Rating: 
Summary: Embalmed Lucia
Review: Some have commented that this is the best Lucia on DVD. If it is, are we hard up. Sutherland is beyond petrified, she is at the embalmed stage. This is just an eerie echo of her famed
Lucia from 25 years earlier. Some parts are transposed so that
she can "appear" to sing the familiar high options.
Pushing part of the mad scene downward puts sections of it in the area were Sutherland is forced to growl to get through them.
In all fairness, much of Sutherland's technique is still intact and she still is able to do the amazing feat of darting around the stage during the flute cadenza of the mad scene. It's just too bad there isn't a video documentation from her prime.
The production is typical Met musty routine, with no real attempt to bring any drama at all to the performance.
Bonynge leads the performance in a very careful way to help Dame Joan avoid as many vocal risks as possible.
Yes, the ageless Kraus sings Edgardo and he does it well. But at this point point his voice had taken on a somewhat wooden quality.
Both lead singers are approaching their 60th birthdays and it is impossible to avoid the march of time.
I would recommend getting the Devia Lucia on DVD or the Opera Lyon Lucie DVD
Rating: 
Summary: Sutherland getting a bit old, but still worth seeing
Review: Sutherland is a bit old in this "revival" performance... it's a bit tough to buy her as a young ingenue in love. When she "flits lightly" across the stage, the rafters shake, y'know? Appearance aside, her voice isn't in its finest form, either. Most of the opera she seems to be warming up... however, once she gets to that pivotal mad scene that's so famous, she seems to have finally warmed up, and that's what pushes the performance above merely average. The tenor in this opera, Alfredo Kraus, is nothing short of fabulous, as always. May he RIP.
Rating: 
Summary: The best available Lucia, by far
Review: Sutherland is the Lucia of our generation. She sang Lucia over 200 times to rave reviews. As great as Callas is, this role belongs to Sutherland. although she is older here. And her voice is not the most amazing instrument around, it's still the better than anyone else out there. But there is a better Lucia mad scene in Dame Joan's "Bell Telephone Hour performances 1961-1968".
I can't help but be sad at all these terrible remarks from bashers that are uncalled for. Please, I beg you, stop. No one deserve a one star review unless the reviewer wants blood. That is just unfair. I understand the anger, but please take it out by writing positive reviews of your favorite diva rather than taking it out and writing negative reviews of your favorite singer's rival.
Is it one basher, two, three,four bashers, or more? That, I don't know, but they are doing Dame Joan a lot of harm. I wonder if these people know that they're actually causing pain for a lot of Sutherland's fans as well as for the Dame herself, that is just unfair.
Sutherland, Callas and Sills are three of the most respected singers of our time. We should be happy that so many recordings preserved for our enjoyment and for future generations of enjoyments. Let's compromise, hear me out please.
I can see both side. But the Callas and Sills fans bashed Sutherland's roles for over a month before any really bad reviews of one star started to go the Callas domains. I see this by reading the reviews and the dates.
I ask for a compromise at least. I don't think that Callas, Sutherland or Sills ever deserve one star reviews. That's for really terrible singers. If you really want to criticize or demean another singer. Three stars should be enough. To continue this is to hurt others. And that's just not right.
Rating:
Summary: Sutherland rules La Scala, the Met and Opera Comique as Lucy
Review: Sutherland made her debut as Lucia in the greatest opera houses in the world. They were triumph of the highest magnitude and immediately she was dubbed La Stupenda. Called the Prima Donna Assoluta of the entire world, pushing Callas to retirement.
