tion à la merveille, and the scenery, mounting, dresses, and properties being beautiful, poetical, and as hideously grotesque as required, tended to produce the utmost relish in an audience as attentive as it was overflowing. The breaking up the ground for 1850 thus promised largely for the artistic success, at least, of the season. The next eventful circumstance of the season was the debut of Signor Tamberlik, a Roman tenore robusto of sterling quality, in Masaniello, Mario, who never liked the part, having given it up to his future companion in (musical) arms for many seasons to come. The first phrase which this singer delivered proved that he was of the truest type, his only fault being that of a somewhat too constant resort to the vibrato, a fault he never overcame. His acting was also spirited and vigorous, and although wanting in. the grace which Mario now began to show in increasing excellence, was more suited to the personation of the enthusiastic and revolutionary Neapolitan fisherman. Tuesday, April 7, witnessed the return of Grisi, Mario, and Tamburini in Lucrezia Borgia, and the first appearance of the new contralto, Mdlle. d'Okolski, the performance of which was perfect in every particular except as concerning the new-comer, who unfortunately turned out to be one of those singers whom increase of confidence could only render increasingly objectionable. On the following Thursday the Norma was given, with Tamberlik as the best Pollione since the days of Donzelli, Mdlle. Vera proving herself to be a competent Adelgisa, and Herr Formes anything but a satisfactory Oroveso, since he did not sing, but shouted the music of the part, and was totally deficient in that massive dignity which Lablache imparted to that important character. Happily for the interest and the welfare of art at and about this period, operatic singers were not done to death' by having to sing in opera, concerts, and private parties, not to their own pecuniary advantage, but exclusively for the benefit of the entrepreneurs by whom their services are hired; rehearsals were by no means difficult to be obtained, and on this account everything that was put upon the stage of the Royal Italian Opera had every attention given to it that could render the ensemble, not merely satisfactory, as it is now always under Mr. Costa's direction, but also perfect. When, therefore, Rossini's Moïse-under the title of Zora, to conceal its scriptural libretto as much as possible from the observation of the British public-was given on Saturday, April 20th, the advantage of such unwearied preparation was abundantly apparent. The Moïse indeed was proved to be one of the grandest of Rossini's works, and made an impression that is not likely to be easily effaced. M. Zelger-whom I had previously heard in the same opera at Brussels, in the autumn of 1844 -was by no means so successful as had been expected. Although his voice remained sufficiently resonant and tunable to accomplish the demands of his part, he was beginning to decline, and showed unmistakably that he was so by the evident difficulty with which he rendered Rossini's fioriture, which certainly was more suited to the flexibility of an Italian, than of a Belgian artiste. He became, however, an eminently useful addition to the company, with which he remained till his death. Tamberlik greatly improved the impression he had made in Masaniello, and sang with an intensity of feeling and brilliancy of tone, which carried his audience by storm, and especially in the finale, 'Dal tuo stel lato soglio'-the well-known Preghiere, which Rossini wrote and scored in a few hours, to get rid of the absurdity of the original conclusion - also with a blaze of passion without caricature, and of power distinguished from brute force, which insured a unanimous re-demand. In the presentation of this great work Tamburini, in combination with Mdme. Castellan and Mdlle. Vera, lent his aid to render it complete. As heretofore, no expense was spared in putting this opera upon the stage; but it did not sufficiently 'take' with the public to become a prominent feature of a répertoire that was continually being enlarged. The next 'event' was a return to another of Rossini's chefs-d'œuvre, La Donna del Lago-revived at the close of the last season*-in which Tamberlik replaced Bettini as Roderick, and made another 'palpable hit.' Mdlle. de Meric, who was substituted for Alboni, in the rôle of Malcom, was not, however, similarly successful-a result, by comparison, not at all to be marvelled at, since nothing could ever give her voice the rich sweetness of her much greater rival. She did not improve either in any respect by her assumption of the part of Urbano, the page in Les Huguenots, which was produced with Grisi as Valentine, and Mario as Raoul, on Thursday, May 2nd, when Herr Formes took up the part of Marcel, that had been vacated by the departure of Marini, and gave a totally different version, entirely from the German point of view, of the sturdy, unbending, and faithful Puritan soldier, which, although not very favourably accepted at the time, became, when he had been well drilled, one of his most acceptable personations. There was. one advantage, however, in his version that could but be admitted on * See vol. x. pp. 634-5. all hands: he sang in tune, which his predecessor very often failed to do. The indefatigable characteristics of the season at the Royal Italian Opera were again manifested by one of the most perfect representations of Meyerbeer's Roberto that. had ever been witnessed since its original production in Paris, on Thursday, May 23rd, 1831.