THE ITALIAN OPERA. •
THE past week has produced an occurrence of considerable interest, in the dailt of a young cantatrice, the avowed and favourite pupil of PASTA, who was prompted to the part of instructress solely from admiration of her genius. Signora Test appeared on Tuesday, in the character of Norma; a part written for PASTA, and indeed created by her, being in many particulars similar to the character of Medea, and bringing into action the same tragic powers. The young singer had to contend with the recollections of PASTA, and with the more recent but much infe- rior performance of the part by GRISI : hut she stood the test, and was not unworthy of comparison with her precursors. Though not equal to either of them in grandeur and force, we are not sure that she is not superior to either in tenderness. In the scene in which Norma, like Medea, hangs river her children in a paroxysm of contending passions, Mademoiselle Test's action was very pathetic and beautiful. She is an exquisite singer—though her voice is as yet deficient in power ; and it may be expected that she will become one of the brilliant stars of the Italian stage. Geist, who sat in one of the boxes, warmly applauded her yourg rival. DABLACHE appeared in the High Priest ; a part which, though a mere leader of the chorus, he has invested with a grandeur entirely his own, and which certainly never entered into the thoughts of the composer. On Thursday, FANNY ELSSLER had an overflowing house for her benefit. FANNY and her sister are gs.ing across the Atlantic to asto- nish and refine Jonathan.
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