Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848):
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| Lucie Ashton | Natalie Dessay |
| Edgard Ravenswood | Roberto Alagna |
| Henri Ashton | Ludovic Tézier |
| Arthur Bucklaw | Marc Laho |
| Raymond | Nicolas Cavallier |
| Gilbert | Yves Saelens |
Introduction
Donizetti prepared the French version of Lucia di Lammermoor for Paris in 1839. Natalie Dessay, a reigning interpreter of the role, is joined by fellow French-born stars Roberto Alagna and Ludovic Tézier under the baton of bel canto maestro Evelino Pidò.
Synopsis
Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor, set in southern Scotland, was the source for Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, first performed in Italian in 1835 and adapted into French for Paris in 1839. Lucia, or Lucie, has become the iconic tragic coloratura heroine; her celebrated Mad Scene comes towards the end of the opera, after she has been tricked into an arranged marriage by her villainous brother, Henri. Her true love, Edgard, is the scion of a rival family, but Henri has intercepted Edgard’s letters and persuaded Lucie that he loves another woman. When the outraged Edgard makes an appearance at her wedding -- the cue for a splendidly taut sextet – Lucie loses her reason. She stabs her new husband to death, returning from the wedding chamber to the banqueting hall in a bloodied nightgown. Her dizzy, fragmented lines express her distress and confusion, and in the famous extended cadenza with flute she recalls the expansive melody of her rapturous Act I duet with Edgard. After madness has driven Lucy to her death, Edgard brings the opera to an end with a plaintive lament and his suicide.
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Compact Disc 1 77.25
ACT ONE ACT TWO
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Compact Disc 2 49.31
ACT THREE |
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