* This will be clearly enough perceived, when it is stated that it had the advantage of the following remarkable combination of talent: Grisi (Alice); Castellan (Isabella); Tamberlik (Roberto); Mario (Raimbaldo); and Formes (Bertram). Aided by a magnificent mise en scène, and by every vocal, instrumental, and mechanical appliance that could insure success, it was not surprising that so remarkable a representation should have been called the event, par excellence, of the season.' The score had to be considerably curtailed to bring the curtain down by midnight, but this was so carefully done by Mr. Costa, that it met with the composer's entire approbation on its being submitted to him. The pity was that he could not have himself witnessed an interpretation that, to all intents and purposes, was as effective as, and in some respects even more so than, that which had been given in Paris under his own immediate direction, and by the artistes of his own peculiar choice. Grisi's Alice was by no means one of her best personations, but, having had the advantage of seeing Jenny Lind in what was termed her 'crack part,' she managed, as well as by means of the advice of Mr. Costa, which she was generally wise enough implicitly to follow, to give a truly acceptable version, whether in its vocal force and finish, or in its simple and spirited acting. The Isabella of Mdme. Castellan, to *See vol. ix. pp. 381 et sqq. whom the public had given no attention whatever, when she assumed the part at Her Majesty's Theatre, under the greater attraction of the more especial étoile du nord, proved to be an excellent rendering, indicating rapid improvement combined with confidence, in which she was generally, from the innate modesty of her nature, deficient. Tamberlik, although anything but well and in good voice, showed more than his usual competency as the hero; and Formes, in spite of being unequal to Staudigl, was a far better Bertram than any one that has as yet succeeded him therein. The gem of the opera, however, was Mario's Raimbaldo, the music of which part can never be sung better by any one else, and never had been before, or has been since, equalled. To have heard the descriptive song of Roberto in the first act, and the duet with Bertram in the second, is little else than priceless. The requirements of the season alone induced Mario to undertake this comparatively trif ling rôle, but as he laid it aside very speedily, the beauty it added to the general effect of the opera was so transient, that it can be remembered now by very few; but by those few, who amongst them will ever cease to say, that so genuine and felicitous a circumstance must always be referred to with unmeasured pleasure and pain--pleasure at its having been witnessed-pain on account of the utter impossibility of its repetition? On Thursday, May 31st, Ronconi-now rendered more 'practicable' than he had ever been before, on account of his separation from his wife-put in appearance as the insane king in Verdi's Nabucco, in which the display of his dramatic genius was manifested with all its wonted force. The opera itself, however, pleased less than ever, and not even the characteristics of the actor could save it from so cold a reception that its repetition was scarcely possible; an event to be regretted, because it was almost the only specimen the operatic stage has of late years furnished of a true ideal of the tragic drama. Upon the repetition of Il Don Giovanni, soon after Ronconi's rentrée, nothing remarkable occurred beyond the personation of Leporello by Formes a character in which he was known to have been considered highly successful at Vienna, and other German opera-houses. With the exception of a few hypercritical habitués, who persisted in pronouncing everything this clever artiste undertook to be rough and uncultivated, if not positively vulgar, the most ardent supporters and best instructed amateurs cordially welcomed the German basso, as giving idealisation to the character, and especially to the latter scenes, which had truthfulness entirely on its side. Instead of making the libertine's familiar serving man act as a mere buffoon in the terrible scene between the statue and the murderer of the hidalgo, whom it represented, Formes imbued his personation with an amount of terror which was infinitely more natural than the rollicking humour, which even so great an artiste as Lablache was but too prone to adopt. He seemed to be wholly paralysed by the scene, and so bewildered that reason had all but left him; so that, in its way, it was fully equal to the powers Ronconi evinced, whenever he represented such characters as Chevreux,* Iago, Nabucco, &c. Notwithstanding Formes' ability in the part of Leporello, he persisted to the last in asserting the Don, she's my best part.' But as an opportunity, fortunately, was never given him in England of proving what he said. * See vol. x. p. 635. to be true, the generality of his admirers were quite content to take his own assertion, without desiring to undergo an infliction that could but have been intolerable. Nabucco having failed to attract, there was no help for it but that Ronconi should fall back upon his comic powers, and these he revelled in to the utmost of their irresistible influence in such characters as Figaro (Il Barbiere), Dulcamara (Elisir d'Amore), and the Podesta (La Gazza Ladra). Into the last of these three characters he imported such a sneaking and vengeful manner, as to cause it to be doubted whether his evil doer or Lablache's was the more villanously comical, or the more comically villanous.' For my own part I must confess to have preferred his version to that of every other artiste, I have ever seen in the Podestathe truest conception of an unjust judge' that ever can be realised. Madame Viardot, having returned and gained new triumphs in the Prophète, wherein several changes for the better had been made, such as two of the Anabaptists being personated by Maralti and Formes, made a still greater sensation as the heroine of Halevy's La Juive, which, 'mounted regardless of expense,' was played