Search - Sutherland :: Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (1959)

A stellar performance from a new star

Lawrence F. Jagdfeld | Cicero, Illinois | 08/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stories about the "Lucia" breakthrough that launched Joan Sutherland's career are familiar grist for the opera mill. This recording, made shortly after that fabled night, presents us with the opportunity to hear a youthful Sutherland launching that starship. "Lucia di Lammermoor," easily Donizetti's best known opus today, was relatively unknown by the post-war audience. Though there were a few sopranos who could sing the role, the demands of the cast were such that it had fallen out of the more familiar repertory.



This recording does not disappoint. Sutherland's performance is simply breathtaking. The supporting cast is more than adequate. Margreta Elkins, a fine mezzo soprano, compliments Sutherland's voice quite nicely.



Sutherland went on to make two studio recordings of this opera which are arguably better. This recording, however, captures that moment in history, and the results are electric. A must for any Sutherland fan."