Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor - Lucia-Enrico duet - Joan Sutherland, Sherrill Milnes (1971)

Gaetano Donizetti
Lucia di Lammermoor
Appressati, Lucia ... Il pallor, funesto, orrendo ... Soffriva nel pianto ... Che fia? ... Se tradirmi tu potrai
Lucia di Lammermoor - Joan Sutherland
Enrico Ashton - Sherrill Milnes
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Richard Bonynge, conductor
DECCA, 1971

[@johannekjeldsen1043]

And Milnes' voice is in excellent shape. 10 years before it unfortunately crumbled. But honestly, the high e at the end - it is certainly Sutherland's - but it sounds like it has been glued on later. In the recording room you get as many shots at the high notes as you want.

[@margritammeter8963]

Dies war 1835 mit sicherheit dad grossartigste duett der gesamten damaligen opernliteratur ... und vielleicht auch der heutigen.sowohl rein musikalisch als auch dramatisch und psychologisgh nahezu perfektes musikdrama , da ist höchstens verdis macbeth noch grossartiget,aber eben auch dank shakespeare...

[@ilovemilnesandopera7662]

che meraviglia due Titani!!!

[@artdanks]

I remember when this recording came out! I was sooooo excited! I was in high school at the time, and Sutherland was one of my 3 favorite sopranos / Lucias. (The other 2 being Callas and Sills.)
I bought this as soon as it hit the market, and played over and over! Finally got to actually see Sutherland perform Lucia live with San Diego Opera in 1974! That was sooo exciting!

[@artdanks]

@Barone Vitellio Scarpia So very true!

[@chrisryan9071]

My copy arrived at work and i just took an extra hour off to go home and play some of it!

[@fabriziogarzi9892]

E questo duetto è cantato un tono sopra.

[@BaroneVitellioScarpia1]

@@fabriziogarzi9892 È un'idea di Bonynge.

[@fabriziogarzi9892]

@@BaroneVitellioScarpia1 , si? Non lo sapevo...si..e' cantato bene. Lo ha potuto fare perché aveva Milnes che era esteso...alla fine il Mi di Joan e' un po al limite ma va bene. Con quello che sentiamo oggi nulla si puo' discutere su e di questi artisti, tutto va bene, tutto e' platino.

[@claesrobertnyman]

What can I say? I´m speachless!

[@65attila]

What a winner this is !!!!! Joan takes the ending up a half a tone. Milnes is excellent.

[@alwaysnew189]

A major :)

[@vinnie165]

The whole scene is one whole tone higher.

[@artdanks]

@@vinnie165 From what I understand, this was the original key written by Donizetti. Definitely gives the whole piece a much brighter and more intense feel.

[@vinnie165]

@@artdanks Regnava nel Silenzio in the original manuscript is a half tone higher and the mad scene is one whole tone higher. The original keys were used ( unfortunately) in the complete recording of Caballe/Carreras...

[@johannekjeldsen1043]

@@vinnie165 The tuning of the orchestra is higher today than at Donizettis time almost a whole note, so lovering the key of the arias makes good sense. Singing in the original key with todays tuning means an extraordinary strain on the singers voices.

[@BaroneVitellioScarpia1]

Bravissimi entrambi.

[@herrbrucvald6376]

What can you even say about such singing?? The "Soffriva" is behind so much of Verdi's work. And the duet is in a higher key, from a variant manuscript found by Bonynge at the time, w/ a stupendous E6 at the end. Sutherland/Milnes + Donizetti = divine.

[@angusmcrandy]

Milnes's high A is no less impressive.

[@wotan10950]

I saw Sutherland as Lucia in 1982, and many other roles as well. But this recording is a one-off; that is, she never sang the high-E in a live performance. Of course, when she sang high-Ds and Eb's in the theater, the sound was astonishing!

[@sofiaroig50]

The turn at 2:16 is simply breathtaking

[@debbiewoodburn6786]

A joy to hear this recording.

[@sutherland9]

The high-E started just a tad flat but quickly rose to proper pitch. To hear the Sutherland voice live was a treat to the ears and I feel fortunate to have heard it.

[@chrisryan9071]

oh, and as well you should! As indeed as are the rest of us who did ... continue to celebrate that brilliant voice!

[@artdanks]

@@chrisryan9071 I so agree! I was fortunate to see her perform Lucia live with San Diego Opera in 1975. What a thrill!

[@margritammeter8963]

@@chrisryan9071 im Jahr 1835 mit abstand das grossartigste sopran - bariton - duett der gesamten opernliterstur, sowohl rein musikalisch als auch dramatisch...
bis 1842 ein junger italienischer mitbürger mit namen sepp grün oder so ähnlich mit den duetten nabucco-abigaille kam und alle bisherigen misikdramen in den schatten stellte...
bis zum heutigen tag übrigens...
denn nach im kam KEINER mehr,der ebenbürtiges kreieren konnte...

[@fabriziogarzi9892]

@@chrisryan9071 , la Callas e la Sutherland sono stati i piu' grandi soprani del 900.

[@ahogbin2644]

Astonishing singing. The keys are what Donizetti actually wrote but pitch was lower in the early 19th century. She never sang it up in the theatre and usually it was cut too. Nevertheless I’d much rather hear it sung by big dramatic voices like this than the pipsqueaks we hear today.

[@paullewis2413]

I prefer Joan's 1961 recording not least because the voice was at the peak of her career and Merrill superior to Milnes , likewise Pritchard to Bonynge. Of course in 1971 Joan was still incredible

[@alwaysnew189]

A major. S**t 🌟🌟🌟

[@harpercraft9354]

13:36: High E
13:41: High A

[@_hongbari]

4:24

[@_hongbari]

9:23

[@TheVaughan5]

Of course Joan is wonderful, still at her peak in the early 70’s. However in parts this performance is not as good as her 1961 recording mainly because Merrill was much better than Milnes and Prichard’s conducting superior.

[@stevendaniel8126]

Merrill was better. More color and focus of tone. Sutherland a little tired.....