When she began to develop a soprano voice, described by a contemporary biographer as "sweet, powerful, charming, and with perfect intonation",[5] she was sent to Bologna to study with Giovanni Tadolini (1785–1872), a well-known composer, conductor and singing teacher.

Although the Rossinian repertoire (including Rosina in The Barber of Seville) figured primarily in the earliest years of her career, she would later sing the title role in his Armida for a major revival at La Scala in 1836.

By the summer of 1830, Eugenia and Giovanni Tadolini had settled in Paris where both were engaged at the Théâtre-Italien, she as a singer in a company that included Maria Malibran and Giuditta Pasta and he as maestro concertatore.

[8] Tadolini's association with Donizetti began in 1831 when she sang the role of Giovanna Seymour in the premiere of the second version of Anna Bolena at The King's Theatre in London.

Her other notable Donizetti roles which she sang in some of their earliest performances included Eleonora in Il furioso all'isola di San Domingo (in its first performance at La Scala), the title role in Fausta, Pia in Pia de' Tolomei, Eleonora in L'esule di Roma, ossia Il proscritto, Antonina in Belisario, Elena in Marino Faliero, the title role in Maria Padilla, Gemma in Gemma di Vergy, Norina in Don Pasquale, and Adina in L'elisir d'amore.

When she sang the role for the 1842 revival of L'elisir d'amore in Naples, Donizetti composed a completely new final cabaletta for her, "Obblia le tue pene".

[13] In his often quoted letter to Salvadore Cammarano, which he wanted passed on to the Teatro San Carlo management, Verdi wrote: You know how highly I regard Tadolini, and she herself knows it; but I believe it's necessary – for the interest of all concerned.

Verdi's view of her unsuitability for roles like Lady Macbeth was similar to that expressed 10 years earlier by Felice Romani who saw her in Bellini's La straniera.

Her voice full, sweet, and embellished, is made for joy, for the love that consoles, for afflictions borne with hope, not for torments and a stormy heart, not for the ravings of a soul in anguish, not for the cries of despair.

[15][16]Tadolini sang several other Bellini heroines in addition to Alaide, most notably Elvira in I puritani, Imogene in Il pirata, the title role in Norma and Amina in La sonnambula.

This time she was returning as an established star and was to sing the title role in Linda di Chamounix opposite Sims Reeves at Her Majesty's Theatre.

It is as clear as a bell, round, full, and sonorous, perfectly flexible and capable of all those modulations which a great artist like her dashes off, but which are so painful and difficult to thinner voices, and less qualified science.

I heard the prima donna to great disadvantage, as she disdained to sing to an empty house (from political excitement),[22] and used merely one half of her powers.

Her acting was equally restrained, but the inward spirit could not be altogether subdued, and she occasionally broke forth into silvery and impassioned notes, and abandoned herself to that natural gaiety of song that rendered her in the scene the most captivating of coquettes.

Had Tadolini known that the Times has ears everywhere, she might have exerted herself to please them; but criticism has art and judgment, and though she sung at mezzo voce,[23] it was not difficult to prognosticate complete success for her at Her Majesty's Theatre.

However William Ashbrook has suggested that her relative lack of success with the British public may be partly attributable to its obsession with Jenny Lind at the time.

She ventured out of her adopted city in December 1852 to sing Giselda in Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata at the Teatro Metastasio in Prato.

[25]At first she lived in an apartment on the Champs-Élysées, but worried that her money would run out, she later moved to less expensive quarters on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.