King's Theatre.
The Times, 1824-08-16T00:00:00

The Italian opera closed on Saturday eveninK. IWozyart's splen- lid work, ll Don G'ovanni. in wlich is comprisel all that is grand, and mucb ot' what is playfut in Music, was selected on this occneion. .Decics rceetitz placeO;t. Is there one who has heard this opera nerformett. that did not, when he saw it a-ain announced, congratu. late himseif on having so precious a pleasure in reserve ? It would have been well, if, during the season, lIozart's admirable operas had been brought more frequentlv before the town. But, il Gran Moestro having been placed at thie headt of afitirs, gave, rs was perfectly natural, the preference to his own prodluctions. The conse. quence was, that we had scarcclv an opera except of Roesini's composition. It was, as Yomng Mirabel says, " #oup for breakfast, soup; for dinner, soup for supper, and soup for breakfast again." Of novelty, either with reference to pieces or to pertbrmners, there was very little. Thecomniitteeofnobletnen,or tleir Ifeends, boasted thiat wonderful things would certainly be eflected, butt the " parfurinnt snontes" ended, as usual, it thc " ntoscilitr ricalns mtts." Tihree pieces, new to the Britisit public, were broaught out-Zeltnira, ilo- meo r Gilieltla, and Serniramide. Zel;utira, thoughi a pleasing, anl, in some respects, a line on)era, abound(s in passages pilfered front other worksof Rmssini. Mingarcllh's opera of Romeco c Gin- liettl is decidedil vzediocr,. Some isolalateel passages are good; but, taken as a whole, it mnust be viewved as the work of a man wlto possessed a considerable knowledge of the mecianism of' his art, but who was althost a stranger to the ardent feelings and noble inspira- tions which, in the tnind of' genius, it always proluces. .eSmirao mide is a composition of very rreat osetit. It mtust rank aMongst the best productions of Rossini. Ve now come to the tsew per- formers. We had Mladame Colbran Rossini, who evidently la.s been an excellent singer; but we want the talent that burns brightly and vividly before us-not the unsteadyv anid flickering ray, which inr- dicates the aporoacloing extinction of light. .hatlame Pasta ntext appearcd, and though her praises in France were rather overstrained, she ossanifestedl powers of a very fine order. Her style of singing Di tanti palp ti" pleased us rnore than that of Ala(lame Cata- lani; thougih perhaps,as, it is an air given to a young hero, Madame Catalani's idea was the tnore correct. Pasta was all tenderness, Catalani all fbrce. The former could not throw aside the gentle feelingsof the woman-the latter assumed, withi powerful effect, the boltl and energetic feelings of the man. WVe admire the latter effort, because it was true to the scene-we love the fortmer, because it was the out-breathing of nature. Amongst the new perforniers, there were also Remorini and Benetti. Remorini, a man of very con- siderable talent_Benetti, a person of very humble ability. Such is the catalogue of the new operas and of the new performers. Ot (Garc:a, Curioni, the De Begnis, and Placci, it is unnecessary to sneak; their merits are too well known to need any critical notice. t he on,era on Saturday nierht was well representeil. Garcia, as the recdcless libertine, was full of gaiety and animation. De Begnis, who performed the character of LeporelPo, was very atnusing. This gentleman has nsuchi of the liulotir of Naldi, and Ite hass the ad- van'sge of a more pleasing and flexible voice than that celebrated bInb possessed. Mladame Ronzi de Begnis sustained the character oftheC ommander'sdaughoer most admirably. Nor must we omit lo notice M1adatne BatiolT, who appeared as Elvira. She is rapidly overcotuing the timidity whiclo marred her earlier efforts; and, in proportion as her confidence has increased, the good qualities of her voice, and the correctness of lier judgnsent, have becetci more and msorc apparent. The house was crowdeti almost to suffbcation. At thec close of the opera, the vocal corps came forward and sang " God save tlw King " in a very indifebrent style. The last verse was so ill exectted. that it called forth a pretty general manifestation of disaporoval. Ve have heard that tlte sea- son has not been very successfoi. This, however, we must say-that in no preceding year do we recollect to have seen more crowded au. diences. Undoubtelly, the proprietors have got entangled in the altnost interminable web of a Chancery suit, which, it is to be sup- posed, must have considerably lessenel their profits. KING'S THhErI TRE.