Customer Reviews

Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor

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Somehow this performance has gotten lost amid the variously competing versions from Callas, Sutherland, Sills and Caballe. That's too bad, for this is an intelligently planned, precisely executed and beautifully sung essay on Donizetti's grand old warhorse of an opera.

Too often we judge a performer of Lucia by the degree of her adherence to or departure from the standard laid down by our favorite diva. Try to put aside memories of the sacred one long enough to judge Moffo purely on her own merits. I believe that you will find in her an essential rightness of characterization, vocal quality and dramatic arc.

Bergonzi is in fine form, singing like a slightly berserk angel. His Edgardo, at the very least, equals that of any tenor who has ever recorded the role and is better by far than most.

A quite unexpected virtue of this set lies in the excellent casting of the secondary roles. The tenor portraying Lord Arturo Bucklaw, for example, actually sounds capable of dealing with that intruding lout, Edgardo. For once, the big confrontation scene achored by the famous sextet makes dramatic sense.

This re-issue seems once again to have faded away. If you find it second-hand, by all means snap it up!

This is a real treat for fans of opera. Soprano Anna Moffo as Lucia, tenor Carlo Bergonzi as Edgardo in a well-preserved, digitally remastered recording. The album may also serve as a companion/soundtrack to the 1971 film also starring Anna Moffo, with tenor Lajos Kozma. Lucia was probably Anna Moffo's greatest role. She sang a rather terrific Madame Butterfly but I believe she probably considered Lucia as a role of a lifetime. It suited her perfectly. Anna Moffo was one of the first sopranos who "glamorized" opera, along with Maria Callas. In the 50's and early 60's, directly after World War II, it seemd that Maria Callas was the definiative diva but people forget that many stars were also on the rise.

Anna Moffo looked like Audrey Hepburn, could have been an actress if she wanted to but she was one heck of an opera singer. Her voice was lighter and higher than Maria Callas, not heavy and dramatic or fiery and furious. This is the right kind of voice for certain "dying heroine" roles in opera. And believe me, that's a repertoire in itself- Madame Butterfly (dies in the end) Lucia (dies in the end) Mimi from La Boheme (dies)Violetta in La Traviata (dies). Get the picture ? Anna Moffo's innocent, charming and sweet voice is capable of inducing tears in the love scenes and death scenes.

Opera is a universe within itself. To the unenlightened, it's big people singinig with big voices and elitist cakes for the rich to eat. None of this is true. Opera is an inspiring and whole art form, in which music feeds the soul. The stories are of tragic love because only through death can we appreciate love in our own lifetime. Lucia is the story of a doomed Scottish noblewoman, forced to marry against her will and betray her true love Edgardo by her scheming brother. The result- she goes crazy and kills her husband on their wedding night, which leads to her own death which motivates the grieving Edgardo to commit suicide. As mentioned, there's a rather outstanding old film in 1971 starring Moffo as Lucia and Lajos Kozma as Edgardo. This album may have been recorded earlier. Certainly, Moffo is making the better performance here. Carlo Bergonzi is a lot better than Kozma. Bergonzi was a tenor who passionately devoted himself into the integrity of the music and the drama of the text. He becomes Edgardo whole-heartedly. He is the greatest Edgardo ever on record or stage. The sound is good and the chorus is clear and powerful. The music is sublime. Highly recommended. Fans should be delighted. Other Lucias have included Maria Callas (dramatic interpretation, darker, bigger voice, more Italian-sounding) as well as Joan Sutherland (less dramatic, ornate but heavy and dramatic, very showy and flashy) Beverly Sills (along the lines of Anna Moffo- beautiful in the more romantic scenes, a lyric, high coloratura soprano -note how Moffo and Sills shine in such arias as "Soffriva Nel Pianto" "Regnave Nel Silenzio" and the "Mad Scene". Other sopranos include Cheryl Studer as Lily Pons (going way back to the 30's and 40's) and in recent years Lucia has been wonderfully performed by Inva Mulla Tchako ( she sang Lucia in the film "The Fifth Element" starring Bruce Willis in which she dubbed for the opera alien diva). I have seen Russian soprano Anna Netrebko as Lucia and I would love to see Renee Fleming as Lucia. If she has sung it, I wouldn't know but I am sure she would be phenomenal being a lyric soprano and bel canto specialist not to mention a big star in the opera world today.

Anna Moffo is a highly romantic Lucia very much the young and vulnerable heroine. The warmth and sweetness of her voice are a real delight and she also exhibits considerable agility and a secure top. In its simplicity and unaffected sincerity her performance is very touching. At her side the noblest of Edgardo in Carlo Bergonzi singing superbly. Mario Sereni and Ezio Flagello offer excellent support. This 1965 recording offers the score complete with no cuts and Georges Pretre conducts with brio this bel canto masterpiece. A very fine version.