I mean that with no respect to Callas. But she was/is not Lucia. She can't sing the difficult coloratura, and she cracks all the time and omits the highest notes. Her trill is almost non-existent and her fioraturi uneven. Also Callas only sang the role a few dozen times while Sutherland sang it hundreds of times. So who owns the role??? And Callas' mad scene duet with the flute is a do re mi fa so fa mi re do over and over again. She is simply doing a voice lesson vocal excercise. It's not hard at all. In fact, her scales are sung by every intermediate level voice student, coloratura or not. Sorry, Callas' mad scene is her down fall. It is way too easy. On the other hand, Sutherland mad scene is consider by far the most difficult composed especially for her by her husband. We're talking about arpeggios of the most complex nature mixed with lightning fast staccato. NO one can do this. She can trill a real trill on the high B flat into the E flat that explodes with squillo and power. Her trill is the only 10 trill in the "Trill scale". And Sutherland's dramatic soprano is the only voice that can truly towers over everyone in the famous sextet - with or without the microphone. Listen to it, you'll see. This video show an old but still very valid Dame Joan singing beautifully even if it's nothing comparing to her 1971 and 1961 cd legendary recordings of this great work. Her singing in those two occasions available from Amazon in CD form is the last word in coloratura singing. But this video shows a Dame Joan who understand Lucia's drama, and that's just great. True, not the voice it used to be. But still better than anyone else, hands down. An absolute must in every opera lover's collection!
Rating:
Summary: Just a pretty voice like a million others....
Review: Sutherland was in her time a very famous soprano, and arguably still is. And that just boggles my mind. I'm sorry, but to me, she is nothing but a canary...and not a very good one either. If you think sutherland is magnificent and can think of nothing better, boy, are you missing out on the beauty and splendor of opera. Once upon a time there were "singing-actresses" - sopranos who knew opera was more than just a pretty voice - Callas was one of them. Compared to Callas' dramaticism and incredible ability to convey every heart-felt emotion, Sutherland sounds like someone reading off a grocery list. Ask yourself this - is opera ONLY about hitting the high notes? Take my advice, listen to callas, and you'll never be the same again.
Rating:
Summary: Return Of A Legend: Sutherland Sins Lucia At The Met
Review: The amazing Australian soprano, Joan Sutherland, given the title of Dame Joan Sutherland in Britain, made her debut at the Met in New York City in 1961 as the tragic heroine Lucia. From that moment on, her career became a blaze of glory that the world over witnessed. She sang at all the major opera houses and theatres of the globe- Covent Garden in London (where she had first sang Lucia), The Sidney Opera House in her native Australia and of course Italy's La Scala in Milan. Joan Sutherland admits to having the fortune of incredible support from her husband, conductor Richard Bonynge, who was responsible for her success. With Bonynge, she performed in the dramatic repertoire that underwent revivals in the 60's and 70's - the bel canto masterpieces (such as this Lucia) and Bellini's majestic Norma as well as the dramatic and demanding role of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia. Joan's performance as Lucrezia Borgia is also available on DVD and is a sensational theatrical masterpiece. The same applies for her performance as Queen Marguerite in Meyebeer's "Les Huguenots" also on DVD and her last opera she performed before her retirement. On this DVD, we watch as Joan Sutherland returns to the Met after a long absence to sing the role that made her a star- the vulnerable Lucia. Alfreo Kraus sings the heartbroken tenor lead Edgardo, who has a showcase suicide aria at the end of the opera, delivered with aplomb and with authentic ardor. Joan's Lucia is touching. Her "Regnava Nel Silenzio" is only a build up for the flashy hysteria in the Mad Scene. Her dramatic version is dead on and her coloratura is thrilling. Of course, Joan is past her prime in 1982 at the time of this Met broadcast and her voice may appear more faulty and less lustrous than her initial performances of the early 60's, but - hey, what's here is here. It's still delivered very well.
Rating:
Summary: Sutherland as Lucia, need I say more?
Review: The great Australian diva sang it as her debuts first at Covent Garden, then Opera Comique, then La Scala Milan, and finally at the met. The ovations range form 15 to over 30 curtain calls. She took the opera world by storm. She is La Stupenda.
She is about 14 years after that amazing truimph of 1959 that put her as the superstar of the 60's. Forcing even Callas to retire. La Stupenda is about 55 here. The voice is still valid, but to compare to her prime, which was the greatest coloratura singing of our era, she is not nearly as good here. BUT!!!! This is still 100 times better than anyone who has performed this. Listen to the montrous ovations after ovations. The audience is determined to show their love for the Queen of Opera.
This performance is beautiful, the picture and sound is superb. And the singing especially by Sutherland is sublime. But to hear her when she was supreme and very young, I'll check out her Bell Telephone Hours performances of 1961-1968. That...is the Sutherland that is the Queen of Bel Canto assoluta...
