Cimarosa's charming comic opera, II Natrinzon Segreto, the the d'ceuvre
of the Italian stage, has been reproduced at the Theatre Italien, to the great delight of the Parisian public. Such pleasures make us envy this same Parisian public, for the London public very seldom enjoy them. To be sure, it may be said, that it is the London public's own fault, if they do not enjoy the beautiful works of bygone days, for they might enjoy them, if they showed any inclination to have them. If the lessee of our Italian Opera finds two or three things of Verdi and Deal- zetti, sufficient to fill his boxes and stalls, season after season, why should he take the trouble to bring out antiquated pieces of Cirnarosa, or Mozart ? The Matrintonio Segreto has been laid on the shelf—its very existence ignored in London for a quarter of a century. And yet, how often it used to be given, and with what delight it used to be received in previous days—the days when, among its dramatis personm, there were Grisi, Persiani, Rubini, Tamburini, and Lablache ! If the public were enchanted then, by the sweetest music and one of the liveliest comedies of the Italian stage, why should they not be enchanted still ? We have still good actors and good singers, though not so bright a constellation as in those halcyon days. Our opera companies, now, are as strong as in Paris, and we cannot think that our London musical taste is inferior to that of the Parisians. This reproduction of the Mat rimonio took place on Wednesday, last week. Geronimo, the old deaf merchant, so inimi- tably personated by Lablache, is very well acted by Zucchini ; Gardoni, is the young lover ; Madame Penco is the heroine; and Alboni and Dot- tini are the aunt and sister ; a very good cast, but not better than what our Covent Garden could easily furnish. The Gazette Musicale, sums up its account of the performance with a happy expression :—" Somme toute, la reprise a fait grand plaisir, et prouve de plus qui'l y a encore beaucoup d'avenir dans le panic."
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