PAGANINI.
PAGANINI has come back to carry off a few more of our sovereigns, and seems likely to reap another good harvest. His first concert, at Covent Garden Theatre, last night, attracted a crowded audience. He played three of the six or eight pieces which seem to constitute his stock in trade,—the Concerto with which he made his (laza last year, the Variations on the preghiera in. Mace'in Egitto, and the Witches' Dance. He played beautifully ; and was vastly ap- plauded by the audience,—to most of whom, if we may judge from their laughter and expressions of wonder, hiss appearance and per- formance were still a novelty. For ourselves, though much gra- tified, we felt that much of the gloss was worn off. Even when he appeared first, we were (as we said at the time) most delighted with his playing when it exhibited the least of his peculiarities and tours de force; and now, this was the case in an infinitely greater degree. The fine, open, Italian melody of his Concerto,, and his long-drawn, swelling notes, were as charming as ever; but, having got oVer the "nine days' wonder" of his harlequinades„ we could have dispensed with the whole of them. However, Lon- don is large enough to furnish a nightly supply of fresh wonderers for one season more.
Previous page
