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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lina Pagliughi in her prime., 6 Jan 2002
I wonder if internet viewers have found, like me, that there are certain operas that wild horses couldn't drag them back to see a second time but who are happy, at regular intervals, to listen to them on record. For me, "Lucia di Lammermoor" is one such opera. Looking at it from a side box at the Vienna State Opera House, I found little to enjoy. There seemed to be little action on stage, amongst the singers clad in Scottish outfits. Wondering if the large soprano would get through her marathon mad scene made me uneasy. Listening to the bass sing at great length of the homicide that had taken place off stage in the marital chamber made me feel discomforted. The little tenor's long final scene in the graveyard made me ready to head for the exit door. Listening to the opera on record however has always been a pleasure. If the dramatization of a small part of Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Bride of Lammermoor" doesn't work well on stage, Donizetti's score provides plenty of listening enjoyment. This year I am pleased to see that two reissues of a much praised historical recording have appeared. The one I have acquired is the Naxos reissue, engineered by Ward Marston, a super budget issue that includes 9 additional recordings of arias by the soprano who sings Lucia, Lina Pagliughi. (The title of one Rossini aria is misspelled.) New York born, Italian soprano Lina Pagliughi (1907-1980) made many complete opera recordings. Her Gilda in "Rigoletto" was recorded twice. Her own favourites - recordings of two Rossini operas made in the early 1940s - were destroyed during bombing raids on Italy in 1943. She is probably heard in her prime in this 1939 recording of "Lucia di Lammermoor", a recording that survived World War Two and was first issued in 1947. Yes, this is old-fashioned, not especially dramatic singing, but the voice is lovely, especially in its lower register. A row of notes on the page is transformed into a string of pearls. John Milton's words "linked sweetness long drawn out" come to mind. The names of the other singers I have never seen on any record labels. Vocally, each is impressive. The male voices are clearly differentiated, a production strength that becomes apparent in the first few minutes, as does the well judged balance between singers and orchestra. If this review is to be helpful, it ought to mention the bad with the good. In accordance with the performing and recording conventions of the 1930s, there are cuts in this "complete" version. Then, sonically, the odd distortion occurs once or twice. Don't expect a full text in Italian and your language. A synopsis, track by track, only is provided. Otherwise I can unconditionally recommend this bargain. A final recommendation comes from the authors of "The Record Guide". Reviewing this recording soon after its initial release, they judged it to be "beside the Glyndebourne Mozart Opera recordings, the best opera set ever to be issued".
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