New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-08
pnrodi,

orera was altogether better doot than on Monday.
Parodi was in perfect possession Of her powers
and giving herself to the part, sang much more
freely and fully than before. The house was very
full AID the applause sincerer than on Monday
The Prma Donna struck the feelings Of the aadi
ence electrically at times although as No have re-
marked before, her points were dramatic. rather
than vocal She was called out enthusiastically
after each act, aud responded to final call! pull
ling Sienorina Patti forward 70 snare the honors,
although she had already changed her dress we
may record this performance es continued, Il
not an increased success on the favor of the audi
ence. and we take the occasion to state more
fully our impressions Of Parodi
Her voice is a me=~o soprano Of fair range, but
of no very rich quality or Hexibility. Her con
trato tones are strong but not sweet and she uses
them altogether too cxtravagantly for proper CT
feet. Thus in thc mo st tender ofthc airs "qnm
cor tradasta,' she falls into this hard cOntralto
upon what should be the most tenderly reproach-
full line, Con del Ronuni tn Se1 con me- Her
vocazaton is fair, but not remarkable 1t Is not
careful singing. Her voice occasionally breaks,
and she forgets her voice in her acting, which con-
fuses the mind OF the spectator to whom the slng-
err should be always more prominent than the
actor The style is clearly that OF Pasta, 1t Is
large and grand in it's character rather than exqul-
site and delicate, although are not sure that
she would not be more successiuiln roles not
severely tragic. The most decided bit that "a
! rodi made in London was in Haleyy's Tenn
pesto the song of Trinculo-which is not OF the
deeply tragic kind Her voice also is often false
n 10 . li11p
out once coming into perfect accord with TIE or
chestra. This is a defect of some very famous
singers. Rouconi often used to sing nearly q
sclncne out of the true key.
The good points Of her voice are its tuinesa ard
evenness, and a force which is very effective
! These are indispensable auxiliaries to tine lyrl
cal success and they made q marked impression
upon the audience.
| FIVE regard Parod dramatically, we find much
| of the same general characteristic arising doubt
less from natural constitution. If we may judge
from what we have seen manifested for two eve
nings upon the stage, we should fancy Prodi to
be woman of strong, willtul nature almost
unto grossness These are, so far, splendid
dramatic elements but they are no more
They no more ensure dramatic success than the
Bass Drums and Double Bases alone, ensure
fine music. They are elements of the kind that
demands inccssant, careful and most vigorous
| training, sotening and subduing. 1t was undoubt
! edly this force of nature that hrst drew Pasta to
| Parodi. For Pasta was clearly woman OF re-
markable power, which had been educated and
balanced into the most magnificent of manners.
| She WIS great MS Medea, ana if we mistake not
was the original Norma.
Pustas influence has evidently been very great
upcn Palodi Her conception and rendering OF
Nome continually suggest the idea OF study
Of dey Oted and admiring and approaching lmlta-
| ton Perhaps this is because she is known to be
Pastg's publ; but there two reasons why VIC
suspect tie Judgment would be sustained even by
those who did not know that fact. Because
! elc does not impress ms n woman capable OF
great original conception, and because the feeling
att the opera is OF tagmentary chects-hcre
good,vocal roint and there good dramatic hit,
but not sense Of artistic variety OF conception and
| decacy.
The general idea of Norma is not derived from
the Librctto nor yet from the music. The Libretto
~ only hint sufficient to evoke in our minds the
idea of Il Druidcss-derved from a thousand
eUulces-as the Libretto Of Gluchs lpplgente IS
sufficient to summon Greece and the Greeks The
music throughout the opera is mourntul BolEnl
wss essentially an ecgiac composer. By consti-
,utional necessity he wrote only what was the
tender and sentimental, and hence although like
all men of that temperament, his imagination was
struck and excited by grand images, like that OF
DIudess, yet his faculty was entirely unequal TO
it, and lis music is inappropriate and Inadequate
! 1t is always Enthusiastically delicate aud
beautiful,-the same sad wall of melody with
( intermittent pulsations OF accompaniment, but
I the very musing melancholy mood which IL
leaves in the mind shows that, however tine IN
itself did not satisfy the occasion hence there
is q constant conflict in your mind as you watch
the progress Of the Opera, between the love mel
odies, that lap you on Venetian waters and the
folns and actions Of the figures and scenes
Throughout the Opera there are bat one or tive
melodies that leave this monotone OF melancholy
In ma man, attn ter SCI and the trio at the end
Of the second act are in a somewhat different
strain but they arc rather reproachul than fiery
in themselves, however they may be sung.
AS this is the character of the music and n lyri
cal drama SHOULD be mainly interpreted through
the singing an artist whose style and feeling Is
rot tender cannot give the music its individual
and proper character; and so far we must say
that Parodi does not seem to us to seize the es-
sential meaning of the music however she may
represent what the music intended to cx-
press. But in these general remarks, to illus
trate our thought with another artist, it is clear
that Jenny Lind would sing Norma with refer
ence first Of all and properly to the muse Here
doubtless, was one great reason Of what was cal
led her failure in the role OF that opera. 1t was
because her artistic instinct held her close to
what had been disrcgarded by the other Normss,
namely, the essential character oG the nusc.j
But we are oveuunning all limits. Nor should
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