Lucia di Lammermoor
Every time I listen to Donizetti I fall in love with his music a little more. Tonight, I was struck by what a genius Donizetti was in writing Lucia’s mad scene (which was not in Walter Scott’s novel Bride of Lammermoor, from which the opera is based), particularly the portion where she sings that lovely duet with the flute. Susanna Phillips’s portrayal of Lucia’s startled dismay when she realized the melody of the flute was just in her head really showed Lucia’s mind unraveling. I’d never thought of that scene that way before until just now!
And I absolutely loved Wiston Chin’s set design. While more minimalist than the Met’s recent production, the bleak colors allowed attention to be focused on the singers. My favorite piece was the Wolf Crag’s tower that spun around to reveal a deep spiral staircase on which Lucia sings her famous mad aria. Brilliant!!!
Am so totally going to spend the day at work plugged into Spotify, listening to the different recordings on replay. 🙂