I can't believe Anna Moffo's Lucia is now out of print. It was such a great recording! Anna Moffo's singing was truly beautiful and heartfelt. Her bel canto training is truly exemplified here as she tackles Lucia's famous and challenging parts with the finesse of a singing actress. Carlo Bergonzi makes a great partner to this overlooked American soprano. His singing of Edgardo's part is simply one of the greatest I've ever heard in ages. It was just too bad that this was overshadowed by Sill's and Sutherland's Lucias, which were in my opinion just plain bad taste done in the name of bel canto. They couldn't portray Lucia's madness the way Moffo could, nor could they look the "Lucia look". Moffo was beautiful, while Sutherland (ha!) and Sills never looked dramatic enough. RCA should release this opera again for the sake of the public. It is truly a loss to have this recording leave us.

I owned this Lucia set, along with about ten others. Moffo was a great coloratura, wonderful high notes, and a beautiful lyric soprano voice. On top of all that, she was simply the most beautiful woman in all of opera, and a great actress also. But she didn't have a trill, and for that reason, I prefer perhaps a handfuls of other colorturas over her, vocally, that is. But as an actress, I would put her in the same category as Callas and Sills. And of course Moffo had a far superior voice than both of them. I do feel that this was a wonderful recording, certainly a lot of beautiful singing. But look to Sutherland's two early sets for the definitive version of Lucia. A lot of people don't know this, but at the same time that Sutherland's star started to eclipse all others in the operatic heavens, the Met had two good Lucias already...Moffo and Scotto. But Bing had no choice but to accept Sutherland because she was the toast of the entire world. To that extent, Callas was left out. After her legendary Met debut, on which she received over 30 curtain calls after the mad scene, Sutherland became, without question the greatest Lucia of this and perhaps any other century. And who can dispute her amazing talents? Dame Joan combined all the vocal powers we would expect from a true dramatic colortura soprano, the most gorgeous and sensuous tone before the public, Olympian size high notes, and the most phenomenal technique ever, including a perfect trill! But had Sutherland not appeared, I believe that Moffo would have captured the entire operatic world! But because of Sutherland's complete dominance in the 60's and 70's, many talents were ignored. Moffo was certainly one of the great talents. She had a brighter tone than Callas, but darker than the then young Sutherland. I really believe that Moffo was probably the most underrated singer of our time. She had it all, lovely voice, great technique, great acting ability, artistry, and a strikingly beautiful women. She was a great Lucia, Violetta, and Mimi.

The 1966 RCA benchmark recording of Lucia Di Lammermoor with Anna Moffo was the first COMPLETE recording of the entire opera, including 30 minutes of then-traditionally deleted music: Enrico's complete Act 1 cabaletta; the Act 2 bass/soprano scene; Enrico's entrance after the first portion of Lucia's mad scene; Enrico's recitative after the Mad scene; and the Act 3 storm duet between Enrico and Edgardo. Callas, Pons, Scotto, and Sutherland had all recorded this role before Moffo, but hers is the first complete portrait of the tragic Scottish heroine.

Moffo is excellent in this role, girlish and appealing, and her handling of the role is delicate and graceful. Accurate coloratura and attention to the text are also assets to her performance. Bergonzi is also terrific, and he handles his role with ardency and Italianate appeal. Sereni was very underrated for his time, and this performance shows that he took no back seat to others - Robert Merrill, for one - in projecting a rich, virile sound. The conducting by Georges Pretre is spirited and emotional, and the recorded sound is spacious and lush.

Highly recommendable to all fans of Lucia Di Lammermoor, Donizetti, Anna Moffo, and Italian opera - it is the one recording of this opera that is recommended on many levels.

For example, the 1955 Berlin live Lucia (Callas and Di Stefano), the 1959 Scotto/Di Stefano/Bastianini/Serafin, and the 1961 Sutherland/Merrill - all excellent, classic performances - are cut, as was the custom. Of the recordings that came after Moffo's, the 1971 Sutherland is a little late for her, although she does have Pavarotti, Milnes, and Bonynge; the 1970 Sills/ Bergonzi has the ethereal glass armonica mad scene, as well as the thrilling yet jarring vocal line swap at the end of "Verrano a te" duet (also featured on the equally excellent 1976 Caballe/Carreras recording and the 1994 Bruce Ford/Andrea Rost original instruments recording), and others feature good individual performances (Domingo, 1993; Gruberova and Jose Bros, 1997).

If you do not have this recording, buy it ASAP! It is a shame that it has not been given the reissue treatment, similar to other RCA recordings of that period, because not everything in opera is Callas and Sutherland. Viable alternatives need to be made available!

