The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-04-26

some other of Verdis operas have come, Tro-
rotore, for example, airs from which we hear thrum-
med on every piano, or have dinned in our ears bv
every hand-organ. 1t is altogether a very clever
composition, and has merits which, though they NAV
not make it as popular with the multitude, will
commend 1T far more to the appreciation of the crit
ic than IL Trorotore. For the tbretto of the Opera
we have weakness. We have been taught in the
catechlSm, or if not in the catechism, in sermons
that we are "corrupt and depraved by nature, and
desperately Wicked" Weare afraid that we are. We
confess to secret relish for the story of La Tar1aa
FOR u.s. 1t possesses, even in the OPERA much of the
tragicinterest which attaches to the French novel; La
Dame dur eanelias, from which the plot is borrowed
1t is terrible story of real life, perfectly simple
and natural in its incidents, not at all suited,
one would suppose, to the purposes of dramatic,
much less of an operate representation. 1t is
tragedy in which there is nobody killed-nobody
even wounded, and the only hemorrhage, there
fore, is that which proceeds from the lungs of TIE
consumptive heroine of the plot. Nobody is even
poisoned, unless it be the same poor invalid who
patiently receives from the hand of her at
tendant the medicine prescribed by the docSo",
and who coughs and presses her handkerchief to her
lips, and slowly dies by inches through the whole
performance. In word, there is nothing meo-
dramatic about the story, which is simply that of
the love, the sacrifice, the illness and the death of
an erring woman of that unhappy class, for whom
no language contains more appropriate desigpa-
ton than the Italian one of La 7raviata, the Lost
One. For the correct presentation of such plot
upon the lyric stage, it will easily be understood,
that histrionic, well vocal powers, of the high
est order are required. When, therefore, we say
that Madame GAzzANIGGA acted as well as sang the
part OF Iioeita to perfection pay high but de-
served tribute to her merits actress as well as
a vocalist. There was n womanly tenderness in her
expression of Violeta's love for Aired and traric
power in her delineation of the wasting effects
of gradual disease. During the whole of the
last scene, and particularly in the duo with
Alfred (Brignoli), she both acted and sang most
pathetically. Her voice is in quality a pure
liquid soprano of very considerable compass
and of exquisite sweetness. BRIGNoLI and AMoDIo
who figured respectively Alred Gern,ont the lover
of Tioleaand George Gmon, the father lat whose en-
treaty Doea sacrifices her love for the son were both
in excellent voice. and sang their parts superby.-
1t is lucky, however, for AMoDIo that his full round
barytone voice is not tenor, for his Fastaan pro-
portions would sadly interfere with his acting the
part of the melo-dramatic lover, who in OPERAS is
generally supposed to be gifted with a tenor voice
As the respectable father, however, of roue son,
over whose morals he undertakes to exercise pater-
nal oversight. his size gave weight if not dignity
to his appearance and reproaches. For the Basso
proper, and the alto there comparatively little to
do, and the three parts we have mentioned are
therefore, the only which require special notice
vi these it is but just to say, that each and all per
formed admirably, and that the whole performance,
including that of the orchestra fully redeemed the
pledges of the Manager. We were glad to see the
prOmpter's box dispensed WITH and the nuisance
to which we were subjected at the HOLIDAY STREET.
when uLLMAN was here, avoided Nothing is more
calculated to the effect of fine singing than tie
constant undercurrent of sound created bv TIE
prompters voice, repeating the words of the oocra
loud enough to be distinctly audible over the whole
house
The long walk over to the theatre its awkward
out-ot-the-way situation, and its very incomplete
appointments, suggested to us again, what we have
before discussed in the columns of the Erchanoe.
namely, the necessity for an accessible and convent
ent Opera House. The Holiday Street is too small.
and the Front Street. though large enough perhaps,
in addition to the disadvantages we have lust men
toned, is badly constructed. Its acoustic proper
ties are very defective and unless the SINGERS come
forward to the fooghts, in many parts of the house
the sound is almost lost. Still, both parquette ard
boxes were filled on Saturday night with numer-
Gus and fashionable audience, whose hearty appre-
citation of the delightful musical treat which the
performance of La Trdrida afforded them Will in
duce Manager STUART, we hope, to give us another
opera night In the event of another performances
the only hint which we have to offer is that on
Saturday night, the intermissions between the acts
were entirely too long, unnecessarily protracted the
performance, and sometimes severely tried the pa
tience of the audience.
At the HOLIDAY STREET to night, Miss CUsHMAN
commences her engagement by playing Romeo To-
morrow night and the next are also Shakespeare
nights, King Henry VII and MacJeth being the
plays selected. In addition therefore to the re-
gious revival, which are told is in progress in
this city, we may safely anticipate during the pres
est week a theatrical revival. If it should lead to
renewed interest in the drama, and direct attention
to the matter Of public amusements, as a great So
cial necessity, for which most inadequate provision
Is made in Baltimore, shall be disposed to con-
slider Miss CUsHMAN, not only as a great artist but
public benefactress