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Met production
Review: The whole production is so typical Met - big names that long lost their voice that made them famous. Sutherland is disappointing, and she acts in a pretentious manner. Alfredo Kraus is altogether pathetic - one can only respect him for his prior accomplishments, but why did he have to sing here? Perhaps this is another example of what Met is serious about - big names like these make good cash flow, but these stars' days are long gone. Met would be so much better off if they had selected younger singers who can truly sing and give the opera some degree of credibility - looking at middle aged people singing parts of teenagers or very young adults, like Lucia and Edgar, is distracting. And for vocal pleasure, just compare this with Callas and Di Stefano recording of the same opera and the truth would emerge. Unfortunately, this is indeed the only available DVD of this great opera and it does not give it justice at all. Overall, the singing is mediocre at best and the acting is pitiful. After all, bel canot may not be about acting, but the bottomline - superb singing - should be present and it wasn't. Richard Bonynge conducting is also dull. I could not find this production exciting at all. For those who have never listened to Lucia, it's probably OK. Give it a try for 26 bucks - you would have paid a fortune to attend this performance, so buying this DVD is probably not a bad deal.
Rating:
Summary: A must to have !
Review: This is a very exciting performance. Even both Dame Joan and Alfredo Krause were in their fifties,they still showed their vocal wonders that many young singers are dreaming to have.Personally, I don't mind down transposition of certain segment or arias, as long as the final effect is good, as examplified by Dame Joan.Her artistry is really hard to come by.Alfredo always sang with such elegance that none of the "three tenors " can claim.He could still sing with a ringing voice till the end of his career close to 70.I truly think his artistry is underappreciated because he did not commercialize himself like others do.This recording is a must to have !
Rating:
Summary: not even close to her capabilities 10-30years ago
Review: This Lucia is below La Stupenda's capabilities. Granted, Sutherland still had the coloratura technique, she had lost the golden voice. It's still better than anyone around, but to someone who know what she's capable of, it's a big decline. So many fans would swear that the earlier 1982 Lucia that Joan did for the met is the last word in bel canto singing..NO WAY. (That 1982 was much better than this 1986) Lucia. Many fans don't know that great as dame Joan was in 1982, it's a totally different voice twenty years earlier. If 1982 was a 10 voice, then 1962 was a 10 x 2 voice. That how much better she was 20 years ago. And she kept that shape until around 1976 and that spendid I Purtani that she and Pavorotti did for the Met. Then I don't know what happened, because every year she got worse, and gradually lost the steady voice that she had for so many decades. If you really wanted to hear what the Sutheland voice was like to earn the title of La Stupenda, go get the "Voice of Firestone" tape, and the Bell telephone hour tapes, and the "Age of bel canto" tape. These are all 1961-1968..as prime as you can get. On the Age of bel canto tape, listen to Sempre Libera, she attacks all the high notes with big brilliant tones. The coloratura doesn't even seem hard for her. All she does is open her mouth and all that lush sounds comes out, up to E flat above high C. Unbelievable. I like the Semiramide aria even better, the fioratura is fabulous and again she goes to top E flat. Then there's the Qui la voce. Again, the voice is free and floating, the coloratura effortless as it should be, and again she goes to high E flat. In the Firestone and bell telephone hour tape, Sutherland is also unbelievable. These tapes are also from 1961 to 1968. And what a bell song Joan sang in a 1967 Bell telephone hour selection. And in the Firestone one, a resounding Soldier tir'd that even surpass the one she sang for her studio recording of Art of the Prima donna. But the surprise highlight of those performance is a stunning Hamlet mad scene from 1961 with coloratura that even makes this recording sound tame, and she goes to high F in the Hamlet mad scene. Anyway, anything that Dame Joan did before the key year of 1977 will be nothing short of stupendous. She continued to be valid until as late as 1982, but everything after that is just not the Sutherland sound anymore. I just don't recommend this 1986 Lucia. If you have the basic recordings of Sutherland but wanted a Lucia video, I recommend the 1982 Met Lucia, but that's still not the true Sutherland sound. Just being honest.
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