Opera is a tree of many branches. Some opera lovers attend live performances for the culture and art, some own recordings of their favorite singers, and some collect rare, hard to find and classic recordings who have something like historic value. This particular recording of Lucia Di Lammermoor, starring Anna Moffo and Carlo Bergonzi, is a must have for collectors of rare opera recordings. If you happen to be a fan of tenor Carlo Bergonzi and moreover, a fan of soprano Anna Moffo, then this is the recording to get. It is a classic recording of the 50's or 60's, which has been reissued. The process of reissuing classic operas is a grueling job and may not always result in favorable conditions. Many complain of the scratchy Mono sound to LP's and the primitive style of orchestration. The same is said about live performances in which one must tolerate such "live sounds" as people coughing, murmuring or applauding.

This recording is a superb performance of Lucia. Carlo Bergonzi is in his prime, his rich, dramatic but elegant tenor voice is perfect for Edgardo. Anna Moffo was a brilliant soprano of the 50's and 60's. In addition to her gorgeous voice, she had winning charms and a beautiful, Audrey-Hepburn physique.

As Lucia, Anna Moffo vividly portrays Lucia more accurately than have other sopranos who've tackled the role. Lucia is supposed to be a very young, naive, fragile woman whose heart and mind is shattered upon being forced to betray the man she loves by marrying for convenience and family duty. Also, the Mad Scene should never be overdone nor overly embellished with hysteria. Joan Sutherland's Lucia is well-sung but hardly well-performed. Also, Joan Sutherland looks too elderly to be singing a romantic young heroine. Other than Moffo, only Beverly Sills has more credibly and effectively performed as Lucia. Beverly Sills is my personal favorite Lucia but Anna Moffo is just as great.

Anna Moffo's performance is dead-on. Her acting skills are showcased (as far as a studio recording can allow) and of course her graceful vocals are praiseworthy. Listen to her arias "Regnava Nel Silenzio", "Quando Rapito En Estasi" and of course the Mad Scene. She provides lyric beauty and warmth as well as coloratura fireworks and dramatic prowess. Paired with Carlo Bergonzi, as in the Act 1 duet, this opera is a great satisfaction. Look also for Anna Moffo in a film version of Lucia Di Lammermoor in 1971. She is paired with tenor Lajos Kozma and the film is haunting, beautiful if crude cinematically. Nevertheless, even in 1971 when the film was made, Anna Moffo was still beautiful and in fine singing voice. It is available on DVD or video here at Amazon.com

This is absolutely the role Moffo was born to sing. The way she just floats up to those high notes in the Mad Scene is nothing short of stupendous. I feel Moffo was the greatest coloratura soprano of all time and in this recording she really proves it. Moffo is partnered with Carlo Bergonzi here who, I feel, displays the greatest realization of the role of Edgardo, Lucia's doomed lover, on record. Bergonzi is the absolute model for this role. He sings the final act/scene arias "Fra Poco A Me Ricovero" and "Tu Che Dio Spiegasti L'ali" with great ease and passion. The role of Lucia's brother, Enrico, is masterfully handled by Mario Sereni. This, to me, is still the greatest recording of Lucia. The conducting by Pretre is absolutely first class, the sound is great and, if you buy this recording, it would be one of the greatest investments in a recording you will ever make. This would make a great primary recording of Lucia to own for anyone's library. A must have!!

I saw many Moffo performances of Lucia on stage at the Met and a number with Bergonzi.
Many of us saw Moffo in the Sutherland Met production and thought the designer definitely had Anna Moffo in mind for those lavish costumes.
Her Lucia was young, beautiful and sad. One of my favorite Lucia's. I also liked the opulence of the Sutherland Lucia and the Italian verismo of Scotto.
Bergonzi was the finest Edgardo with Alfredo Kraus right behind....Then, of course, Pavarotti came along. I hope they release this recording soon with the original L.P. cover...There's Anna Moffo pictured in the mad scene...worth the price alone.

There is a large number of outstanding recordings of Lucia with many of the leading sopranos of the past 60 years taking the title role (and for that matter the leading tenors are also recorded in this opera, for Lucia is not really a one-dimensional opera) and this is one of the very best. Indeed, to my ear it is most nearly the "right" one, bringing out most fully what Donizetti put into his masterpiece without adding interpretation that does not quite fit. Anna Moffo turns in an amazing interpretation, utterly convincing as she is in total control of the material and of her voice, and it is her understanding of the role rather than her flawless technique that most remains with me. Moffo had one of the loveliest voices, as shown here, but even more in her Susanna in the Giulini recording of the Marriage of Figaro.

I would not be without the Sutherland recordings of Lucia(I slightly prefer the later version with Pavarotti,) or those featuring Caballe or Callas (though unfortunately the quality of the Callas recordings leaves much to be desired,) but I enjoy this set with Moffo even more.

Part of the delight of this performance is the way it all fits together. Bergonzi as Edgardo, Sereni as Enrico and Flagello as Raimondo are individually outstanding and together blend perfectly along with the Chorus. Of course, the credit for this must also go to the conductor, Georges Pretre, but it is evident that all the principals bought into a common interpretation, so that here the total is far more that the sum of the parts.

Overall, this is one of the great opera recordings of the twentieth century.