{"product_id":"sutherland-donizetti-lucia-di-lammermoor-1961-paco141","title":"SUTHERLAND Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (1961) - PACO141","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eDONIZETTI \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eLucia di Lammermoor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eLive broadcast performance, 1961\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 1hr 55:34\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eJoan Sutherland - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eLucia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eRichard Tucker - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eEdgardo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eFrank Guarrera - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eEnrico\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eNicola Moscona - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eRaimondo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eRobert Nagy - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eNormanno\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eThelma Votipka - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eAlisa\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eCharles Anthony - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eArturo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eMetropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eConducted by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSilvio Varviso\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ffor the sheer electricity that only a live performance can provide, it’s the 1961 Met broadcast I turn to ... I promise you will not be disappointed578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eOn November 26, 1961, the legendary soprano Joan\nSutherland made her triumphant Metropolitan Opera debut in the title\nrole of Donizetti’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLucia di Lammermoor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e.\nOn December 9, Sutherland reprised the role for the Met’s weekly\nSaturday afternoon broadcast. Prior to Sutherland’s arrival at the Met,\nLucia had been the province of such sopranos as Lily Pons, Patrice\nMunsel, Roberta Peters, and Mattiwilda Dobbs. All were considerable\nartists to be sure, and possessing the type of high \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eleggero\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nvoice typically associated with Donizetti’s Lucia. Yes, Maria Callas\ndid bring her interpretive genius and substantial voice to the role at\nthe Met, but for only seven performances, spanning 1956–58. Both\ncontemporary reviews, and a recording of the December 8, 1956 Met\nbroadcast (I reviewed an Immortal Performances release in the\nMarch\/April 2017 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\n40:4) indicate that Callas was not in her best form on those occasions.\nThis background set the stage for Joan Sutherland, in her absolute\nprime, possessing a voice of considerable beauty and dramatic weight,\naligned with a technique that allowed her to dispatch Lucia’s\nspellbinding coloratura, trills, and stratospheric high notes with\nbreathtaking confidence and ease. The result, as documented in the\nDecember 9, 1961 broadcast, was pandemonium, the stuff of legend. It is\ntrue that even at this relatively early stage of her career,\nSutherland’s diction lacked ideal clarity, and the dramatic approach is a\nrather generalized one, especially set aside such Lucias as Callas and\nBeverly Sills. But Sutherland certainly understands Lucia’s character\nand her predicament, and sings with such technical mastery as to make\nher assumption of the role required listening for all who care about the\nart of great vocalism. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe December 9, 1961 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLucia \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ebroadcast\nwould be a must, even if the remainder of the cast was second-tier. But\non this occasion, there are other stars as well. The Edgardo, Richard\nTucker, is likewise in prime form. Tucker made his Met debut in 1945,\nthe start of a career that would last almost 30 years. Over time,\nTucker’s lyric voice took on weight and brilliance. By the time of this \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLucia \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ebroadcast, Tucker had added to his repertoire such roles as Des Grieux in Puccini’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eManon Lescaut\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e, Don Alvaro in Verdi’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLa forza del destino\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e, and the title role in Giordano’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eAndrea Chénier\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e. It is true Edgardo is often sung by lyric tenors, and to great effect. But for me, the ideal Edgardo combines \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003ebel canto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\ntechnique and sensibility with a voice capable of powerful authority\nfor the wedding scene and the great concluding Tomb Scene. The first\nEdgardo after all, was Gilbert Louis Duprez, a tenor known for his\nintensity of declamation and ringing high notes. On this occasion,\nTucker finds an ideal balance between \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003ebel canto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nelegance and dramatic fire. Tucker, like Sutherland, possessed a\nmasterfully assured technique that allowed him to give his greatest\nperformances when the spotlight burned brightest. This \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLucia \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ebroadcast is such an occasion. