New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-11
MI SICAL INTELLIGRNCE.
THE OPERA.

The production of Rossnl's LItoliana an Aigieri
ought to be good fortnighs novelty; but unhappiy
the variety less than the quality of the music afforded
at the opera constitutes its claim upon our Intelligent
public. When manager produces new work-or
revives an old one-in Europe signifies this much:
Here s production of geniusit has patent as well as
reconcile Beauties the latter can only be understood
after several hearings and after they are understood
their interest increases and does not abate then be-
sides this the production of the opera has cost weeks
Tor months) of careful study, rehearsal and musco-
dramatic corporations, to which must be added the
labor Of scene painters and decorators costume
makers copysts and Others the whole requiring con-
siderable outlay, only to be compensated for by
liberal sustenation the part of the public of this
particular piece If it prove fdscO or failure, why
of course the manager, having run his risk, must
swallow gracefully his defeat but if good thing, he
expects, and generally finds, his remuneration in the
run of the piece. Here, however, the object OF
the opera-gong public appears to be to find out how
many operas they can gulp down in a season,
and not how much lyrical instruction they can
derive from repeated consideration of the same
work We are aware that an answer to this may be
found in the fact that the whole, when an opera
does please the public it is played first and last great
many times though at the outset it may hang fire, or
fail to have theatrical rlh. That is true; but then
there are other operas whose merit cannot be denied
which, though new to this public, have not been pro-
PEELED into second week-nct even fairly launched,
but ike the Leviathan, stick on the stocks. OF this
class are the operas of ROssn who certainly surpasses
all other musieo.dramatic writers in the variety aud
universally of his genius Since the Garcia days, and
we speak of course from tradition in naming them,
would be difficult to name al opera OF Rosslnls IN
Italian which has had run in NewfOrk-Cmderela
in English being selection from various works OF his,
not properly coming under the list The Immortal
Barter does not draw two consecutive houses SemHd-
aidc cannot certainly fill three; liidm Id fell, after
an eructation olcurosy, dead and so FORTH We think
if the public would study Rossini little. more, they
would find him the noblest Roman of them all. Take,
for example the last presented work of hisL Ndldna
which, though not as the playblls have II, pro-
duced for the first time in this country is brand.new for
our public. The wondrous decorative power of
Raphael is not more striking in his art, than Rossnis
exhibits in this work. If he had not written the Barber
this Ialiana would be the finest of comic operas,
dispute the palm with his CcnercnOld Every note is
as fluent as the mountain stream; l. propelled
by an eversble law, and to gambol in healthy actv-
iy The plot of the piece is unreasOnably bad but
notwithstanding Rossini manages to cover it over and
really,makes the audience think they are enjoying
consistent whole The overture is gem, aud there Is
10 bad piece in the opera. As TO the execution Labo
cetta never sang so well; his Longuir per ma beHa
was by all odds the best of his efforts this season
CASTER too can do ROssinS music Ii Is satisfactory
fair at a period when musical studies have become par
tally obsolete and bid to become entirely underline
present regime Of camorous mediocrty to find artists
who have learned thertrade-haye their organs
to do something beside defamation, and that generally
not of the highest cahber While such buffo as Rocco
Is on the stage the traditional old Italian comedian
be who taught all Europe its dramatic business, Snake
speere included-s not dead. For il must be remem-
bered that all theaters have worked up out OF
iay, aud that even in her she yet out
oi her iulre~s produce Rstor Is well a Rossini
Inc coniIaHo, Nine. Angri, is only second in the
| quahiy OF her organ to Alboni. As an artist Nine.
| Angn s great. She is equally good in the gypsy in
Trorofore, AMI in the lady in the Halana. The in
| troductien o! Non 17a mcsta at the close Of the
HaloHd, as scintilating wind-up may b. parloned
for is off the sane piece with the rest of the music
and stands from the day when it wa: written. some
foy-odd years since, up to the present moment, I'M
riyacd as great tOur-dctoycc air. The same remark
as regards proprety Of introduction cannot be applied