THE ITALIAN OPERA.
TUESDAY night brought a revival of La Donna del Lago, but not a repetition of the pleasure which La Gazza Ladra and Otello imparted. La Donna del Lego has not intrinsic strength suffi- cient to command the public favour for any length of time a few representations in the course of a season will always exhaust the number of its admirers. The story is feebly and imperfectl) made out, and there is not a character or a scene of interest in the piece. Nor does the music assimilate itself in the slightest degree to the story. The story and the scenery tell us of Scotland—its moun- tains, its warriors, and poets ; but the music is Neapolitan. Ellen on Loch Katrine sings like Rosina at Seville, or Desdemona at Venice; there is no effort at nationality of feature, but the songs of each cha- racter might be changed ad libitum without discovery or without injury. Music is as much a part of national character as dress; and it is little less absurd to make Roderick Dhu sing, than to make him act in the habiliments of an Italian. Not that we should expect or desire an Italian opera to be made up of Scottish airs; we simply require that the composer should remember the tune, place, and persons of his drama, and endeavour to render his music in accordance with theni. As an illustration of what we mean, take MENDELSSOHN'S Overture to the Isles of Fingal : this is no medley of Scottish airs, but a deep poetic feeling of the majestic features of the Highlands, their history and their manners, Impressing itself on the mind of the musician. We could listen
to it there, and feel that it was in rerfect keeping with the picture. But Rossim drinks no inspiration of this kind; and hence the naval., Mg monotony of his style. It might be supposed that the following lines (part of this opera) might have suggested some musical ideas.
Qual rapid.. torrente che vinci ogni main, Sc tot hid° e fremente piondot dal giogo Alpin, se oral in camp° ne adduce il too %alum,
Non trovera piL scamp° l'ingiusto, l' oppressor."
But no—they are shouted to a very commonplace modern military march, and accompanied on the stage by the band of the First Regiment of nerds disguised ii Highland dresses.
All that could be doue for the character of Elena, Gals' did.
ht.re there was any simplicity of melody, she seemed to feel that it should be simply given. Slw was very successful in the well-known Quartette "Cielo, l mit) iabbro inspira,- and trium- phant in the Finale. The part of MuitYdet, originally written for PISARONI, and by her invested with all the power and grandeur of her st) le, wa assigned to a Madame Di GLI ANTON', who (judging from a first appearance) has neither the voice, the cultivation, nor the experience, to make a stand in any character of importance. SIte WIN more successful in an iatroduced ductto with GRISI. CURIONfs performance of Roderiek /Au was deplorable. So carelessly is all that relates to the affiar of scenery and ma- chinery managed at this house, that the boat in which Elena first appears on Loch Katrine, being only capable of carrying one per- son, she was obliged, after having given King James her seat, to walk through or upon the water to the shore: and, in the last scene, the pendants from the roof of the hall dropped, one by one, into their places until the curtain lhl. " They manage these things better" at Sadler's Wells.
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