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe other superb contribution to the broadcast is\nfrom conductor Silvio Varviso, leading a performance brimming with\nprecision and energy, but also sensitivity and tenderness where\nappropriate. Sad to say, Frank Guarrera, a valuable and reliable Met\nbaritone for many years, is not in good vocal form. He certainly depicts\nEnrico’s malevolent, bullying character, but there is little elegance,\nbeauty, or nuance to be found on this occasion. Nicola Moscona, singing\nhis Met farewell after a long and important career, acquits himself\nadmirably. The inclusion of some of Milton Cross’s broadcast commentary\nadds to the sense of occasion. The recorded sound of the new Pristine\nAudio reissue is superb, allowing you to hear this great event in all\nits glory. The liner notes include an essay by producer Andrew Rose. No\ntexts or translations are provided. If you don’t own this \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLucia \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ebroadcast, please acquire it, posthaste. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI wish I could be as enthusiastic about the Met’s\n1954 studio recording, originally made for Columbia, and now receiving\nits first official CD reissue, courtesy of Sony Classical. The French\nsoprano Lily Pons made her Met debut as Lucia on January 3, 1931 and\nover the next quarter century or so gave almost 100 performances in the\nrole. Several Met broadcasts from the 1940s document an interpretation\nthat, independent of Pons’s captivating stage presence, she possessed\nconsiderable charm, vocal beauty, and brilliance. But by the time of the\n1954 studio recording, Pons was nearing her 56th birthday, and the end\nof her career. The middle voice lacks its former security and purity.\nMatters improve as the music ascends, but overall, the performance lacks\nenergy, an impression no doubt exacerbated by Fausto Cleva’s leaden\nconducting. Several recordings, both studio and in-performance,\ndemonstrate Cleva was capable of far better. Tucker is again the\nEdgardo, and in fine voice, but he too seems dragged down by the overall\nlack of energy. Guarrera is in much better form than for the 1961 Met\nbroadcast. Raimondo can be a faceless role, and Norman Scott does little\nto elevate it beyond that. The recorded sound is quite fine mid-1950s\nmono (the back of the CD box lists it as stereo). The only reason I can\nsee to purchase this set would be for Tucker’s Edgardo, but the 1961\nbroadcast showcases him to far better effect. For Pons’s Lucia, look to\nthe earlier Met broadcasts. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eOne footnote must be added about the stage cuts,\nstandard for the time, employed in both of these recordings. Unlike some\nother operas, the cuts to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLucia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nextend beyond excision of repeats and bridge passions. They comprise\nentire scenes, including the Lucia-Raimondo duet preceding the wedding\nscene and the Edgardo-Enrico confrontation that follows. This music\ndeserves to be heard, and so at least one complete recording of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eLucia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nshould be a cornerstone of any representative opera collection. Either\nof Sutherland’s studio versions for Decca fits the bill quite nicely.\nThe first, made in 1961, captures Sutherland in amazing prime voice, and\nalso includes Robert Merrill at the top of his game as Enrico and the\ngreat Cesare Siepi as Raimondo. A decade later, Sutherland once again\nrecorded the opera, this time with Sherrill Milnes as Enrico and Nicolai\nGhiaurov as Raimondo. The Edgardo is Luciano Pavarotti, in his finest\nvoice and form. Enough said. If Sutherland isn’t quite as spectacular\nhere as a decade earlier, that is measuring the artist by her own\nextraordinary standards. I own both recordings, and no one is taking\neither away from me. But for the sheer electricity that only a live\nperformance can provide, it’s the 1961 Met broadcast I turn to most\noften. Give it a try. I promise you will not be disappointed. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003eKen Meltzer \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"dateBlockDiv\"\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 41:4 (Mar\/Apr 2018) of \u003ci\u003eFanfare\u003c\/i\u003e Magazine.