Recording
Title: Lucia Di Lammermoor
Performers: Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti,
Conductor: Richard Bonynge
Year: 1971
Length: 3 hours
Review
Another opera with a romantic heroin that goes a bit crazy and ends very badly. So yes, it is kind of a clichéd one, but it is also one of the best of its kind, so you have to give it props.
There is no mad scene like Lucia's mad scene, and only for that, as a great example of a huge genre at this time, the opera is worth its place in any collection. Donizetti, much like his contemporary Bellini, is a consummate composer and storyteller and the opera is a compelling one.
Of the two Opera composer's we've been listening to lately Donizetti is the best of the two, his operas are more consistently entertaining and musically engaging. Lucia is a great addition to any collection with some excellent moments of drama which are sure to test any singer. Sutherland rises to the occasion in this great recording.
Final Grade
8/10
Trivia
From Wikipedia:
For decades Lucia was considered to be a mere showpiece for coloratura sopranos and was a little-known part of the operatic repertory. However, after World War II, a small number of technically-able sopranos, the most notable of whom were Maria Callas and Dame Joan Sutherland, revived the opera in all of its original tragic glory. Sutherland's performances in the role at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 1959 and repeated in 1960 established Lucia as her calling card.
Il Dolce Suono:
No comments:
Post a Comment