Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
This performance was done at the Mariinsky Concert Hall, St. Petersburg, 12-16 September 2010.
The singers are: Natalie Dessay (Lucia), Piotr Beczala (Edgardo), Vladislav Sulimsky (Enrico), Dmitry Voropaev (Arturo), Ilya Bannik (Raimondo), Zhanna Dombrovskaya (Alisa) & Sergei Skorokhodov (Normanno).
Performed by the Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus, conducted by Valery Gergiev
Natalie Dessay is an admired interpreter of lyric opera heroines. She is particularly renowned for her interpretation of the role of Lucia, which she has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House and the Mariinsky Theatre. Other engagements include Verdi’s La Traviata with the LSO at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and at the Vienna State Opera.
Here are some press quotes:
“… All those Italian melodies flow beautifully… there is a sense of drive and purpose about this performance that seems, to me at least, distinctively Slavic…Dessay structures [the Mad Scene] well, always saving something in reserve for the build-ups and outbursts. Some excellent glass harmonica playing from Sascha Reckert…An intense but satisfying experience.”
…………………….Classical Review, July 2011
“Gergiev drives it hard, admirably sustaining an atmosphere of tremendous neurotic tension throughout…Piotr Beczala’s Edgardo is stylish and impulsive, if occasionally effortful.”
……………………………………….The Guardian, 11th August 2011
“Here is a Lucia to match Callas or Sutherland. Natalie Dessay’s light soprano gives a vivid impression of Lucia’s vulnerable personality. The Mad Scene is enthralling. Piotr Beczala is a gloriously virile Edgardo, and the Italian style of the Russian cast more than acceptable. With Valery Gergiev a surprisingly sensitive conductor, this is a top-rank recording of a marvelous opera.”
…………………………………………….The Telegraph, 4th August 2011
Here is more about this Lucia recording, especially the history regarding the use of a glass harmonica, which accompanies the singers:
Here is Natalie Dessay in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Mariinsky gala. At the gala concert commemorating one hundred and fifty years since the opening of the Mariinsky Theater, Natalie Dessay performed a duet from Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor with Sergei Skorokhodov.
Conductor — Valery Gergiev
Tags: Lucia di Lammermoor, Natalie Dessay, Gergiev, Mariinsky Theater