Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia Vancouver 1972 Sutherland Alexander Quilico Bonynge BETTER SOUND

Thank you to Martin for sharing this better quality version with me!
This here is Joan's very first performance as Lucrezia Borgia in Vancouver as this was opening night. Date is October 26th 1972. This performance was almost 3 weeks after her San Francisco Norma in the same year. I feel as if Bonynge rushed a few of the tempos here as I prefer the tempos from 1977 Sydney and 1980 London Lucrezia Borgia performances. Everyone here is in wonderful voice, especially Joan in Era Desso il figlio mio. I personally like John Alexander in the role of Gennaro (criticize me if you want). He has all the high notes that most tenors don't sing in this opera. I just wish we had a bit more of him as Gennaro. Louis Quilico is a wonderful Alfonso. Tourangeau is okay... This production of Lucrezia Borgia had been a huge Triumph for the VOA as Joan says in her biography.
Photo 4 may be from the 1975 Houston Lucrezia Borgia... oops... 😳
The best in sound quality doesn't mean the most without imperfections... I'd like to also thank MrQwerty88 for posting his Lucrezia Borgia 1972. I've spliced a few bits from there as some portions of this recording were either distorted, missing, or missing the left channel. The person recording this in 1972 played around with the recording knob a few times during this performance, thus the beginning is a bit distorted and some portions are louder than others. I've improved the sound greatly and it sounds much clearer. I've also repitched this recording as it was too high/fast before.
Enjoy!
Cast:
Lucrezia: Joan Sutherland
Gennaro: John Alexander
Alfonso: Louis Quilico
Orsini: Huguette Tourangeau
Liverotto: Marcel Larochelle
Astolfo: Pierre Charbonneau
Gazella: David Myrvold
Petrucci: Jose Le Matt
Vitellozzo: Larry Benson
Gubetta: William Fleck
Rustighello: Joseph Pinedo
Servant: Robert Warrington
Offstage Voice: Ron Bermingham
Conductor: Richard Bonynge
Chorus and Orchestra of the Vancouver Opera Association

[@davidhansel897]

Thank you for posting this! Opening Announcements: 0:00 Prologue: 0:08 Act 1, s.1: 39:03 Act 1, s.2: 52:43 Act 2, s.1: 1:15:26 Act 2, s.2: 1:36:51 Brindisi ("Il segreto"): 1:42:57 "Era desso il figlio mio": 2:00:55

[@wotan10950]

I first saw Dame Joan on the stage in 1974 (before she was a dame!). And before the Met had subtitles. So I had no idea what was going on, except that she had the most brilliant voice I’d ever heard. Also, that I didn’t think was humanly possible!

[@-Tesla-Live_]

Another of Joan's incredible qualities was her vocal stamina and the fact that, at the end of an exhausting opera, she sounds as fresh as a daisy and capable of singing the whole thing all over again!

[@vanmusician]

I was in the audience for this performance - what a memory!

[@alfvillanueva]

Can't find any more superlatives to thank you.for another rare ( VERY RARE) gem from Dame Joan's crown. Great work on your seemingly inexhaustible treasure trove. BLESS YOU !!

[@eric644]

Wow. Joan was absolutely stunning here, even for her. Must have been astonishing in the house. The size and scale of her singing is incredible.

[@vanmusician]

I was there - front row of the balcony.

[@Valette59]

Wow, thank you 😍 Lucrezia Borgia for me is one of the best Joan's role. And her voice was glorious on this performance. "Infelice..." with Alexander is gorgeous - probably one of the best recording of this duet.

[@robertroberts8632]

Thank you so very much for posting this. I listened to it yesterday with great joy. I've always loved Sutherland in this role. Great cast too. Just great singing. I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Thanks again.

[@petergraham8681]

The one performance in an opera I saw Sutherland in was this very production in Vancouver. I do not especially recall that she was in absolutely top form at least the night I was there. Even Quilico, singing a bass role, was not either. Others in the cast I remember more favorably.

[@barrymalkin4404]

I also think John Alexander was excellent here. He didn't have the most lusciously Italianate voice, but he was expressive and indeed had all the high notes for a bel canto and middle Verdi tenor. From the death scene photo here, he also looked good in Seinfeld's puffy shirt which he also wore later in the Met Idomeneo production with Pavarotti.

[@vanmusician]

I remember a very strange moment in Tourangeau's singing of 'Il segreto' on opening night. She popped out a high C which was preceeded by a very loud 'click'. I was told by friends in the cast that it happened every night.

[@highbaritone]

Every rehearsal and performance. Indeed it was shocking.

[@Sutherland2]

Wonderful performance! Thank you! But I still don't understand what the Bonynges saw in Hugette Tourangeau. She sings like an angry beaver.

[@ChrisStockslager]

Angry turkey to me. 😆

[@nathandavis3002]

She's definitely an unorthodox method of vocal production. But I think she's wonderful, in her own unique way. Especially in french music.

[@Sutherland2]

@@nathandavis3002 Yes, people's taste in singers is varied. Nothing wrong with that. But Tourangeau is such a lightweight, musically uninteresting, awful voice production and probably an ugly instrument to start with. You can like her all you want. Some people like Florence Foster Jenkins, too. Pas de problem.

[@-Tesla-Live_]

A strange voice - sometimes more like a gargle - that I have never really enjoyed listening to.

[@Sutherland2]

@@-Tesla-Live_ Yes! By George, I think you've got it! That's exactly the sound. A gargle. She could have made millions doing mouthwash commercials. Wasted her time in opera!

[@josephcollins6033]

wow!!!Thanks!!!!!