Lucia's Mad Scene (Recital, 1973)

[@Eiswirth1]

I've never heard this recital before, and I thought I"d heard them all. It's fantastic: THE greatest voice of all time in her signature role. Wish the sound were a bit clearer, but thrilled to hear it as is. She was at her best in the early 70s, IMO: a more mature, slightly darker sound, less girlish, but no loss of facility or technique. Every time I hear her it's mesmerizing; no one else sings like she does. The beauty of tone, the power, the glorious, never-thinning top notes, the unmatched technique and mastery of all things bel canto...it's unbelievable if one wasn't hearing it. She will always be my favorite, my go-to, my inspiration to do better. And thank you, Richard, for steering her in this direction; your genius is part of this marvel..

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

I agree with you 100%!

[@shannonlewis8906]

Totally with ya

[@machovoce6826]

Sutherland's late prime is 1983 - not 73.

[@eric644]

An incredible document of Joan’s late-prime voice: golden and opulent, but also capable of delicacy and nuance. The coloratura is standard-setting, unmatched. And no soprano could sing high E flats with such great power and ease, soaring to the back of the theater.

[@shannonlewis8906]

This is my favorite time period for Joan. (‘70-‘77ish) Of course, I love every year she sang.. but my favorite is the time her voice was richer, but still had the ability and ease to do whatever she wanted. And her vibrato was a bit slower than her younger years, which I prefer. ❤️

[@theon9575]

Yes, I agree. And this seemed best illustrated by her performances of all 4 roles in Hoffman in NYC, Sydney etc. near the end of the period you mention.

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

I love her voice in the early 70's so much! This was great! Thanks for posting this!

[@machovoce6826]

This is from the 1973 Met Gala. AIDA Act III with Price and F Tagliavini; BALLO Act III with Ross and Pavarotti; LUCIA Act III scene 1 w Sutherland, Macurdy and Manuguerra. But it hardly matters. All bow before the greatest Lucia of all time.

[@ahogbin2644]

One cannot imagine this music being better sung. I was lucky to hear her final Covent Garden Lucias in 1985. By then, the voice had become even more opulent and darker, though she did transpose part of the scene down a tone. Nevertheless, one of the greatest voices of the century and in all opera. We'll not see her like again.

[@lastupendaboy]

I was there too, three times, in London 1985… it was astonishing …. From another world

[@cadoh8143]

Love her live. Brava!!!!

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Beyond EPIC!

[@canpete1]

Brava diva!!

[@highbaritone]

Thank you again. Didn’t know this existed.

[@MrMin316]

Thanks for the post, but one question? Will you please stop cutting out the applause. It adds to the thrill of it all, and Joan's unmatched soprano.

[@williammaddox3339]

Vini you are a JS musical library

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

I try to collect everything she left recorded. I have wonderful friends who helps me in this journey ;)

[@dramaturge231]

Vini Soaris Her live recordings are much better than the studio ones.

[@LC-ig2jm]

@@JoanSutherlandFan Spectacular, as usual! What happened to the full live Lucia that you considered her best live Lucia? That was the best I've ever heard. Please put it up again. Thanks!

[@richardholmesmusic2128]

This was not a recital! It was a gala. Pavarotti sang Ballo Act 3, Price sang Aïda Act 3, and John (with John Macurdy) sang Lucia Mad Scrnd to close the evening. All three acts of scenes were staged and in costume.

[@theon9575]

.... but Maestro Bonynge seemed to be in something of a hurry to grab his coat and go home. (Though the chorus was not to be hurried 😂, bless 'em) And I would have called it a 'Concert Performance' rather than 'Recital', but who cares? The point of the night was fabulous. She was a vocal miracle in this role. This recording gives a taste of the sheer POWER of the voice that her studio recordings never captured.

[@scottfhannigan]

How like an audience to applaud on an imperfect cadence.

[@SR-jx8yu]

Who composed the flute cadenza that she used? It seems Sutherland was the only one to sing it this way!

[@ahogbin2644]

It was basically the one Melba used at the end of the 19th century. Donizetti just indicated a cadence in the score and expected singers to improvise. A lot of modern sopranos have tried different things and of course if one's to sing it with the flute or glass harmonica (for which it was originally composed) it requires practice and co-ordination. The "traditional" approach also requires two top Eflats - most modern singers cannot muster one!

[@herrbrucvald6376]

It never ceases to disappoint me how poorly many YT videos are titled. How about: "Lucia di Lammermoor - Mad Scene - Sutherland, Manuguerra, Macurdy - Met Opera Gala - 1973" so people could find it in a search? The word 'recital' refers to a singer with a pianist, not a staged opera, of course.

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

How much more details you give them, more the probability of the content be blocked.

[@liedersanger1]

Not a recital, a Met gala.

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

Recital, Met has nothing to do with this.

[@andreagazza7611]

Met???

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

I can't say ;) In doing that the rights arouse from nothing.

[@lahire22]

@@JoanSutherlandFan , Met,NYC : Opera Gala (Guild Benefit Gala - act3 of Aida, act3 of Un Ballo.., and Mad Scene closed) 10Feb (1973)