calculated
to sustain and to enhance the well-earned fame of
her Majesty's Theatre. She is beautiful, and possesses
that freshness which youth alone can give. Her eye
is most expressive, and her finely developed forehead
gives an air of intellectuality and majesty to her
whole demeanour. Her action is graceful exceedingly,
and her elocution fervid and impassioned. Her voice
is one of the finest, most perfect sopranos ever heard,
clear, rich, even, and sweet; its compass is most
extensive, and in her lower notes there is a depth of
intonation, a clear ringing silvery tone, which is
seldom heard in soprano voices. Her first songs
" Sorts I la notte " at once obtained for her a favour-
able attention, which her fine acting in the scene with
the King which immediately follows secured. From
this moment to the conclusion of the opera, the part of
Elvira increases in intensity, and Mademoiselle Sofia
Cruvelli was always found equal to the demands
made upon her. The last scene was a perfect
triumph, and the success of Mademoiselle Sofia
Cruvelli was complete. Equally complete was the
success of Signor Beletti, the new baritone. Rich,
deep, clear, pure, and flexible. his voice is one of the
finest baritones ever heard; it is cultivated up to the
highest pitch of perfection, and his intonation is per-
fect. There is about the voice of Signor Beletti
none of the tremulousness which so marred some of
the finest efforts of Fornasari, nor any of the rigidity
which is too commonly the fault of this quality of
voice. His acting too was very fine, full of dignity
and pathos. His opening scene, " Infelice e tuo
credevi," at once stamped him as an artist of the very
highest powers, and was received with an enthu-
siastic encore. Signor Cuzzani, the new tenor,
was suffering from influenza, notwithstanding which
he went through the part of Ernani with infinite
taste and feeling. His voice is of very pure quality
and his intonation beautiful. His appearance is
greatly in his favour, and he is a first-rate actor.
Gardoni, as Carlo, sang the music (transposed to suit
his voice) with that exquisite sweetness and expres-
sion which characterises everything he does. He
makes a great part of the King, which none of his pre-
decessors have ever done. He looked exceedingly
well, and was in admirable voice. At the con-
clusion of the opera all the artistes were called
before the curtain, and were received with the most
rapturous applause. Then came " God Save the
Queen," and nothing could exceed the splendour of
the coup (foil presented by the house at this moment;
every box was occupied, and then when the company, in
honour of the national anthem, rose and came forward
to the front of the boxes, was realised the gorgeous
imagining of the artist who first suggested the
bouton d'or decorations for the hangings. Each
box was a framed picture. The pit and
the stalls too were crowded, and the
effect of the whole was gorgeous. The
orchestra, under the direction of Balfe (who on
his first appearance was greeted with enthusiastic
applause), is greatly improved ; indeed nothing could
be more perfect than their performance of the music in
Ernani on Saturday evening, and the choruses are
admirable. Then came the new ballet Fiorita; ou La
Reine des Elfrides, one of the most beautifil
and consequently one of the most successful
of ballet creations. The scene is laid in Sicily, and
the scenery, by Marshall, is exquisitely beautiful.
The groupings in the second tableau are some of the
most exquisitely classical and tasteful ever exhi-
bited, and the concluding scene, in which the queen
of the Elfrides is turned into a statue, and in which are
introduced several beautifully designed fountains of
real water, is perfectly novel, and drew down
rapturous applause. The great feature of the
ballet, however, is the dancing of Rosati, and of
the young Marie Taglioni. Rosati is now a perfect
dancer; there is the same complete mastery over the
difficulties of her art which she exhibited last season,
joined to more grace and elegance ; she now com-
pletely possesses the ars celare artem, and therefore is
she now truly great. Her reception was most enthu-
siastic, and:she would have had to repeat every pas more
than once had she attended to all the encores with
which she was greeted. Marie Taglioni has returned to
us greatly improved in her art, and still retaining the
delightful.naleete, one might almost call it fascinating,
simplicity of childhood which constituted the great
charm of her dancing last season. She does great
things, without being apparently conscious of it. The
two promising artistes of last season, Mesdemoiselles
Julienne and Lamoureux, have more than fulfilled
the promise they then held out, and bid fair, ere
long, to take their place in the foremost
ranks of their profession.! The ballet, which is by
M. Paul Taglioni, was mounted in the most superb
manner, and its success was decided. The house
was crowded in every part.
Her Majesty's box was occupied by the Duke and
Duchess of Norfolk and the Ladies Fitzalan Howard,..
Viscount Morpeth, and Lady Mary Howard, &c.
In the Queen Dowager's box were Lord and Lady-
Ernest Bruce and party.
Among the general company in the boxes and
stalls we observed—His Excellency the Russian Mil-
nister, the Baroness Brunnow, and Mdlle. Olga die
Lochner; his excellency the Hanoverian Minister,
his Excellency the Sardinian Minister, his Excellency
the Swedish Minister, the Duke of Welling-
ton, the Duke and Duchess of Montrose, the
Marquis of Clanricarde, the Marquis of Done-
gall, the Marquis of Ailesbury, the Earl of
Munster, the Earl Granville, the Earl of Lonsdele,
the Countess (Dowager) of Essex, the Viscoiant
Cantilupe, the Viscount Clifden, the Viscount So-
merton, the Viscount and Viscountess Seaham, Laxrd
Sandys, Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, Lord SuffieLld,
Lady Charles Somerset, Lady Webster, Lord Dun-
more, Lord and Lady Holland, Lord Gardner, Lady
Fremantle, Sir John and Lady Bailey, General the
Hon. C. Cavendish, Sir George-Wombwell, Sir Ralph
and Lady Howard, Major-General Sir Alexander- and
Lady Woodford and the Misses Woodford, the
Count de Bearne, M. de Berg, M. C. lioudriaffsky,
M. Canofari, Colonel Stanhope, Colonel Cricht on,
Colonel Brownlow Knox, Colonel Knox, Major
Baring, Major Buckley, Mr. Hubert de Burgh, TA.Ir.,
Mrs., and Miss Trelawney, Mr. B. Trelawney, Mr.
Craven Berkeley, Mr. Henry Broadwood, M.P., Mr.
S. Lane Fox, Mr. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Eleimg,
Captain Smith, Captain and Mrs. Townley, Mr.. T.
Knox Holmes, Mr. G. Cornwall, Mr. 0. Mo re-an,
Captain Gerard, Mr. Barry Baldwin, M.P., Sze.

