Music : Classical : Lossless


Donizetti - Lucie de Lammermoor / Dessay, Alagna, Tézier, Laho, Cavallier, Saelens, Pido (Opéra de Lyon)

Gaetano Donizetti (Composer), Evelino Pido (Conductor), Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon (Orchestra), Natalie Dessay (Performer), Roberto Alagna (Performer), Ludovic Tezier (Performer), Nicolas Cavallier (Performer), Marc Laho (Performer), Yves Saelens (Performer), Choeur de l'Opera National de Lyon

Editorial Reviews
In the 1830s, Paris was a mecca for musicians, so it's no wonder that successful Italian opera composers wrote or adapted their works for its prestigious stages. Donizetti settled in Paris in 1838. That year, his Lucia di Lammermoor, which had triumphed in Naples in 1835, was produced as Lucie de Lammermoor, a French version that he himself supervised at a new, successful, private Paris venue, the Théatre de la Renaissance. In France, both Lucia and Lucie weren't presented until the end of the 19th century. Then the latter fell into disuse. This is the first studio recording of Lucie.
It is tempting to explore the differences between the two versions. The original vocal lines, apart from some retouching for the prosody, are remarkably intact, though the Italian language seems to melt into the melodic contours more naturally. Many of the alterations affect the text more than the music. Characters are excised or changed: Normanno, an ambiguous opportunist, becomes Gilbert, a corrupt, amoral villain, ready to betray everyone for a price; Enrico becomes an unmitigated brute. Arthur's role is expanded, Lucia's maid Alisa's eliminated. Chaplain Raimondo's is shortened, at the cost of his moving duet with Lucia. Also omitted are Lucia's first aria and the storm scene with Edgardo's recitative, as well as the harp solo introducing Act II. To understand the political background and ancestral feud, one must still consult Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Bride of Lammermoor.

The chorus and orchestra here are very good, with outstanding wind solos and ensembles. Among the singers, Tezier as Henri and Marc Laho, Nicolas Cavalier, and Yves Saelens in the smaller roles are excellent. Dessay sounds lovely and expressive in the lyrical parts, but a bit labored and shrill in the coloratura passages. Her vibrato is very wide, and she tends to swell long notes. Alagna has a beautiful voice with a fine, ringing top, and his French diction is exemplary, but he "emotes" with scoops, slides, and sobs, and his fermatas last forever. --Edith Eisler

Not my rip. Thanks to the original ripper on Avaxhome!


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