for the first time on Thursday, May 25th. Once more the jealousy of Grisi, to which Mario most contemptibly succumbed, had well nigh marred the success of this important work. Mario had been cast for the character of Lazaro; but when the night came, urging illness as the cause, he positively refused to appear. What was to be done in such emergency well nigh bewildered everybody, except Madame Viardot, who, suspecting another trick, similar to that of the previous season, which she had cleverly defeated,* was ready with a remedy. She knew * See vol. x. pp. 643-4. that Maralti had sung and played the part in Belgium; so, when the news was imparted to her, her only reply was, 'Very well! I am exceedingly sorry to hear what you say about Mario; but, as it cannot be helped, Maralti must take his place.' That artiste, being sent for, at first demurred; but upon being convinced that an opportunity of letting the British public, know what was in him might never again occur, he consented, provided he might not be required to sing anything else than the original of the French libretto. So reasonable a demand was, of course, immediately conceded. The consequence of this was a success, even greater than Roger had already won; for, although Maralti could have no rehearsal, he so threw his energies into the character, that in the second act he raised the house, and insured such an encore as must have as positively mortified as it electrified Grisi, who had the bad taste to appear in a private box, in so prominent a position that every one I could see her. Maralti was so terribly frightened at first, that he whispered to Madame Viardot, 'I shall faint to which she instantly made answer, 'If the man faints, what is to become of the poor woman?' throwing such an intensely characteristic look of whimsicality into her intelligent although by no means handsome face, that Maralti was assured on the instant, and sung with such intense force and passion-the metallic nature of his voice being most suitable to the occasion that a positive triumph instead of failure was the result. On leaving the house, a truly loyal habitué was heard to say, 'He will never sing that part again !' And he turned out to be a true prophet, for on the following Saturday Mario was well enough to undertake the character, which he * Id. ibid. persistently kept henceforth to himself, although he was never at the pains either to make himself up so as to represent the aged Jew, to act the part, or to learn the music. As if, however, for the express purpose of annoying Madame Viardot whenever he appeared with her, he was guilty of the inexpressible meanness of attempting to throw her off her guard by talking the most absurd nonsense he could think of, as if he were engaged in that by-play which the exigences of the several situations required. It is sufficient to say, that he was unsuccessful; for, as Madame Viardot afterwards told me, she so thoroughly understood his motive, that she positively had no notion of what he was whispering. And this was the return he had to make to the woman who had alone caused him to become an actor, and to achieve the position he had then, afterwards won, and to obtain the remuneration which he has not had the good sense to save! It is distressing to hear that this once great artiste, now aged and worn out, is in absolute poverty; but such distress is very much diminished by the remembrance of two such circumstances as are here related, and may be thoroughly vouched for. On the second night's performance of La Juive, Formes was suddenly taken ill, and Zelger had to be his substitute as the Cardinal; but he too made so much more of it, that he never appeared again in it, the German basso being content to drone out his ponderous music as if he would never bring it to an end, without showing 'a hair of the calm, high-bred, yet not passionless churchman.' As her appearance in the rôle of the Jewess was amongst the most remarkable that Madame Viardot had ever made, it may be deemed to be not out of place to record as just and * See Athenæum for 1850, p. 820. appropriate a piece of criticism concerning it as could possibly have been written. 'Madame Viardot's Rachel, seen after her Zerlina, her Fides, her Desdemona, justifies the most exigent critic in giving her blank credit as an operatic artiste of all styles of music—as an actress whether of tragedy or comedy. The pure soprano music, of which Rachel's part mainly consists, gives us occasion to hear how much Madame Viardot's voice has steadied, and become sweeter and more flexible by practice. Her declamation was what hers always has been. Her acting was incomparable. Though the part is full of such situations and effects as tempt the mediocre to commonplace, and the superior to eccentricity, Madame Viardot contrived to go through it without a single foreseen burst or attitude-without the slightest melo-dramatic violence repulsive to taste. The intense yet girlish passion of a fervid nature, cherished by one of a proscribed race, is to be felt in the first two acts; in the third, the reckless vengeance of an outraged heart; in the fourth, the recoil from this upon the high thoughts, which must belong to deep and sincere love, and which make forgiveness its only revenge; in the fifth the terror of death. The manner in which, while the dismal funereal psalm was sung on the place of execution, the victim moved across the stage to her father, paralysed by the real and near horror of her doomher limbs scarce able to sustain her-and the low hollow tone of her "Ho paura" as she nestled close to him, were art of that highest order in which, with all that is most appalling, there was still mingled an element of beauty. admirably youthful, so orientally coloured, too, was the general demeanour of Madame Viardot's Rachel, as to make it hard to conceive D So |