"DON GIOVANNI" AT HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.
[DESCRIBED BY A CORRESPONDENT WHO VISITS THE. ITALIAN OPERA AT RATHER LONGISH INTERVALS.]
MT appetite for genuine Italian music (now rarely gratified, alas !) led me on Thursday to TAMBURINI'S benefit. The opera is one of my oldest favourites ; and though I have seen it variously monte for five-and- twenty years, it has seldom been more completely so than on this oc casion. There were two " misfits," however, in the persons of La- n...cue and the performer (I cannot call him singer) who walked through the part of Mazetto. LABLACHE, artist as he is, was unable to strive successfully against the violence of the contrast between his physique and the ideal Leporello. Imprimis, he was clothed like a " Baladin," or Merry Andrew. Secondly, he moved about exactly like a bear on his hinder legs ; and you felt pained to witness the effort with which he seemed to sustain the erect posture. Although he sang with his accustomed excellence, the character was so utterly travestied in his hands, that I trust never to see the attempt repeated. The Mazetto was a dried, elderly personage, with somewhat the appearance of a ci-devant hall.porter. The seductions of the gallant Dun were thus so feebly antagonized, as somewhat to impair the credit of his success with Zerlina. TAMBCRINI'S Don Juan was a fine performance; but a little more power of voice and action, especially towards the end, would render it more perfect. His acting, though graceful and captivating to a degree, was wanting in energy and fire, and his frantic efforts in the closing scenes lacked reality. The " gentlemen fiddlers" thought proper to mark their sense of the difference between a subscription and a benefit night, by delaying the overture till eighteen minutes past eight ; taking snuff and gossip. ing most leisurely after the tuning was completed,—probably by way of whetting the irritability of the audience. When they did play it, they did not put out their strength ; and, moreover, hurried and slurred the quick movement as if to fetch up the time they had dawdled away. Talking of the orchestra, LINDLEY'S unique accompi iii i i nein to "Butti, batti," would be better without any interpolation, at the end, of sundry extra notes, which robs it of its smoothness, and produces a disagree- able, fidgetty, scraping effect. The charming Guist left nothing to be desired in the part of Donna Anna, except that which she did not sing, viz. " Non mi dir, bell' idol mio." The suppression of this song has to be explained. But strange liberties are taken with composers and with audiences now.aalays. For instance, the song of " Vedrai, casino," was hoisted up from C major into E four sharps,—at least, so it struck my old-fashioned ears ; though, to be sure, the notes are so disguised by the pitch at which AIL MORI tunes his second string as A, that I may be out a toile or so. Mademoiselle Pi...amass displayed a truly correct taste in the airs which fell to her to sing ; and seemed more at home in the grand maestro's compositions than is usual with first-rate soprano singers of the day. The Commandatore was but feebly enacted ; and the supper catastrophe was conducted much utter the habits of a Highgate citizen's family, where the master is summoned out from the feast by a "Please, Sir, you're wanted." No solemn knocks, or imposing chords, in keep. ing with the scene, but a huddling and running without " showing cause," and a disregard of the accessories quite destructive of even operatic illusion. ANCRISANI used to raise this scene to a very high importance : his organ was admirably suited to the notes, and he made his part positively unearthly—just what a ghost should be, in short. 1 he performance of Signor RUBIN! was precisely such as I ex- pected ; and therefore it did not disappoint me. The conceptions of the Signor, as to how a piece of music should be executed, far exceed his ability to exemplify them. Ever and anon a vigorous effort floated a tone up to the level of my box, (on the second tier ;) but all those boasted beauties of his, in the florid style, which set the elegantes of her Majesty's Theatre into fits, were lost upon those who were ten yards from him. In fact, it would require a very still summer night to hear RI/B1:41 ten yards off; and even then, a "Scarabeus arboreus major " on the wing would distract the listener sadly.
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