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Lucia di Lammermoor

By Gaetano Donizetti

Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano after Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor

English translation by Amanda Holden

Directed by David Alden

Conducted by Paul Daniel

Set design by Charles Edwards
Costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lighting design by Adam Silverman

LONDON COLISEUM

16 Feb – 8 Mar 08

uzens

A review by Marion Drew for EXTRA! EXTRA!

It has been said that of all Donizetti's operas Lucia best represents the Italian romantic mode, the melodic, emotional center of Italian opera. It is a dramma tragico in three acts, a psychologically gripping opera that is so full of passion and tension to be at times almost unbearable, and David Alden as director of this production, takes us into this dark world from the very outset.

Donizetti based the story of Lucia di Lammermoor on Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel The Bride of Lammermuir, and it was first performed in September 1835. It is arguably one of his most complex operas, grounded in the bel canto tradition, and beloved of sopranos for its beautiful intricate arias. It is set in Scotland and centres on the tragic life of Lucia (Anna Christy, in her British debut). Lucia, a young girl, and Edgardo (Barry Banks), son of a rival feuding family, fall in love and secretly become engaged but Lucia is forced by her brother Enrico ( Mark Stone) to marry another suitor, Arturo. Lucia's subsequent mental disintegration is at the heart of the opera.

The themes of this opera are simple but powerful; pure and innocent love set against a callous, self-serving filial tyranny, a young girl a victim of family rivalry and perfidy and above all, the tension between familial duty and love. The bel canto arias in this opera are fittingly elaborate to the story and tax the very limits of the human voice. But these were not, in this production, beyond the reach of this cast, and there were many moments of exquisite singing. This was in spite of the fact that Anna Christy had had a week-long bout of bronchitis, and that Clive Bayley, suffering from a bad chest infection, had to unfortunately stop singing (but not acting) the role of Raimundo, and hand over to the beautiful voice of Paul Whelan. None of this detracted from the production for me, and in fact the odd breathy moment in Ms. Christy’s voice I thought added pathos and colour to her finely-tuned performance. She rode the fine edge of youthful infatuated love and a bewildered descent into her personal hell with sensitivity. Sarah Pring as Alicia supported Lucia in both her voice, which complemented it beautifully, and in her actions which often served to heighten the dramatic tone.

I particularly enjoyed the performance of Edgardo (Barry Banks), and his energy and commitment to the role was inspiring. I was disappointed in the chorus which while beautifully directed, for example the use of slow motion movements, were not as powerful as I would have loved to hear them, especially in the second act in the marriage scene.

The music throughout the opera is absolutely stunning, but it is the ‘mad scene’ in which Donizetti brings to bear the full mastery of his bel canto writing. Lucia's mental state spirals rapidly down, following the intricate beauty of the music where Donizetti makes the voice seem to go mad with its leaps, runs and drawn-out high trills, and Anna Christy scaled these difficult passages with skill.

The towering sets were beautiful in a brooding, sinister way; a ruined mansion, huge windows looking out onto a dark vista, stark interior descending into decay. Shades of unrelenting, haunting greys and black were elegantly echoed in props and costumes, and lit with strong, stark lighting, creating a beautiful dark tableau of shadows on the walls . Contrasted very effectively with this was the brightly lit ‘stage within a stage’ of the bridal bedroom, where the famous scene depicting Lucia’s descent into madness largely takes place.

I felt that the use of old portraits was overdone, but there was clever use of other simple props, particularly Lucia’s childhood bed. However, against these wonderfully complementary elements of set lighting and costumes, the full anguish of Donizetti's story emerged magnificently.

Conductor Paul Daniel led a tight orchestra with sensitivity to the difficult vocal parts, and did not allow it to overpower the singers. His full acknowledgement of members of the orchestra at the end was a gracious and well deserved gesture.

The direction of this production, its orchestra and some excellent singing performances get right to the psychological heart of this tragic opera, revealing a chilling devastation on a deeper level altogether, and providing a very moving evening of opera.

February 16 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 28 | March 01 | 06 | 0

London Coliseum
St. Martin's Lane
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 4ES

Box Office: 0871911 0200

www.eno.org

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