lucia di lammermoor at the metropolitan opera

The plain fact is that Camarena’s voice is way too small for the part. Both were big voice tenors who easily conveyed the dramatic impact required for this role. Edgardo was regularly performed at the Met by Enrico Caruso and Richard Tucker. It was first performed by Gilbert Duprez who set the standard for the spinto tenors that followed him. He’s a light bel canto tenor who does well in the florid and high flying roles of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. Javier Camarena was plainly miscast as Edgardo.

Hers was a fine performance by a rising star, one that likely has not yet peaked. Her reading of the mad scene was filled with ornaments and high notes to the general delight of the live audience. There was a slight buzz in her voice during the first act aria and the duet that follows it. Given her youth and technical proficiency she’ll like get there before too long. What requires development is the knack of conveying the inner emotional tension that lies just below the surface within Lucia. Gifted with both vocal talent and good looks she has almost everything needed for one of opera’s seminal roles. The young American soprano Nadine Sierra has rapidly ascended to the top of the opera world. The obvious starting point is the title role. This way I could get an idea about the purely vocal characteristics of the current production without distraction by the latest directorial assault on a key opera. I decided to listen to it without the gouts of blood and high tech tchotchkes that are said to festoon the new staging before watching it next month. It received its second performance last night which was broadcast on the Met’s radio network. The Met’s new production of Lucia Di Lammermoor staged by Simon Stone has been roughly handled by several critics.

Lucia di lammermoor at the metropolitan opera