STRAND THEATRE.
The new management of this theatre by Mr. Oxl parry
continues to improve in public favour, the entertsin-
meuts are now well selected, and put upon tne tit :age
with care and judgment, and if the same pains be t ken
with the forthcoming novelties as has been with, the
pest, success and a full treasury must be certain. The
performances on Saturday evening commenced with-. the
romantic drama of The Denouncer, in which. Mr.. E.
Laws—an excellent actor—sustained the part of Cl aisle
Dunaude witk much ability. The character of 'Viet°.
rine was allotted to Miss Love, who, in the acting of the
part evinced talent of a high order. Then followk a
new and very clever and burlesque opera, by the author
of the Norms, which was produced some time ago at. the
Adelphi, entitled Lucy of Lammermoor, the leading; in-
cidents of the romance are adhered to very strictly, and
the burlesque is every evening hailed with loud ap-
plause. The acting of Miss E. Terry, as the broken-
hearted Lucy, was the very cream of burlesque. her
manner of singing the parodies was excellent. Oxtesrry
was the Colonel Ashton, whose rich deep voice told 'with
great effect in the diferent pieces of concerted music
allotted to the part ; Edgar of Ravenswood foundl. an
efficient representative in that excellent actor Yarn old ;
Rogerson as Lockhart was very good. The enter Lain-
meats concluded with the admired comedietta A
Roland for an Oliver, in which Miss Egan appearod. as
Maria. Miss Jane Coleman made a pretty and inte fast-
ing Mrs. Selbourne. A beautiful little ballad, compos.ed
by Lee, was sung by this young lady very sweetly, and
was honoured by an encore. Mdlle. Louise Mane he
appeared in the course of the evening in one of )e'er•
fascinating pas. The house was well attended.

The Right Hon. the Speaker of the House of
Commons gave his second Parliamentary dinner om',Ba-
at his temporary official residence, in
tuartdoany. vesociusnrien,
.g
His Excellency Lord Howard de Walden, the
British Minister at the Court of Belgium, arriv,ed. in
London on Thursday night, from Brussels, on a elbcrt
leave of absence.

His Excellency Sir Stratford Canning leaves vn
this week, accompanied by Lady Canning and daug las rs,
for Constantinople, to resume his diplomatic fun( :tic fis
as Ambassador to the Sublime Porte. Lord Cowl ey
returns to England within a month after the arrival of
Sir Stratford.
Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston gave a g rat !d
entertainment on Saturday last, at their mansio a 111
Carlton-gardens.