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO141.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003eThis Metropolitan Opera broadcast has been very well preserved in an excellent taped recording. Beyond a general tweaking of the overall sound and some very mild noise reduction my interventions were few and far between, with just some occasional dropouts and crosstalk to deal with, along with a rather bronchial winter's audience. My source omitted some of Milton Cross's commentaries and as such I've been forced to edit or fade these as best I can whilst preserving a sense of occasion - as this incredible performance certainly was. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis new transfer, heard here in Ambient Stereo XR sound, offers the listener a fabulous window on the dawning at the Met of one of the great operatic careers of the second half of the twentieth century - just as another of a slightly earlier age, that of Nicola Moscona, finally comes to an end.       \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCD One\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eACT 1 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Prelude and Opening Chorus  (7:37)\u003cbr\u003e2. Cruda, funesta smania  (6:00)\u003cbr\u003e3. Regnava nel silenzio  (13:01)\u003cbr\u003e4. Sulla tomba che rinserra  (12:28)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eACT 2 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5. Lucia fra poco a te verrà  (3:14)\u003cbr\u003e6. Il pallor fuesto, orrendo  (5:26)\u003cbr\u003e6a. Soffriva nel pianto  (7:05)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCD Two\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8. Per poco fra le tenebre  (3:24)\u003cbr\u003e9. Chi mi frena in tal momento  (8:27)\u003cbr\u003e10. T'allontana, sciagurato  (5:02)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eACT 3 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e12. D'immenso giubilo  (1:45)\u003cbr\u003e13. Dalle stanze, ove Lucia  (5:24)\u003cbr\u003e14. Alfin son tua  (12:28)\u003cbr\u003e15. Spargi d'amaro pianto  (5:39)\u003cbr\u003e16. Fra poco a me ricovero  (8:07)\u003cbr\u003e16a. Oh, meschina! oh, fato orrendo!  (8:58)\u003cbr\u003eRadio Ending - Milton Cross  (1:32)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCAST\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLucia.....................\u003cb\u003eJoan Sutherland\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdgardo................\u003cb\u003eRichard Tucker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnrico...................\u003cb\u003eFrank Guarrera\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRaimondo.............\u003cb\u003eNicola Moscona\u003c\/b\u003e [Last performance]\u003cbr\u003eNormanno............\u003cb\u003eRobert Nagy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlisa....................\u003cb\u003eThelma Votipka\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArturo..................\u003cb\u003eCharles Anthony\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003eMETROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS\u003cbr\u003eConductor..............\u003cb\u003eSilvio Varviso\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eXR remastering by \u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of Joan Sutherland as Lucia in this production\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded 9 December 1961\u003cbr\u003eMetropolitan Opera, New York\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration:  1hr 55:34\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PACO141.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PACO141.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fContemporary Reviews578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview of Irving Kolodin in The Saturday Review:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJOAN SUTHERLAND came, sang, and conquered the Metropolitan Opera House in her awaited debut as Lucia. This mode of putting it means there was never much doubt of her ability to deliver Donizetti's music with distinction. But how it would sound in a theatre that has devoured many another famous voice was something else. This, however, was quickly determined after her entrance aria in the Fountain Scene: broad, fluent, perfectly in pitch, fastidious in style, a treat to the ear and an incitement to the enthusiasm of an audience that filled every saleable spot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThereafter it was a matter of sitting back to enjoy a superlative demonstration of vocalism by a grand mistress of the ancient, ever new art. As she developed the part, through the duet with Edgardo, the angry episode with her brother, into the sextet, the accumulating evidence pointed to one thing in particular: this is a voice consistent in timbre through two octaves (E flat to E flat in this part) with scarcely a break-full, ringing, and clear at the top, solid in the middle, viola-mellow at the bottom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHer \"Mad Scene\" was a thoroughly studied thing in itself, altogether suited in character to what had preceded, but sufficiently illuminated by highlights to be the shining climax to the whole. Here she allowed herself more freedom in ornamentation than previously, working out delicate traceries of figuration in and around the melodic line, stitching in a bit of petit-point staccato, coasting cleanly down a descending scale, and finally demonstrating her prize beyond price-a perfectly controlled trill that was not a mere glorified vibrato but a swift, even beat of two notes perfectly interchanged. Finally? Not quite. She ended her evening's work with a bright, firm, fully produced high E flat that is still ringing in the ear as this is written.