THEATRES AND MUSIC.
The Italian Opera-houses, like the other theatres, have had no dramatic performances during Passion-week. Saturday last brought to a close the season before Easter;, to the great satisfaction, no doubt, of the managers of both houses, who seem to have been hard put to it to keep things going during the unusual length of this part of the season. We may now expect them to resume the campaign with the full array of their forces.
At Covent Garden, the closing night presented no remarkable feature; the Puritani having been performed in the same manner as last season. At Her Majesty's Theatre the case was different. The opera was Le- creeks Borgia, a piece sufficiently well known; but there was much and
striking novelty in the manner of its performance. In the first place, the new contralto singer, Mademoiselle Schwartz, made her debilt in the character of Orsini. Her success must have been a matter of no small anxiety to Mr. Lumley; who appears to rely on her to supply the deficiency felt in his company last season, that injured the effect of several operas in which Jenny Lind appeared, and, we believe, prevented her from performing some of her best characters. But any doubt or fear on this account was removed by the excellent performance and triumphant reception of Made- moiselle Schwartz. The part of Orsini is a slight one, affording no room for the display of dramatic power; but it showed us that the young actress is of a most engaging aspect—not regularly handsome, but possessing an open, intelligent countenance, and an air of ingenuous modesty. In the small share of the dialogue she had to sustain, her elocution had an em- phatic clearness which left no doubt of her ability to exhibit force and pas- sion when they are called for. There was little for her to sing; indeed, her vocal efforts were confined to the single anacreontic song, " Il segreto per easer felice." Aware that the audience would regard it as the touch- stone of her qualities, she began it with fear and trembling; but, through all her trepidation, the beauty of her voice was instantly perceived. Em- boldened by encouragement, she gave the air with an effect increasing With every bar, and concluded it amid a tumult of applause and Calls of encore. Her voice does not seem very powerful; but its tones are uniformly delicate, and free from that coarseness in the lower notes which prevails among contralto singers, and is sometimes exaggerated by injudicious displays of depth. It is exceedingly soft and round; and its flexibility enabled her to give much lightness and grace to her sparing but musicianlike embellishments.
Mademoiselle Cruvelli, in the terrible heroine of the piece, transcended her previous efforts. She had a more imposing presence than we could have expected, and embodied the idea of baleful power which we attach to the character. But it was in its softer and redeeming traits that she was most admirable; the devoted love of Lucretia for her son, her anxiety to save him from her husband, and her despairing agony when she finds that she herself is his destroyer. All this was in the true vein of tragedy, and was so striking that it threw the musical part of her performance almost out of view. Perhaps there could be no greater proof of the excellence of her singing than its being completely merged in the truth and force of her dramatic action. Gardoni was in all respects a fitting representative of the youthful Gennaro; and Lablache's well-known personation of the Duke of Ferrara was as powerful and striking as usual. There is nothing on the stage more appalling than the calm, passionless, ruthless cruelty ex pressed in his every look and gesture. Lablache's influence seemed to per- vade the whole performance; giving greater earnestness to the other actors, and deepening the interest of the entire drama. Taking the opera as a whole, we have rarely witnessed a more effective and successful perform- ance.
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