Did Balfe intend her to do battle with those incredibly difficult passages at the beginning, or were they improvised by her on the spur of the moment? I can't say; somehow or other the enchantress conjured them forth. I don't like her so well in Fidelio, and prefer our own unrivalled Schröder-Devrient in the part. Malibran's forte lies in passionate acting, which contrasts too violently with the enduring womanly love of Fidelio, and why she brings two pistols into the prison, neither I nor any one else can understand.