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo much for the unquestionable. What of the questionable? Not her musicianship, certainly, which is near faultless, nor her stage deportment, which is serious, considerate of her associates, and more modest that that of most with a tenth of her accomplishments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen it comes to character portrayal, however, Miss Sutherland has work to do. Prior to the \"Mad Scene,\" she projected Lucia as a maid all sad of mien, cast over with a sense of tragedy to come, with a mid-century (nineteenth) slant of the body to compose her tall figure in an angular attitude of \"suffering.\" For the \"Mad Scene.\" she wore her auburn hair at shoulder length and a faraway look that searched out the cleverly contrived action (probably the influence of Franco Zefferelli, who directed her at Covent Garden) to fill in musical gaps with pantomime and movement. One especially apt incident accompanied an echo effect in the music, in which she turned her back to the audience, apparently listening (to herself). But all the artifice did not generate compulsion, develop conviction, or magnetize the observer into involvement with anything but vocal virtuosity. There is so much of this, however, that one could only say: Well done and welcome, Miss Sutherland; may your prime be long and productive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the old-fashioned way, her entrance was accompanied, physically as well as musically, by her own conductor, the young Swiss Italian Silvio Varviso. There is nothing in the least old-fashioned about his treatment of the score, except a virtuous attention to detail, a well-discriminated distribution of emphasis between pit and stage. Richard Tucker sang well, sometimes brilliantly, as Edgardo, while indulging some petty tenoristic privileges in costuming and action; but Lorenzo Testi's blatantly overstressed Ashton did not belong on the same stage with Sutherland (or Tucker).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview of Robert J. Landry in Variety\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoan Sutherland's Met Debut Teases Memory\" Maybe Nothing Ever Like It\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Metropolitan Opera season, which was almost cancelled, has produced the debut of a soprano, Joan Sutherland, of Australia, who is almost unimaginably good. Resultantly, the Sunday (26) night audience went nearly berserk with delight during and after the climaxing mad scene in \"Lucia de Lammermoor.\" Although explosions of enthusiasm are familiar enough, though never common, at the Met nothing comparable is recalled in recent times. There wasn't applause but wild beatings of palms; not bravos but roars of exultant appreciation. There were 10 genuine, unforced, prolonged solo curtain calls. At the sixth the examples of a few who were standing became the complete audience.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSuffice that with this Australian's arrival a box-office sensation, a queen among divas and opera history were all made simultaneously. It was simply not possible to find anything to quibble about. Even the creaky old libretto suddenly seemed exciting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat the audience anticipated itself was clear when they broke into her first entrance, a practice frowned on at the house and destructive of illusion and mood. Actually the Australian has sung many times in U.S. concert and her London label disks have established the amazing richness of her voice, especially in the top range, which in \"Lucia\" included a smashing, full-throated high E. Her performance all the way, the trills and flawless production of rounded tones gave new pulsation to an opera which is frequently more hokum than art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the presence of this kind of soprano all the other singers assumed fresh interest. Richard Tucker sang his head off, Lorenzo Testi was excellent as the tyrannical brother. As for the sextet it had a powerhouse impact. The evening contained the further interest of including a new youthful conductor from Switzerland, Silvio Varviso. He made a very good impression indeed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo point in complicating the simple fact of a once-in-a-generation eruption of performing genius. Miss Sutherland, tall, completely the mistress of her role, and pretty good actress to boot, was that rara avis, a promised glory that exceeded hopes. She is the kind of talent that old-timers