6 OCTOBER 1838, Page 8

DRURY Lane opened on Monday. The piece chosen for the

ese mencement of the season, the aspect of the "house hill" d-",:' state of the company, indicate the Manager's design to rend opt and spectacle the attractions at this theatre. TO NI COOTK)Ee hortisoleal.irlad across the way, and BISHOP is once more placed at the head of :1;", musical department at Drury Lane. The season has opened el), opera arid a ballet : the announcementsā€”in large lettersā€”ae Itho; original opera by BARNETT," "a chivalric spectacle by by the vast resources of his establishment," " a fairy ballet, in BLEIER will dance," and " R grand opera, in which that eminent which Mr. Bemuse will sing." Last and least (in type) among the de, of promised grandeur, sneaks in CHARLES KFAN e the manager " gave, half-urhamed, a tiny flourish " to a Bohm" as if gedian. Among all these announcements, we did expect one of rya eill; opera from BISHOP; concerning whom it is merely said that, in con, Junction with Mr. BALFE and Monsieur BENEDICT, (why aseftiem,) "arrangements have been made for the representation of his wurke;' If this mean, as we suppose it does, his published works, not much arrangement is necessary with a composer for the production of opera which are acted in every theatre in the kingdom. Brit, notwithstand g the designed ambiguity of the phrase, we hope and anticipate that,

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reinstated in that position which he ought never to have been permitted to leave, Btsitor will vindicate his claim to be regarded as emir* dramatic composer, by the production of an opera worthy of his forme well-earned fame. In addition to BISHOP as conductor, &AGSM! and ELIASON are both engaged as leaders ; and both played from the same book on Monday evening ; Dun Giovanni being the opera selected for the commencement of the season.

Previous to the opera, " God save the Queen " was sung by the vocal strength of the company, Madame ALBERTA/JA excepted, This lady's absence would scarcely have been worth noticing, but that a similar circumstance occurred at the late Gloucester Festival, Mica Gam and LABLACHE peremptorily refused to join in the national song, on the plea of alienship,ā€”a plea inadmissible on the part of Madame ALBEILTAZZI, who is an Englishwoman born and bred, and who buts few years since was singing in London as Miss Ilowsom. The marked preference given by her Majesty to Italian singers may he

thought to d from theta the common courtesy of joining in s song to her praise and honour.

The opera of Don Giossaami was calculated rather to display the weakness than the strength of the Drury Lane company, Every cht. neier requires a first-rate singer ; and such is not the rank held ty the majority of' Mr. BUNN'S vocal staff. BALPA alone completely us. derstood his business, and entered into his part. He is unable to set the reckless libertine; but his singing, even with that of TAmeusnit fresh in our memory, created throughout only satisfactory impressions, BALFE is musician enough to know what can be effected by the pea text of Mozanz, which he has studied sedulously and to good purpose, He is the best Don Giovanni we have ever seen on the English stage, Miss Berrs was the Donna Anna r a character which she has not tht power to sustain. A correct singer, she is withal hard and cold; bet passion is all palpably assumedā€”mechanical and conventional; she is never moved herself, and therefore she never moves others. She makes no breaches of time, few of tune ; and this she appears to regard as the extent of her liability : to carry on the allusion, she is under accept- ance for so much and ne more. Madame ALBEItTAZZII3 Zcrlina was, in our estimation, a failure. She looked the character well ; and in the duet, " La ci darem," (we must give the Italian titles of the pieces, M order to our being understood,) was successful, but in nothing else. " Giovinette, the fate all' amore," usually a certain encore, produced scarcely any sensation ; and " Batti, batti " was stiff and slovenly. Neither this beautiful air (erroneously stated in the Times to have bees encored) nor " Vedrai carino " produced much effect on the audience, although generally the most taking songs in the opera. The truth is, that At.uracrazzi's walk is a very confined one ; she knows only out class of music, and whenever sufficiently ilbadvised to venture beyond it, she fails. It was so when she encountered HAYDN at the Birmirg. ham Festival ; mid in her hands even MOZART loses half his power to charm. Of the three ladies, Miss POOLE gave its the most favourable impression. Eleiea wits, for her, nil arduous undertaking; but the pleasing quality of her voice, and the correct, unambitious character of her performance, gratified, if it failed fully to satisfy the bearer. PHILLIPS gathered no laurels on Monday night. Hisinferiority to Baste. in this opera was palpable ; and his portraiture of Leporello, altogether, clumsy and feeble. Mr. .At.t.esr, one of the youths from Lord Bunciteastt's nursery, was the Octavio, To a slender voice he adds frequent violations of time and tune. His first song was, de- servedly, hissed: in his second he was more successful but to enact Ottavio, or any principal tenor part in a metropolitan theatre, he is wholly unequal. With a combination of such feeble and discordant materials the re. presentation of this splendid opera was very unsatisfactory. When the singers are so much employed together, unity of style is essential% but the performance of Monday night exhibited just the reverse. Every voice stood out alone and mien from the restā€”the represca- tative of its own school, disdaining association with any other. his modern adaptation, like La Sonnambula, this matters littleā€”there is but one principal character : but Alower is more liberal in his vocal bounty, and his requirements are, therefore, proportionably large. His Din Giovanni requites a Donna Anna, a Zerlintr, an Ektra, a Lepo- rello, who can meet him on equal terms. Annex a single feeble link to the chain and it snaps. That nothing connected with this theatre might go impuffed, announced the "further enlargement" of his "celebrated hand;" also. that "with the view of producing the operatic entertainments on that scale by which the principal theatres of the Continent are distinguished, and which has been hitherto unattempted in this country, the number of choruses"ā€”ehorus.singers we presume is meantā€”" has been creased." It is hardly necessary to say that this is all moonshine."