MADAME PASTA.
As we anticipated, PASTA'S lust Visit to London has added nothing to her reputation. Even had she retained all her powers, it would be diffi- cult to say what efficient display could have been .made of them at
Drury Lane. It is very true, that many Italian operas are written solely with a reference to a single performer ; but even these, the very lowest of the kind, require assistance and cooperation of some sort,— a fact of which the manager of that theatre seems not to have been cog- nizant. He has in pay, at the same time, PASTA, SCHRTEDER, TAG- LIONI, Mrs. WOOD—to say nothing of his regular vocal corps; but, unfortunately, no two of these will harness together. This untoward circumstance seems to have been disclosed to him since PASTA'S arrival in England ; and the story which has been circulated in the newspapers, of the Lord Chamberlain's having prevented the per- formance of Italian operas at Drury Lane, we take to be mere fudge. The Lord Chamberlain is, in fact, turned into a scapegoat, on whose back is to be /aid the burden of an improvident engagement. The Times has been urging Burns to defy his authority, and perform the an- nounced opera; but the manager knows better.
In consequence, however, of this interference, real or pretended, BUNN abandoned his opera, and announced a concert at Drury Lane on Wednesday night ; at which PASTA sung several of her old favourite songs ; but it was only to discover the decay of her powers. The defect which was too palpable during her last visit, has now increased to such a degree as to render it painful to 'listen to her. Her pitch and that of the orchestra were invariably at a most inconvenient dis- tance; and the songs which used to convey gratification of the highest kind were now painful inflictions. Whether this was anticipated, or from whatever cause, her power of attraction has ceased. The house was not filled even at half-price, and PASTA will appear no more at Drury Lane. She sang on Wednesday at the Ancient Concert : and there, if possible, her failure wits yet more complete. She had only to compete with the pupils of the Academy, (to which the Ancient Concert is now a sort of tailpiece,) and even in this encounter she was worsted.
We need not say that this statement is reluctantly extorted from us. To PASTA, in the full possession of her powers, we paid the willing homage of admiration ; and we regret that she should now have exhi- bited their decline and decay.
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