This week, I'd like to write about one of my very favorite operas, "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Gaetano Donizetti. Written in 1836 and set when Mary Queen of Scots took the throne in 1542 , this dramatic opera tells the tale of Lucia, a young Scottish woman whose family is in serious political trouble. The only thing that can save Lucia's family is for her to marry a nobleman named Arturo. However, there is a problem: Lucia is in love with her brother Enrico's sworn enemy, Edgardo of Ravenswood. In secret, Lucia and Edgardo exchange rings and vows before he leaves for France. Meanwhile, Lucia's brother Enrico has already found out about her secret romance and made a plan to get her to marry Arturo anyway. He intercepts all letters from Lucia to Edgardo and back, and he gives Lucia a forged letter that says Edgardo has been unfaithful. Brokenhearted, Lucia finally agrees (under heavy duress) to marry Arturo for the sake of her brother. At the wedding, Edgardo arrives to claim Lucia as his bride, only to find that she has already signed a wedding contract. He throws her ring at her, curses her, and leaves. Enrico later goes to Edgardo's ruined castle to challenge his foe to a duel the next morning, and Edgardo accepts. Back at the wedding party, a terrible tragedy has occurred: Lucia has gone completely insane and murdered her bridegroom. She comes out of the bedchamber covered in blood, raving about Edgardo, an evil spirit trying to separate them, their wedding ceremony, and her soon-coming death. Enrico comes back and sees the results of his trickery: his sister is insane and dying, his political alliance is most literally torn asunder, and everything is going to pot. The next morning, Edgardo awaits Enrico for the duel and hears mourners passing by. Inquiring for whom they mourn, he learns that Lucia is dying, but before he can go see her one last time, the death bell tolls-- he is too late. Overcome with grief and regret, he stabs himself and the opera ends.
There are several interesting notes about "Lucia di Lammermoor" I'd like to mention. First, it is partially based on a true story. There was in fact a bride (I think in Scotland) who tried to kill her husband on their wedding night. Apparently, in real life, the husband survived and died twelve years later (I can't imagine what that marriage was like!). But Sir Walter Scott wrote a novel (with some liberties taken as to the facts of the case) about the event, and Donizetti and his librettist took further liberties when crafting the opera's plot. Second, the scene in which Lucia comes raving and covered in blood is a very famous in the opera world, often referred to as "The Mad Scene." Mind, other operas have mad scenes, but this one is special. Anyone who mentions "The Mad Scene" is referring to the one from this opera. In the film "The Fifth Element," the blue alien diva Plavalaguna begins her "Diva Dance" with the beginning aria and recitative of the Mad scene, "Il Dolce Suono."
The Diva Dance from The Fifth element-- Youtube
When Donizetti first wrote the opera, he wanted the part we hear as a flute in the Mad Scene played by a glass harmonica. However, when the opera was written, the glass harmonica was still a relatively new invention, and considered too eccentric for audiences to appreciate. So, Donizetti wrote the part for a flute. Now that you know about the opera itself, let's write a review!
This was the first recording of "Lucia di Lammermoor" I ever heard. My older sister kindly gave it to me for my birthday because I was so curious about the origin of the aria "Il Dolce Suono."
Joan Sutherland stars as the vulnerable and Ophelia-like Lucia. Sutherland became incredibly famous for her rendition of Lucia in the late 1950's, when she was in her late twenties and early thirties. This recording was made in 1972, when she was forty-four years old. Now, I'm a bit picky about my coloraturas-- I love recordings of Sutherland from the '50's and '60's. They're fabulous. But what she did to her old coloratura roles in the seventies and eighties? I can't bear it. Most recordings you'll find in stores of Joan Sutherland are from the seventies-eighties period, when (in my humble opinion) her voice was past being suited to that range. Take this Lucia for instance: Her voice sounds throaty and deep, she rushes through high notes as much as possible, and she's not acting at all! She butchered the role! She is physically capable of singing the high notes, but it's not beautiful any more. It's not graceful or moving or poignant. It just makes you think of that old "Brünnhilde" image of opera singers and the typical "Opera singers are really terrible" idea. Neither of those are what opera is about! Opera is about beauty, humanity, and emotion!
...Forgive the rant, I'll continue the review.
Everyone else in this recording is amazing. Luciano Pavarotti costars as Edgardo and gives a brilliant performance, Sherrill Milnes soars as the vindictive and plotting Enrico, and Nicolai Ghiaurov plays the role of Raimondo, a priest who tries to console and guide Lucia through her unhappy lot. This recording made me a Ghiaurov fan. I will never get over how beautiful his voice is in this role. When he sings "Ah! Cedi, cedi" it's to die for. The chorus is wonderful, the conducting is wonderful, and you almost can't ask for a better recording. EXCEPT FOR SUTHERLAND!
I must warn you, fellow opera-lovers: Do not let Joan Sutherland be your first experience of any role in opera. Don't let her be your first Lucia, don't let her be your first Violetta or Gilda, don't let her be your first anything. And the same goes for Maria Callas, unless you're talking "Carmen." So what's the solution? I happen to have an idea:
I have actually listened to clips of this recording on Amazon, and from what I can hear, it's really good! Beverly Sills is great as Lucia (from what I heard in the 30-second clips), and the rest of the cast is not half bad. And another really cool thing: the Mad Scene is done with a glass harmonica, just as Donizetti intended. When you hear that sucker, you know why he wanted it that way. It sounds so much more rich and haunting and vivid. It's really amazing. By the way, it is in fact available for purchase as downloadable MP3s or a physical CD set on Amazon.
There is only one other recording of "Lucia" I know of that has the glass harmonica, and it's only on video, as far as I understand.
A couple of years ago, the Metropolitan Opera in New York did a production of "Lucia" for their simulcast series, and I attended it. It was splendid. It was set in Victorian Scotland instead of Renaissance Scotland, and it had Anna Netrebko as Lucia, Piotr Beczala as Edgrado, Mariusz Kwiecien as Enrico, and Ildar Abdrazakov as Raimondo. Amazon carries the DVD if you're interested in a video-- it's a fascinating and amazing production, and I highly recommend it.
So, with all this new information, I hope you find the perfect "Lucia di Lammermoor," and I hope you enjoy the opera when you give it a try. Until next time,
Your friend and fellow opera-lover,
~Ruth
No comments:
Post a Comment