Madame Viardot, after an absence of three years, has reappeared
at the Royal Italian Opera, in the character of Fides, of which she was the original representative. There was an extremely crowded house on Thursday evening, and her performance was as admirable and as tri- umphant as ever. During the greater part of her absence, we believe she has been leading a life of repose, which seems to have had its natural effects both on her looks and her powers. Her portraiture of the Pro- phet's mother—the lowly matron plain, quiet, and pensive, but raised by events to grandeur of thought and intensity of feeling—had lost nothing of its impressiveness and pathetic effect. Her voice as everybody knows, is defective in some particulars, especially in natural flexibility and mel- lowness of tone; but no singer has been more successful in supplying theme defects by the resources of consummate art ; and never, probably, were they so little perceived and felt as upon this occasion. Viardot will be the Fides of Scribe and Meyerbeer so long as she retains the part. Tamberlik, as the Prophet, makes a greater vocal display than Mario did : he changes some of the closes in order to introduce his high and power- ful chest-notes ; and his strident, penetrating tones, are favourable to the expression of violent passion. But his singing is not so beautiful as Mario's, nor does he give so striking an idea of the character : still his John of Leyden is a fine performance. Mademoiselle Marai has never appeared to so much advantage as in the part of Bertha ; nor has it ever been so well performed here. There is no diminution in the complete- ness and splendour with which this gorgeous opera is got up.
At the Drury Lane Opera, Madame Rudersdorff has appeared with great success in Fidelio, which has been twice performed this week. She looks the character of _Leonora perfectly, acts it with intelligence and feel- ing, and sings with the chasteness and purity of a thorough German art- ist, to whom the great composer's text is an object of veneration. The whole performance of the opera is now more complete and satisfactory than any other that has been given in this country.
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