Review – Donizetti at the Salzburg Festival: Lucia on the Salzach | News and criticism | BR CLASSIC
Review – Donizetti at the Salzburg Festival
Lucia on the Salzach
08/26/2022 by Volkmar Fischer
The opera fans of London, Madrid and Zurich already know her – Lisette Oropesa’s Lucia. Yesterday, the 39-year-old American made a guest appearance at the Salzburg Festival with Donizetti’s opera “Lucia di Lammermoor”. And it’s hard to believe: this pinnacle of the bel canto era, composed in the year Bellini died, was actually played for the very first time on the Mönchsberg! After 187 years. At least in a concert performance.
Image source: Salzburg Festival / Marco Borrelli
Lucia lives and loves – and stands. She dreams of a future with Edgardo. But his archenemy Enrico, Lucia’s brother who is in danger of surviving, threads a completely different marriage: between the rich Arturo and Lucia. In mental derangement, the desperate woman in the bridal chamber becomes a murderess. A femme fragile mutates into a femme fatale.
Lisette Oropesa: distinctive and expressive
Donizetti’s psychological case study demands a wealth of vocal color from the Lucia interpreter. What it probably shouldn’t be is an expression-neutral coloratura machine that self-sufficiently delivers cascades of tonal garlands. In Salzburg, Lisette Oropesa comes irritatingly close to the composer’s ideals. The American expressively recognizes her distinctive soprano charm. Also, but not only in the high and highest range, where the audience always likes to hear female singers take off. Even where destructive feelings overflow in the lyrics, Lisette Oropesa never puts her instrument under pressure.
Benjamin Bernheim: elegant and eloquent
Tenor Benjamin Bernheim also has only good things to say. As Edgardo, he commands exquisite timbre quality, perfect intonation, polished text declamation, exquisite art of phrasing, flawless blending of the registers. And with what vocal elegance does this man start, with what eloquence! As Enrico, compatriot Ludovic Tézier has internalized that he has to convey the meaning of the verses, especially with legato phrases. In an exposed position, the baritone creates and sustains high tension.
Daniele Rustioni with glass harmonica
It turns out that the Italian Daniele Rustioni has put together a solo quartet that could hardly be better. Even the secondary character of Raimondo is excellently cast with bassist Roberto Tagliavini. The Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, which unfortunately started out a little rough, struggled through to smooth Italianità in the course of the evening. Moments of emotional depth are celebrated with the required seriousness, for example in the madness scene. As an instrumental dialogue partner for Lucia, Rustioni gives preference to the seemingly disembodied glass harmonica over the flute. The melomaniacs who have arrived cheer enthusiastically about this bel canto lesson, and rightly so.
Broadcast: “Allegro” on August 26, 2022 from 6:05 a.m. on BR-KLASSIK