Slitatrts Hutt
1usir. -
The production of .Don Giovanni by the Italian company at Drury Lane has been the best of their achievements i worthy, indeed, of any regular musical theatre. To estimate the merit of a performance of this opera, we must measure it by its difficulty. An actor, who can scarcely ever be found, is demanded for the hero, who is a combination of the brightest and the blackest elements, purely ideal, but yet so intelligible that any want of truth in the picture destroys the character and the piece. There are three females, every one of whom requires a prima donna. The country-girl must be as finely performed as the noble inamorata ; and the melancholy impassioned Elvira holds as high a place as either. Then there must be a consummate tenor for Ottavio, a part which de- pends entirely on exquisite singing. Leporello demands a first-rate buffo ; and the Commendatore, both as the living man and the awful statue, must be grand and imposing. Such dramatis personae-all of whom, moreover, must be singers of the first order-are hard to be found : and on this account Don Giovanni seems of late years to have been nearly laid on the shelf, so that this Drury Lane performance has almost had the effect of ft revival. The great desideratum, the part of the libertine himself, has been filled by M. Gassier with unexpected excellence. We would not say that he is exactly a Tamburini, but he comes nearer that fine actor than any one who has attempted to enema him. He is a handsome Mall, with what the French call an air distingue ; and he brings out the principal features of the character—the aristocratic hauteur, seductive smoothness, sneer- ing indifference, hardihood, and cool atrocity—with great power. Grisi's Donna Anna always has been, and continues to be a most charming per- formance. Madame Gassier, as Zerlina, is as pretty and captivating a little rustic coquette as one could desire to see ; and though the music is not in the florid style in which she excels, she sings it very pleasantly. Madame Rudersdorff is almost the only actress we have seen who has given the character of Donna Elvin its due importance. Her perform- ance, both dramatic and vocal, was admirable, and imparted quite a new colouring to the finest scenes in the opera. Rovere's Leporello is a very clever specimen of the Italian buffo style. In his hands the part is more fight and farcical than it has been made by Lablache Or Formes; but it was probably meant to be so, if we may judge from the name of the per- sonage. At all events it is very laughable. Formes, to whom the part of Leporello may be said to belong, was the Commendatore on this occa- sion, to the immense advantage of the piece. In the stupid part of Oc- tavio, Lorini did not sing like Mario, but was very respectable.
The music, on the stage, was given in perfection. We have never heard the magnificent concerted pieces sung with greater clearness, spirit, and dramatic effect. The orchestra was less praiseworthy. All the principal instruments were well played, but there were " ripieni" of an inferior description, who only disturbed the clearness of the perform- ance. The band is so numerous that some of these persons might easily be spared. On Saturday, when this opera was produced, the house was crammed to the doors, and the audience were loud in their demonstrations of plea- sure. The performance was repeated on Thursday.
Previous page
