MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.
THE opera of Artaxerxes was played at Covent Garden on Tuesday night,' in deference, said the bills, to the wish of persons who wished to see Mrs. ALFRED Sam in a "a purely English opera " ; which ARNE'S meagre imitation of the Italian style of his time is not. The music allotted to the Persian Prince could not have had a more fitting utterance than in Mrs. SHAW's honeyed voice ; and the ballads which stand apart from the dry counterfeit floweriness of the alien style had their full effect. Miss RAINFORTH set forth the sometimes graceful music and always unpleasing part of Mandane in their best aspect : the music clearly, easily, and sweetly sung ; the part more subdued, and therefore less disagreeable, than perhaps it ought to be. In HARRISON'S mouth the music of the bass Artahanes was reedy and harsh, and lost none of its uncouth pert character ; but HARRISON has energy, and his stalk and emphatic gesticulation gave something like impressiveness to the shallow villain. The walking lady Semira was prettily sung by Miss POOLE.' MANVERS was loud and feeble by turns in the injured lover Arbaces, but ever a most dulcet young gentleman. The "getting- up" was handsome. The better the opera is executed, however, the more flat, stale, and unprofitable does it show.
A new opera company opened the Princess's Theatre, on Monday, for the season ; and, according to the report of the Morning Chronicle, with augury of success. The opera was the English version of the Sonnambulo. The Amina was Madame EUGENIA GARCIA, wife of MALIBRAN'S brother. Her voice is clear and flexible, but somewhat hard ; her execution brilliant ; her appearance pleasing ; her acting energetic and expressive. Mammas/ taught TEMPLETON to perform Elvin° : he has, we believe, been studying :n Paris, and he is now in himself a better artist. Mrs. T. H. SEVERN made a spirited Lisetta ; Madame FERON gave importance to the pat of Therese, and aided the effect of the concerted pieces. The Rodotpho is mentioned last, as per- formed by Mr. WEiss—a " promising" bass-singer, whose voice is good, style heavy and unfinished, and manner painfully awkward. The chorus and orchestra are strong; but Signor Smuts, a musical director from Milan, has not yet brought them into discipline : they discharge large cargoes of the raw material, noise, which they have yet to manu- facture into the finished article, music.
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