THE ITALIAN OPERA.
WE have at length heard Madame VESPERMANN. Of a surety M. LAPORTE must imagine his subscribers the most-easy and contented of human beings, or he never would have introduced three such artistes as this lady, Miss AYTON, and Miss BECK, to carry on the business of his house. For, be it remembered, these, with the poor vecchiceluola CASTELLI, are his female corps or choir. Among other slight defects, it happens that not one of them, the old lady excepted, can speak the Italian language with any tolerable degree of purity. As for Madame VESPERMANN, we must say, with the young ladies in Cosi fan tulle, " Parla un linguaccio che non sappiamo."
Another deficiency in Madame VESPERMANN, is that of voice ; and, like all feeble singers, she endeavours to hide it by extrava- gances of all sorts. She may be a very good musician, and an effective performer of German operas in a small theatre, but to be the prima donna of the Italian Opera she has no pretensions: at least such is our judgment—for we cannot but remember that we have seen upon the same stage, BILLINGTON, FODOR, CAM- PORESE, RONZI, and PASTA.
Previous page
