The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-01 00:00:00

Last night Marlemoiseile &mini performed the
part of Maria, in "' La Figlia del R-gginiento," for the
third time, and we may fairly deem ourselves sufficiently
acquainted with the peculiarities of her interpretation ti
determine her position.
On an auditor who Fat with closed eyes. determined
to hear the performance of a mere cantatrice, the effect
of h-r Maria might not be remarkable, for even in the
singing lesson she does not e:11 ixxce thoi;e opportunities
for vocal display which have been caught with avidity
by her predecessors. But to the spectator who sits with
his eyes wide open as well as his ears, and takes in the
general combination of figure, countenance, gesticula-
tion, and singing, the eff, et is ab,olutely charming.
Rarely indeeddo we see a part more adequately eater],
and we use the word not av a commonplace, but as the
most accurate expression to denote h iw thoroughly,
casting aside all the rest of her nature, Mademoiselle
Ficcolomini becomes the little vivandiere she undertakes
to represent. The playful air, the saucy look of uncon-
ventional independence, the light trotting march, like
that of a child playing at soldier=, are the very perfec-
tion of naivete She is a living picture, that could not
be altered without d,driment. Then how pretty is the
mariner in which she clogs and looks (we are not com-
mitting a solecism) the air " C:ascun lo dice," which in
the Lind-days was rigging through every street in the
metropolis. You feel that she is proud of her iJentity
with the famous " Undecitno Reggiioento," and when she
nguisbly looks round at the soldiers as she utters the
second half of !he line—

" Che.un f•CSSO tome, the l'altro adora,"
the coquetry of the woman is added to the esprit de
cops of the devoted comrade. When she parts with
her old friends she grieves liko a petted child ; she frets
because the bolydays are over and dreary scho*ime is
to recommence. When under the rule of her aunt, she
sings the some about Venus and Philnmel, and such like
drawing•room peg wising, till she can bear the heathen
infliction no t°neer, and breaks out into the darling old
"Rataplan," flinging the scroll of musie to the ground,
and commending it to powers below that level, she is
the same petted child after the arrival at school has taken
place, and the desire cf a rebellion begins. A higher po•
sition is taken when the solaiers once more crowd around
her, and she sings, " Patria !" By a slight
alteration of the text the substitutes "L'Falia" for
"La Petrie.," and as she extends her arms in the in-
spiration ,f the moment, and her eyes flash with new-
born zeal, her minute form expands into a sort of patrio-
tic allegory. Nor would our description be complete if
we passed over the manner in which last night she
acknowledged the reception of the bouquets flung at the
end of the opera by the more ardent of her admirers.
It was all of a piece with the child like character. of the
impersonation. She picked up the flowers with evident
gusto, heaped them in her arms, a+ a delighted urchin
would accumulate a collection of birth-day gifts, and,
when called before the curtain for the second time, most
hilariously reappeared, still clutching fast the fragrant
treasures. A "new sensation" is a very old phrase,
but that is exactly what is given by Mademoiselle Pic-
colomini. The Sergeant Sulpiiio is well sung by M.
Belletti, and M Calz,dari especially distinguishes him-
self as the love-sick Toni°. Indeed, his air, towards the
end of the first act, considered as a mere piece of vocali-
sation, is, perhaps, the best executed morceau of the
entire opera. Toe "frumpish" Marchioness is played
with much humour by Mademoiselle Borgaro, whose
formal thumping of the piano heightens the effect pro-
dm:ea by the contumacy of Maria.—Times.