Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 1. Couronnez la crête des montagnes
2. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 2. Quel air sombre
3. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 2. D'un amour qui me brave
4. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 2. A moi viens, ouvre tes ailes
5. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 3. J'arrive le dernier au rendez-vous
6. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 4. Gilbert! - C'est moi, mademoiselle
7. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 4. Que n'avons-nous des ailes
8. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 5. C'est moi Lucie, j'ai voulu
9. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 5. Sur la tombe de mon père...Qu' une lettre en ma misère
10. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 1. No. 5. Qu' une lettre en ma misère
11. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 6. Ainsi tu viens de France?
12. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 6. Je t'attendais; approche
13. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 6. Pleurant son absence, du fond de ma souffrance
14. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 6. Entends-tu ces chants de fête?
15. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 7. Suivons l'amant qui nous conduit
16. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 8. Eh bien, Lucie?
17. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 8. J'ai pour moi mon droit
18. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 9. Loin de nous, j'ordonne
19. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 2. No. 9. Non, du serment tu trahis la foi! Anathème

Disc 2:

1. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 10. Entracte
2. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 11. Oui mon seigneur, à la petite porte
3. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 11. Souviens-toi qu'en ce domaine
4. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 11. J'aurai ton sang
5. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 12. Elle a quitté ces lieux
6. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 13. Malheur! Malheur!
7. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 14. Elle s'avance, hélas, pauvre victime
8. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 14. Ah! C'est l'hymne des noces
9. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 14. Ashton s'avance
10. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 15. Tombes de mes aïeux
11. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Act 3. No. 15. Ravenswood, à ton attente

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122426 in Music
• Released on: 2002-12-23
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .66 pounds

Amazon.com
In the 1830s, Paris was a mecca for musicians, so it's no wonder that successful Italian opera composers wrote or adapted their works for its prestigious stages. Donizetti settled in Paris in 1838. That year, his Lucia di Lammermoor, which had triumphed in Naples in 1835, was produced as Lucie de Lammermoor, a French version that he himself supervised at a new, successful, private Paris venue, the Théatre de la Renaissance. In France, both Lucia and Lucie weren't presented until the end of the 19th century. Then the latter fell into disuse. This is the first studio recording of Lucie.

It is tempting to explore the differences between the two versions. The original vocal lines, apart from some retouching for the prosody, are remarkably intact, though the Italian language seems to melt into the melodic contours more naturally. Many of the alterations affect the text more than the music. Characters are excised or changed: Normanno, an ambiguous opportunist, becomes Gilbert, a corrupt, amoral villain, ready to betray everyone for a price; Enrico becomes an unmitigated brute. Arthur's role is expanded, Lucia's maid Alisa's eliminated. Chaplain Raimondo's is shortened, at the cost of his moving duet with Lucia. Also omitted are Lucia's first aria and the storm scene with Edgardo's recitative, as well as the harp solo introducing Act II. To understand the political background and ancestral feud, one must still consult Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Bride of Lammermoor.

The chorus and orchestra here are very good, with outstanding wind solos and ensembles. Among the singers, Tezier as Henri and Marc Laho, Nicolas Cavalier, and Yves Saelens in the smaller roles are excellent. Dessay sounds lovely and expressive in the lyrical parts, but a bit labored and shrill in the coloratura passages. Her vibrato is very wide, and she tends to swell long notes. Alagna has a beautiful voice with a fine, ringing top, and his French diction is exemplary, but he "emotes" with scoops, slides, and sobs, and his fermatas last forever. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews

"Lucie" isn't "Lucia", but still pretty interesting !
This is a French version, revised by Donizetti himself for the Parisian public, of his wonderful "Lucia di Lamermoor", and although it is true that the Italian original is better, it is with a lot of pleasure that I discovered this alternative. This is not a staightforward translation into French, and there are some major changes compared to the well-known "Lucia", like the absence of the character of Alisa. The most striking of these changes is probably the replacement of Lucia's entry aria "Regnava nel silenzio", by a perharps much less dramatic (no mention of the ghost here !) but still very beautiful alternative aria and cabaletta. This is, I believe, Dessay's first attempt into romantic belcanto, and she gives a stylish and moving interpretation. Of course, she is not a soprano dramatico d'agilita (and does not pretend to be one either), but a lot of "light" sopranos have sang the role in the past as well and Dessay's soprano legero is certainly one of the most interesting around today : not only hitting the high notes but also capable of depth and color. Moreover, the use of a soprano legero for this version is certainly be well justified : this French Lucie is a frail character, totally manipulated by the men around her, rather than the more dramatic Italian Lucia, doomed by madness from the start (cf. "Regnava nel silenzio"). There is also some superb singing from Alagna and Tézier. A very interesting addition to your CD collection, next to your favourite "Lucia" set.

French Version: 1839; Original Italian Version: 1835
I enjoyed the new French-version of "Lucie de Lammermoor" and agree with Jeff of Frederick, MD that it should receive 5 stars. However, when he states that this version is the original, I felt compelled to write, since someone new to "Lucia" might take him at his word. Lucia had it's premiere in Naples, at the San Carlo Theater, on Sept. 26, 1835, in Italian. In the libretto that accompanies this recording, on p.19, under the title "From Lucia to Lucie", it's history of performance is explained in great detail, mentioning where it was performed outside of Italy and in what other languages it was performed in. In the middle of the paragraph, it states: "...into Czech and French in 1839, then into Slovenian...." But I feel that in the last paragragh there lies the confusion. "In Paris, where the work in its original version had been put on at the Théâtre des Italiens (where operas are performed in Italian)in December, 1837, a French version was first performed on 6 August 1839 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance:That is the version used in the present recording." The mixing of "Paris" and "original version" might have misled someone to the conclusion: French,but as the history books tell us, this just isn't so.

A lucia as Madame Bovary saw it
When I was in grad school in literature in Seattle in the 1990s, I bought the 6th edition of the 'Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces V. II,' which included all of Flaubert's 'Madame Bovary.' I figured the editor was an opera fan, since the intro to MB went into a detailed description of how the French version of 'Lucia di Lammermoor,' which Bovary sees in the novel, was different from the Italian version that we all know. Hopped on on a newfound love of Flaubert, I was dumbfounded that no one had ever recorded this French version for mass distribution.
Then, finally, this recording came along.
I love this version, despite a weaker opening aria for Lucia and a dwindling down of the female voices to Lucia alone. Dessay and Alagna sing beautfully, and of course their French diction is spot-on. The mad scene and final graveyard scene are dyno-mite. Once again the opera world owes a thank-you to the Opera de Lyon. As with Verdi's 'Don Carlos,' Lucia lives as vibrantly in its French as in its Italian dress.