COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.
THE same night that witnessed the murder of the Beggar's Opera, and the return of Miss STEPHENS to the stage of Drury, produced at Covent Garden a transformation of Ro ss Nis La Cenerentola, with the English nursery name and attributes of Cinderella, to display the ac- complishments of Miss PATON. She was in truth the soul of the opera, and acted as well as sang in a style which would have graced an en- tertainment of higher merit. Compared with ROSSINI'S other works, La Cenerentola is a feeble production, marked by his mannerisms, and redeemed by very few beauties. The new piece, however, is not La Cenerentola, but a compound of various operas by the same author. Mr. R. LACY, the compiler or adapter, fitted the music to the singers, as the management could not, it seems, except in one instance, afford proper singers for the music. Woon is so completely out of his line in this department of dramatic music, that we hardly recognize ROSSINI in the truly English dress in which he clothes him. In re- gard also to the general effect, we must say that this method of se- lection is scarcely lair to a composer : Mr. LACY takes such pieces from Armida, from Maometto, &c. as are usually accounted the most effective,—and so they- are, in their places; but brought together in one piece, they turn out to be only different versions of the same thing. The overture is sad trash. If triangles, cymbals, and such like barbarian instruments, are necessary ingredients, is it absolutely indispensable they should be thumped and rattled with all the physical strength of the performer ?—The opening chorus, and the music in the first scene, are commonplace, and not worthy the transplanting from Armida. The duet " Un soave non so che," is very well ar- ranged, and, as far as Miss PATON was concerned, was admirably sung ; some points also in " Un segreto d' importanza" are preserved with considerable skill. In the third act, we almost take leave of La Cenerentola, the music being chiefly from the Guillaume Tell. It includes the pretty Tyrolien, (noticed in another part of this paper) but which failed in the effect it was expected to produce, from the noisy and truly John Bull performance of it. A light and staccato accompaniment, by the voices, should be substituted for boisterous vociferation. After all, we are perhaps judging Cinderella by too severe a test,—forgetting Easter, and the obvious attractions of the piece as a holyday spectacle. The scenery is beautiful. The acting of' Miss PATON is natural, elegant, and interesting, in all the changes of the character. KEELEY is great in little Pedro. MORLEY is too sombre in Dandini. PENSON'S buffoonery and caricatured imitations of FARREN are extremely offensive.
Previous page
