Lucia di Lammermoor, an opera that is based on the Scottish romance of Sir Walter Scott, is Lucia di Lammermoor. It is composed by Gaetano Dinizetti and performed by the Dallas Opera (Dallas Opera) in thrilling performances. Elena Masuc is the main character. Bryan Hymel plays Sir Edgardo de Ravenwood. Luca Grassi plays Enrico Ashton. Jordan Bisch (Dallas Opera), Scott Quinn and Aaron Blake play minor characters.
The orchestra plays the pieces, while the actors sing them. Masuc (soprano) is Hymel (tenor), Grassi (baritone), and Bisch (bass). Quinn and Blake (tenors) are Quinn and Blake. Hanna is a mezzosoprano. The performers’ strong voices were the only sound system in the room. There wasn’t one. The performance took place at Dallas’ Winspear Opera House at 7:30 PM on Oct 19, 2011, which was the last dress rehearsal for the opening night. Although the audience was small, it was mostly students attending school performances. I was allowed to enter with jeans and a jacket. I was in the Upper Grand Tier’s top row. Due to the low ceiling and large chandelier, it is partially obscured from my view. The ceiling didn’t obscure the stage, supertitles or stage, and the chandelier doesn’t block view of high-sitting patrons. The only problem I have with this arrangement is the difficulty in distinguishing singers at high height. For regular performances, I would recommend a lower chair.
In Act I, scene 2, Masuc sings a very famous aria called Regnava nel Silenzio. Lucia di Lammermoor, the main character sings to Hanna, about her encounter with the ghostly figure. Then she sings about Edgardo. Edgardo saved her life earlier. These things are recited for nine minutes, which is quite strange and beautiful.
Masuc has a haunting melody that runs through the first half. The music changes from sad and dissonant scales to more intense, fearful chords as Masuc moves closer to the middle. Hanna says that Masuc’s ominous visions speak of danger. She should quit her love of Edgardo. This section is joyful and whimsical and Masuc sings her most piercing and happy notes.
All other elements are treated in the identical way. They are split between the second and first halves. The orchestra creates dissonantharmonies in half one, and more consonantharmonies in half two. Masuc crosses over the bridge between fear and happiness, so the key shifts from minor to major. Although this piece attempts to capture terror and love simultaneously, it is not as impressive as Lucia di Lammermoor’s famous scene.
Act III, scene 2, Masuc sings “Il dolce Suono” in the opera’s mad scene. The aria’s lyrics tell of a beautiful ceremony between Edgardo und Lucia. But, she sings this after she killed Arturo (played in part by Aaron Blake) and is now completely insane, having hallucinated the whole experience. As she walks around the room, she wears a blood-stained wedding gown and sings whimsically to the compliments of the orchestra.
Her voice is light and whimsical. This contrasts with the subject matter. The bloodstained wedding gown and previous events should have been alarming. However, it perfectly portrayed the character’s insaneness. I was instead captivated and enchanted with Masuc’s voice until the end. Lucia doesn’t seem to realize that everyone has gone. This is the whole point of the piece. This is where the music stops being lyrical. Instead she sings, exuding her crazy joy of hallucinating the love she has for her husband.
There were very few things I could make criticism of. All the singers sang the pieces beautifully. The orchestra, although it was not large enough, did a great job of creating an emotional atmosphere that suited the music. Hymel, the tenor-lead, had one problem. His voice was not as clear and hushed as it should have been. This is called “marking.” Hymel is the most notable example. But it was only a rehearsal. It is understandable that Hymel would save his voice to sing on the “real” opening night.
The opera’s music was something I enjoyed. I thought opera was only for the wealthy. However, after being exposed to this music, I discovered that it is something I truly enjoy, with the beauty of the solos and intensity of the ensemble songs. Although I still believe there is a limit to vibrato, I am able to see the positive side of it.
The opera’s epic scale was also something I enjoyed. It was amazing how the writers and performers were able to make a simple story seem so complex. This didn’t bother as much to me as I had hoped. It was funny to me that Donizetti gave the characters relatable Italian names and more Scottish surnames like Enrico Ashton or Edgardo di Ravenwood. While I am sure the intention was good, I found it more funny than serious. Lucia di Lammermoor is an opera that’s great. It has great music and a great tale. Although the singers were doing a poor job of singing, I think they are better at it “for real”. I recommend it highly.
