Benjamin Lumley - 1847
from Reminiscences of the Opera, pages 188-9:
Great as was the excitement produced by the Alice of Jenny Lind, it was perhaps exceeded by her next performance. In the part of Amina, in "La Sonnambula," she surpassed all previous expectations. In simplicity, tenderness, and grace, in perfect impersonation, these qualities being combined with exquisite delivery of the music, she was universally declared to have beaten all her compeers "out of the field." Not only was she the Sonnamhula, but Amina was generally looked upon as the culminating point of her unprecedently successful season. Ably seconded by Gardoni, she stamped the part as her own, and threw a fresh charm over an opera, always beautiful, it is true, but yet "hackneyed" to the last degree.
<< lessBenjamin Lumley, Reminiscences of the Opera (London, 1864), p. 188-9. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1438704310167 accessed: 27 December, 2024
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La Sonnambula
written by Felice Romani, Vincenzo Bellini |
performed by Italo Gardoni, Jenny Lind |
Experience Information
Date/Time | 1847 |
Medium | live |
Listening Environment | in the company of others, indoors, in public |