often refuse to believe any longer lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview of Leighton Kerner in the Village Voice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMUSIC: JOAN SUTHERLAND\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith her fifth Metropolitan Opera \"Lucia di Lammermoor\" on December 21, Joan Sutherland fulfilled her final New York performance commitment for the season and left those who had heard her with nothing to do but gasp at the memory of what they had heard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis bedazzlement in retrospect was not only accounted for by the \"Lucias,\" but extended' also to a December 5 concert performance in Carnegie Hall of Bellini's \"La Sonnambula,\" perhaps even farther back to last October 7, when a few hundred fortunates were able to get into the rather small Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum to hear the tall, redheaded Australian sing three arias from Handel's \"Alcina,\" and, inevitably, all the way to last February, when she made her New York debut in Bellini's \"Beatrice di Tenda\" at Town Hall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVocal Rocketry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe concert performances of the two Bellini operas and of the Handel excerpts contributed to what became a familiar image of this \"prima donna assoluta\": Visually, an attitude of utmost composure, with head and shoulders often set at an angle to the rest of the body, perhaps to minimize her height; aurally, a gradual conflagration of trills within turns within roulades within scales, reaching, in the final moments and in the half-octave above high C, a combination of power, brilliance, and agility not approached within a mile by any singer known to this or the preceding generation. With regard to the aural image, the culmination came in the two arias of the final scene of \"Sonnambula,\" with the long soft spun phrases of \"Ah! non credea mirarti\" (reminding more than one listener of Claudia Muzio) and with the astounding speed at which Miss Sutherland took the runs, 10-note skips, and other vocal rocketry in the \"Ah! Non giunge\" rondo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Donizetti's \"Lucia;\" on a theatre stage, the image underwent some changes here and there. As an actress Miss Sutherland has not the instinct of a Callas, but she does seem to have the intelligence to follow good stage direction - in this case, not that of the Met's Desire Defrere, who always has got stuck with the most dog-eared part of the repertory, but the direction of Franco Zeffirelli, who coached Miss Sutherland in the part at Covent Garden. Perhaps Mr. Zeffirelli was pressed for time, for once in a while the lady resorts to some pretty awkward walks around the furniture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMad Scene\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the \"Mad Scene,\" however, comes a musico-dramatic display such as, perhaps, not even Donizetti dreamed of. In the first aria of the scene, \"Alfin son tua,\" the dashing about and crouching in corners seems to be the incarnation of the Ophelia we have all wanted to see on a stage. The broken recitatives and snatches of melodic reminiscence take on sudden power. The notorious vocal cadenza with flute accompaniment, heretofore, the silliest musical passage ever penned, now becomes lightening flashes of hallucination. Lucia seems to chase the flute sounds in every direction with vocal imitations that take on an increasing bravura. She hears one flute roulade from the general direction of the opera house's Grand Tier, and back it flashes from her throat. The next is a salvo at the top balcony. The third she delivers with her back to the audience, and it bounces from the rear of the stage back into the auditorium with thrilling and uncanny clarity. Then, finally, her slow, ecstatic reprise of the First Act duet, with the flute sounds circling dizzily in the background. Going into the second aria, \"Spargi d'amaro pianto,\" ending with a fortissimo top E-flat that hits the listener like an arrow, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the \"Lucia \" \"Mad Scene\" in what will be the Sutherland tradition. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fSleevenotes578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\nOne wonders what the radio audience, listening to this broadcast of \u003cem\u003eLucia di Lammermoor\u003c\/em\u003e, made of it all. \u003cem\u003eLucia\u003c\/em\u003e was by far the\nmost popular of the \u003cem\u003ebel canto\u003c\/em\u003e operas at the Met and it featured\nregularly in the broadcast schedules. Between 1932 and 1956 audiences would\nhave heard the light and agile voice of French soprano Lily Pons in the\ntitle role 14 times (and on 3 occasions, the equally light American soprano\nPatrice Munsel), but in December 1956 Maria Callas assumed the role, in her\nonly Met broadcast. Callas was a completely different singer to Pons, and\nwas important in bringing \u003cem\u003ebel canto\u003c\/em\u003e operas into the mainstream of\nmany of the world’s opera houses. If Pons brought light virtuosity to the\nrole of \u003cem\u003eLucia\u003c\/em\u003e, Callas brought dramatic intensity, even if\noccasionally at the expense of accurate coloratura. Joan Sutherland brought\nsomething completely new, the power and stamina of a helden-soprano, which\nshe combined with spectacularly accurate and dazzling coloratura.