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The Opera season being now in full career, and his company complete, Mr. Lumley has introduced one of his promised novelties—Alary's opera buffs Le Tre Nozze which was produced recently at Paris. It was per- formed at Her Majesty's Theatre on Thursday ; and turns out to be a lively and pleasant piece, but of no high pretensions either dramatic or musical. The materials of the libretto, gathered from Moliere and other sources easily recognized, are thrown together with little regard to co- herence or clearness. There is no intelligible plot ; and the piece may be regarded as a string of farcical scenes, designed in the first place to give Signor Lablache ample room for his rich humour, which has so long shaken the sides of the public, and next to bring out the ladylike vivacity and arch coquetry of Madame Sontag. The Baron of Acetosa, a pet speci- men of Neapolitan squirearchy, proud and stolid, leaves his feudal castle and his acres to pay his addresses to a town-bred damsel of quality ; who laughs at him, flirts with him, and makes him ridiculous. Lablache and Sontag entered into the humour of this situation with infinite gusto, and afforded vast amusement to the audience. The other characters—the young lover, the intriguing valet and lady's-maid, and the starched mamma, a middle-aged Marchioness, who yields in the end to a second marriage—are stage commonplaces.
The piece, in short, is a lively trifle ; and the music is of a correspond- ing character. The composer, like the librettist, has been more indebted to his memory than his invention ; but the music, though not new, moves trippingly along, and presents no impediment to the freedom of the comic dialogue. There are several sweet and numerous pleasant morceaux in it; particularly an air, in the character of a serenade, beautifully sung behind the scenes by Gardoni, while the lady, listening in her room and expressing her feelings aloud, forms it into a duet ; a pretty idea and charmingly executed. An unaccompanied sestet by all the characters was effective ; and in the finale, a little air with variations, Sontag re- velled in brilliant execution.
The performance was excellent throughout. Madame Giuliani was a sprightly and pleasant soubrette ; and Signor Ferranti, the new baritone, acted with vivacity, and evinced considerable vocal powers, as the valet. Lablache, in situations of the broadest extravagance of drollery, displayed his usual genial humour : but we regretted to observe that he latterly showed symptoms of fatigue, the effect of indisposition, under which he has laboured ever since his arrival in town.
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