Search - Anselmo Colzani, Gaetano Donizetti, Franco Capuana :: Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor

An unexpectedly good Lucia

Donald L. Kass | Queens, NY USA | 02/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No one would mention these names in the golden age of singing

but it is probably the best pre-Sutherland Lucia recorded

especially as it is the first Lucia recording to include the

"wolf's crag" scene and the tempo di mezzo between the

two parts of the mad scene. Dolores Wilson, a pupil of

Toti dal Monte and who sang 26 performances at the met including

replacing Callas as Lucia and created the role of Baby Doe in

Central City (before Beverly Sills took it up) is a perfectly

acceptable Lucia with good trills, coloratura and Ebs. Similarly

there are worse recorded Edgardos and Enricos than Poggi and Colzani,

both of whom sang at the Met. Unfortunately, the Sills and Sutherland

recordings, with starier casts are more complete while Callas is

more exciting --and di Stefano the best recorded Edgardo. Capuana

is an excellent conductor. Putting a picture of Galli Curci on the

cover is a bit much."