Maria Callas
Lucia di Lammermoor
Gaetano Donizetti
Metropolitan Opera House
New York City, December 8, 1956
Complete Opera – Live Recording
149.48 min. (mono)
DVN-26
DESCRIPTION
• Maria Callas’ only Metropolitan Opera broadcast in its entirety, as it originally aired on 8 December 1956.
• Outstanding sound quality as well as an unaltered dynamic range, thanks to which the contrasts between quiet and louder passages have been faithfully preserved.
• Apart from the introduction, announcements, plot synopsis, and commentaries by Milton Cross, this complete 1956 broadcast includes greetings by Rudolf Bing, the principal soloists, conductor, and stage director, traditionally aired at the beginning of each Metropolitan Opera broadcast season.
Sound Restoration © 2023 Divina Records
Restored and remastered by Pablo Berruti
FREE EXTRA MATERIAL:
• Liner notes by John Haley
• Hand program (December 14, 1956)
• Full libretto with stage action in Italian
• Photographs (rehearsal)
• Photographs (February 1958, second season)
• Newspapers
• Opera News (December 3, 1956)
CAST
Miss Lucia: Maria Callas
Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood: Giuseppe Campora
Lord Enrico Ashton: Enzo Sordello
Raimondo Bidebent: Nicola Moscona
Lord Arturo Buclaw: Paul Franke
Alisa: Thelma Votipka
Normanno: James McCracken
Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera House
Fausto Cleva, conductor
Kurt Adler, chorus master
Metropolitan Opera House, New York City
PART 1 [59.10]
1 • Broadcast announcement by Milton Cross [5.08]
2 • Greetings by Rudolf Bing, soloists, conductor and stage director [7.12]
3 • Act I synopsis by Milton Cross [2.41]
4 • Preludio [2.43]
ACT I
5 • Percorrete le spiaggie vicine (Normanno/Chorus) [2.16]
6 • Tu sei turbato! (Normanno/Enrico/Raimondo) [2.57]
7 • Cruda, funesta smania (Enrico/Normanno/Raimondo) [2.13]
8 • Il tuo dubbio è omai certezza (Chorus/Normanno/Enrico/Raimondo) [2.18]
9 • La pietade in suo favore (Enrico/Raimondo/Chorus) [4.09]
10 • Ancor non giunse! (Lucia/Alisa) [4.44]
11 • Regnava nel silenzio (Lucia/Alisa) [3.59]
12 • Quando rapito in estasi (Lucia) [4.36]
13 • Egli s’avanza … Lucia perdona se ad ora inusitata [2.38]
(Alisa/Edgardo/Lucia)
14 • Sulla tomba che rinserra (Edgardo/Lucia) [3.11]
15 • Qui di sposa eterna fede (Edgardo/Lucia) [1.36]
16 • Ah! Talor del tuo pensiero (Lucia/Edgardo) [0.53]
17 • Ah! Verrano a te sull’aure (Lucia/Edgardo) [6.03]
PART 2 [39.05]
ACT II
1 • Act II synopsis by Milton Cross [3.47]
2 • Lucia fra poco a te verrà (Normanno/Enrico) [3.10]
3 • Appressati, Lucia (Enrico) [1.19]
4 • Il pallor funesto, orrendo (Lucia/Enrico) [3.59]
5 • Soffriva nel pianto (Lucia/Enrico) [3.49]
6 • Che fia? … Suonar di giubilo (Lucia/Enrico) [1.28]
7 • Se tradirmi tu potrai … Tu che vedi il pianto mio (Enrico/Lucia) [2.12]
8 • Per te d’inmenso giubilo (Chorus/Arturo) [4.22]
9 • Dov’è Lucia? (Arturo/Enrico/Chorus) [1.55]
10 • Piange la madre estinta… (Enrico/Lucia/Artuo/Raimondo) [2.34]
11 • Chi mi frena in tal momento? [4.15]
(Edgardo/Enrico/Lucia/Raimondo/Arturo/Alisa/Chorus)
12 • T’allontana, sciagurato (Arturo/Enrico/Chorus/Raimondo) [1.20]
13 • Sconsigliato! (Enrico/Edgardo/Raimondo/Lucia/Chorus) [2.11]
14 • Esci, fuggi, il furor che m’accende [2.51]
(Arturo/Enrico/Chorus/Raimondo/Lucia/Edgardo/Alisa)
PART 3 [51.33]
ACT III
1 • Act III, scene 1 synopsis by Milton Cross [3.13]
2 • D’immenso giubilo s’innalzi un grido (Chorus/Raimondo) [2.31]
3 • Dalle stanze ove Lucia… (Raimondo) [2.34]
4 • Oh! Qual funesto avvenimiento!… (Chorus/Raimondo) [2.35]
5 • Il dolce suono mi colpì di sua voce! (Lucia) [6.11]
6 • Ardon gli incensi (Lucia/Raimondo/Normanno/Chorus) [6.32]
7 • Spargi d’amaro pianto (Lucia/Raimondo/Normanno/Chorus) [6.50]
8 • Act III, scene 2 synopsis by Milton Cross [3.13]
9 • Tombe degli avi miei (Edgardo) [4.16]
10 • Fra poco a me ricovero (Edgardo) [3.46]
11 • Oh, meschina! Oh, fato orrendo! (Chorus/Edgardo) [4.16]
12 • Tu che a Dio spiegasti l’ali (Edgardo/Raimondo/Chorus) [7.01]