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nJoan Sutherland started her career at Covent Garden singing roles such as \u003cem\u003eAmelia\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDesdemona\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEva\u003c\/em\u003e and she could\nreasonably have been expected to graduate, as she matured, to the heavier\nWagnerian roles. Instead her career took a left turn as her husband,\nconductor and musicologist Richard Bonynge, persuaded her to make the \u003cem\u003ebel canto\u003c\/em\u003e repertoire her own. She sang Handel’s \u003cem\u003eSamson\u003c\/em\u003e at\nCovent Garden in late 1958, and followed this with a sensational run of\nperformances as \u003cem\u003eLucia \u003c\/em\u003ein early 1959. Most commentators agreed that\nthis was her break-through moment, when she went from being one amongst\nmany (remember she would have been competing for Wagnerian roles with the\nlikes of Birgit Nilsson and Astrid Varnay), into a league of her own. It\nwas not long before she was in demand around the world, and the Italian\npress dubbed her ‘\u003cem\u003eLa Stupenda.’\u003c\/em\u003e Her Met debut did not occur until\n1961 and this broadcast is one of only five performances (all as \u003cem\u003eLucia\u003c\/em\u003e) in her debut season. The press were bowled over, ‘a\nsuperlative demonstration of vocalism’ said one, ‘unimaginably good’ said\nanother. If the applause following the Mad Scene is any indication, the\naudience in the house were equally impressed. A voice the size of\nSutherland’s carried easily to every seat in the Old Met.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nJoan Sutherland would return frequently to the Met until 1987 and not only\nin \u003cem\u003ebel canto\u003c\/em\u003e operas such as \u003cem\u003eNorma\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eLa Fille du Régiment and I Puritani\u003c\/em\u003e (these last two opposite\nLuciano Pavarotti, a frequent collaborator), but also as\u003cem\u003eDonna Anna\u003c\/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eDon Giovanni\u003c\/em\u003e, all four female leads in\u003cem\u003eLes Contes d’Hoffmann\u003c\/em\u003e (opposite Plácido Domingo), and \u003cem\u003eLeonora\u003c\/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eIl Trovatore \u003c\/em\u003e(again opposite Pavarotti).\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nSutherland is partnered by American tenor Richard Tucker, halfway through a\nnear thirty year Met career. Tucker was a wonderfully versatile tenor that\nmanagements can only dream of. He could sing heavier roles such as \u003cem\u003eDon José, Andrea Chénier, \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eHoffmann\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as\nlighter ones such as \u003cem\u003eRodolfo, the Duke of Mantua, \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003e Ferrando\u003c\/em\u003e. He first sang \u003cem\u003eEdgardo\u003c\/em\u003e in 1949, and it was the\nonly complete opera where he partnered Sutherland, apart from a single \u003cem\u003eLa Traviata\u003c\/em\u003e in 1964. This is the first of two broadcasts of the\npair of them in this opera. Tucker has more vocal weight than many \u003cem\u003eEdgardos\u003c\/em\u003e, and this makes him an ideal partner for Sutherland.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nAmerican lyric baritone Frank Guarerra sings \u003cem\u003eEnrico\u003c\/em\u003e. Guarerra had\na long Met career between 1948 and 1976 singing a wide variety of roles\nsuch as \u003cem\u003eEscamillo\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAmonasro\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eValentin\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGermont\u003c\/em\u003e. Greek bass Nicola Moscona sings \u003cem\u003eRaimondo\u003c\/em\u003e in his\nfinal Met performance, bringing an end to a distinguished career that began\nin 1937.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nThe performance is conducted by Swiss maestro Silvio Varviso. Varviso was a\nregular at the Met in the 1960s, but had only made his Met debut alongside\nSutherland in \u003cem\u003eLucia\u003c\/em\u003e a few weeks before this broadcast.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab5_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":54932317077843,"sku":"ykn1789302101120","price":26.36,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":54932317110611,"sku":"kaz1789302101121","price":16.85,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":54932317143379,"sku":"jtc1789302101122","price":14.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1068\/1833\/9155\/files\/sutherland-donizetti-lucia-di-lammermoor-1961---paco141_1.jpg?v=1789302108","url":"https:\/\/vendnora.com\/products\/sutherland-donizetti-lucia-di-lammermoor-1961-paco141","provider":"luckagni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}