Customer Reviews

Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor / Joan Sutherland, The Australian Opera / Richard Bonynge conducting [VHS]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In 1961, when The Met still made road tours, a friend and I stood to hear a young Joan Sutherland sing Lucia, so it was with high hopes that this DVD went into the player. In 1982, at the height of her talent, Dame Joan did not disappoint. Teamed with a cast that includued the sumptuous voice of Pablo Elvira as Enrico, and the elegant, poised tenor of the late Alfredo Krause as Edgardo, this Lucia overwhelms the viewer, both visually and acoustically. The conductor is Dame Joan's husband and coach, Richard Bonynge, arguably the finest conductor of bel canto opera. But the performance all comes down to Sutherland, and, for those who were not fortunate to have heard her before her retirement, this disc is overwhelming evidence of why she was referred to as "La Stupenda"! Vocally spectacular, with a range, fluidity and temperment that makes this as close to a perfect performance as one is likely to see, Dame Joan literally brings the house down at the end of the "mad scene". Pioneer, once more, has demonstrated how well opera and DVD technology work together. Don't miss this disc!!

But then, Sutherland is probably my all-time favorite soprano. I had the great good fortune to see a performance of this production at the Met when I lived in Manhattan at that time. Because the Met is such a big house (I sat in the orchestra section), the sound on the video is much better than at the live performance. Krause, in particular was difficult to hear, and Elvira's deeper voice often almost impossible to hear, even in the orchestra seats. Dame Joan is of course much older than the heroine, but her difficulties both in voice and physical movement make her seem that much more touching and vulnerable in the role, to me. The fact that her voice is not the pristine, perfect instrument is was in the 60s and 70s, also, for me, adds emotion and expressiveness to this particular production. I will always be able to enjoy this performance, and as a lover of vocal and musical beauty, that is quite a comfort to me. I highly recommend this particular version to anyone who loves the opera, and especially who love Sutherland's voice.
BTW, this is NOT a review of the Australian Opera performance, but the Met Performance of 1982, which I saw live at the Met.

We should be thankful that the Met finally got around to preserving the greatest Lucia of our time, even if she was in the autumn of her career. Sutherland is faulty here only by comparison with the purity and ease of her more youthful voice, available in memory to operagoers of the 60's and 70's and to owners of recordings. One commentator in these pages wonders why the Sutherland voice is not of its earlier peerless quality after 1977. Surely, anyone who knows operatic voices is aware that the usual prime for such singers in ages 35 to 50. Sutherland's performance here, at age 56, is still amazing. This Lucia is memorable for the diva's remarkable, indeed extraordinary elasticity and power even though she has past her prime. One regrets, however, that the forces at Pioneer didn't see fit to digitally remaster the sound, which is really no improvement over the Videotape or larger disc. Such a grand occasion deserved more audio attention.

First off, in a more perfect world we would a performance of Joan Sutherland in "Luica di Lammermoor" that was recorded closer to the legendary debut she made at the old Metropolitan Opera in 1961 than this November 13, 1982 performance at new Met and the 1986 version recorded at Sydney. But unless they put out the 1977 televised performance of "Lucia" these are our two choices and no one is going to claim that Sutherland's voice is as good as it was a decade earlier. But that is hardly the point. This performance was Sutherland's first at the Met in four years and was clearly as much a celebration of the most memorable opera performance of the last half-century as anything else. This was an audience that came fully intending to give the diva ovation after ovation, especially at the end of the famous "Mad Scene," where they try to coax the soprano back up on her feet after her character has flung herself to the floor in despair.

The assumption is that this production of the 301st Metropolitan Opera performance of Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" (Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, based on Sir Walter Scott's novel, "The Bride of Lammermoor") is something you come upon by choice. It is not intended as an introduction to opera in general or this pivotal piece in the bel canto repertoire in particular. The performance is subtitled in English and while there is not an enclosed Libretto there is an introduction written by Wil Crutchfield. The story is simple and straightforward: Lucia (Sutherland) loves Edgardo (tenor Alfredo Kraus), but her brother Enrico (baritone Pablo Elvira) forces her to wed Arturo (tenor Jeffrey Stamm) to save the family fortune. Edgardo denounces Lucia for her betrayal and on the wedding night she goes insane and kills her husband. First Lucia and then Edgardo sing a couple of arias and drop dead. In short, a perfect opera.

From a vocal standpoint this earlier performance is the better of the two available for viewing, but clearly the Australian production is more of a love fest for Dame Joan, performing in her native land Down Under. Ultimately, the ovations might provide more chills than the singing, but I think it is impossible not to listen to and watch this performance without thinking what it must have been like when "the Voice of the Century" was in her prime. You feel rather sorry for the other principle singers because as long as Sutherland is on stage singing that is the only thing to which you pay attention. If for all intents and purposes you think of this as Dame Joan's curtain call, then that makes it worthwhile on those terms as well.

