The impresario at the Royal Italian Operahonse has had better
per- formances of fine music than that of Thursday night ; but the music be- came secondary to the great state visit. The spectacle was such as no manager could have got up without the aid of the Court ; the harvest was such as the favour of no " stars" could have secured. Neither the beauty of Fidelio nor the strong cast of the parts—not even the rust ap- pearance of Mademoiselle Jenny Ney—could fix the distracted audience. During the. first act, they were in a Stabs of restless etpeetation ; and, after the enthusiasm of the reception, the general excitement never sub- sided into a state of quiet or attention to the stage. This could not fail to be unfavourable to the display of-Mademoiselle Ney's powers : the cold inattention with which her first greet effort—the beautiful invocation to Hope—was listened or rather not listened to, must have been sufficient to damp her spirits for the evening. She showed, nevertheless, that she is worthy of her great celebrity. Her vocal qualities are of the highest order, and her acting, in its simple pathos, reminded us more of Schrmder-De- vrient than any other of that lady's successors has done. This evening, we have no doubt, she will receive all the attention due to her merit and re- putation. The appearance of Cerito, we may add, was also under a de- pressing influence; for it did not take place till not only the Queen anti her Imperial guests, but a great number of the-audience, had departed.
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