Customer Reviews

Lucia Di Lammermoor

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have liked this performance for a long time, and am glad to see it on CD. I don't know why anyone would think this is a live performance. Scotto sounds terrific, and at this point in her career to my mind was the perfect Lucia: a better actress than Sutherland and a prettier voice than Callas. Di Stefano might be a little past it, but it's still one heck of a voice. The subtle moments are admittedly not many, but this guy could act with his voice better than most (which probably did him in, come to think of it!). Listen to "Sulla tomba", where he sounds like he's about to bite the soprano's head off. Everyone else is bland by comparison. On Bastianini I am not objective, the voice just blows me away. Again, as someone else said, an unsubtle performance of an unsubtle role, but a matchless voice. Too bad we only get one verse of the aria. Ivo Vinco is pretty uninspiring, the rest of the cast is OK. This is a "traditional" performance, which is to say the score is cut to ribbons. All in all, I would say get either Sutherland or Callas (your preference) and buy this one as a good (no, really good) second.

This is not a live performance which the release leads one to believe, but an early stereo studio recording made by Ricordi and released in the US on Mercury in the late fifties early sixties. If nothing else the recording demonstrates the performance style of its day. DiStefano is beyond his prime, and displays his verismo method rather baldly. Bastianini is also out of his element. Scotto, however, is at her youthful best, before she attempted spinto roles that pushed the voice. Yet there are a variety of other "live" recordings available that better demonstrate her abilities in this role. In conclusion, this is not an awful performance, but probably not recommended to those other than collectors or Scotto afficiandos.

I don't actually have this pressing, so I can't speak for its particular quality, however, I do have another obscure Italian label, and let me tell you; this is one of the greatest opera recordings of all time. The principles are amazing and in their primes, the fidelity is great, the orchestra plays its socks off. This is one of the few recordings I'd want to a desert island. 'nuff said.