One of the most electrifying performances of Lucia I have ever witnessed. I saw it live and was absolutely enthralled by the entire performance. I had to have the DVD in my collection. Sutherland's return to the Met in this performance was remarkable and thrilling. Her mad scene was without equal in all the opera world. It brought tears to many in the unusually enthusiastic audience that brought her back for five curtain calls. Bel Canto will never be the same without Sutherland. The staging, orchestration and the cast were all superior.

Firstly, the video and sound on this DVD transfer are quite good, especially considering the dates of the original production. That said, the important business at hand is the performance of the greatest Lucia the world has ever seen.

Sutherland made this role her own from the 1959 Covent Garden debut onward. Whilst there are many commentaries and opinions about how influential the people surrounding her on this original project were, even the opinion of Callas says it all: "That I would do for no one!" (Referring to Sutherland's moving about the stage so much and falling over backwards down a flight of stairs at the end of the Mad Scene.) Callas had launched the Bel Canto revival with the idea that a large voice could perform the coloratura--Sutherland took THAT to the next level.

While a comparison of this Met performance with her 1962 (or was it 1961?) performance of the Mad Scene on the Bell Telephone Hour shows how the voice had aged and lost its bright sparkle of her early days, this performance shows the experienced and dramatically developed Sutherland at home and secure in herself. There are places when one can hear a slight beat beginning which marked her very last years, but even with the first half of the mad scene transposed downward, the top notes are stellar! For a woman her age at the time (56!) Sutherland gives us more than most other opera stars could hope for in a career. The Regnava... is quite fine and this DVD also gives us an insight (especially for those who never heard her live) into just how large this voice was. The column of sound is HUGE and when she sings with others it is startlingly obvious. It is a shame that Kraus was the Edgardo since he is obviously suffering more from age than Sutherland. If only this had been one of those many Sutherland/Pavarotti events at the Met...

In summary, although this may not be Sutherland at her peak, there is so much good and so much advantage in having this document of her signature role performance that any disadvantages are easily washed away!

Joan Sutherland as Lucia. I guess the only reason I can't give it a five star is because I have tapes of Sutherland in the 1960-1970 that puts the voice in a totally different category. Yes, she was still great here, 1983. But her performances in the complete bell telephone hour is so superior to the one here that you would not recognize it. But as huge fans of the Dame, of course we have to have everything that she ever did. But for the new opera buff who wants to see why Sutherland is widely regarded as the greatest coloratura of all time, I suggest he look elsewhere, such as the bell telephone hour set, or the age of bel canto set.

If Sutherland is late in her career in this performance, there is still no one today who sings it likes this even early in their career: power, beauty and fullness of tone, effortless coloratura. Krauss gives another one of his very fine classy perfomances. Age here does give a dryness to the timber. But he had an extraordinary career. Pablo Elvira I'm afraid was very underappreciated and this is lamentable. His performance here is rich and full in tone, powerful, convincing, untterly sincere, a worlthy partner to Sutherland's Lucia. The Met orchestra is superb as always. A must have! A wonderful evening at the theater!

I've not been one of Joan Sutherland's greatest fans, though I do enjoy the voice very much. Often, she sounds dramatically uninvolved and, as my friend remarks, always sounds like she was about to sneeze.
Ok, enough of that. She is awesome here. Yes, she may not be able to measure up to her recordings of the work, but she has found a new sense of drama, a fire within the music. I much prefer Sills in this role, who really tore up the stage (or microphone, on her cd). However, Sutherland does have quite a presence and I am utterly astonished when I hear her pluck an effortless high D at the end of the sextet. Oh my god! What I would give to have a high note like that AT ANY AGE!!!!!!!
Here she is in her mid to late fifties doing these things.
She's quite good, as is Plishka and Elvira. I've never been a huge fan of Alfredo Kraus but, with microphone distancing, he doesn't bother me nearly as much as in his studio recordings. Overall, I think it's a wonderful time at the opera. Now, for an even more incredible account, pick up Beverly Sills' version that was just released. WOW!

Agree that Joan's voice was beginning to show wear in this performance (I have the tape and LD) but it has a good cast supporting her and she is still worth the price of the video! The costumes and production at The Met are just fine as well. She is not my favorite Lucia, however, Ruth Ann Swenson is even better that Joan but you can't get her Lucia on video. Recommended as a memory of Joan in one of her most famous roles if for no other reason. But it stands as a credible Lucia. Recommended as a truly beautiful opera with great music!