(“Verranno a te sull’aure” was exquisite.) But when he sang alone, his choices lacked variety. His voice matched hers well for the duets. Her Edgardo, tenor Mario Chang, was outclassed. Her gestures could be histrionic (even before the mad scene, where histrionics are appropriate), but she created exciting drama out of her phrasing, especially during recitatives. She floated high notes and made them swell with flawless control. She is the perfect coloratura soprano: crisp diction, strong trills and runs, clean onsets and crystal tone. Emily Rebholz’s mid-19th-century costumes are impeccably designed and fitted every time the women’s chorus appeared onstage I had to suppress a bout of dress envy.īrenda Rae makes such a magnificent Lucia that the rest of the cast seemed very ordinary in comparison. Here, it’s a glass-walled pool illuminated from below, which changes color from forest green and clear blue to blood red.
Riccardo Hernandez’s sets and Christopher Akerlind’s lighting come together in Lucia’s act one scene by the fountain. The aesthetics of the production are beautiful. I also take issue with Daniel’s vision of the opera’s ending: the previously sympathetic Enrico arrives and brandishes his dagger, triumphantly facilitating Edgardo’s suicide. If there’s an instrumental section, everyone stands around and does nothing until the singing resumes.
Singers walk to the front of the stage, deliver their piece, maybe pace a little, and then retreat to allow someone else to do the same. But as soon as there are more than two characters onstage, the blocking reverts to the old operatic formula. There is real drama in the more intimate scenes, where Lucia loves or struggles with one of the men who surround her.
But to hear and see Brenda Rae as Lucia is well worth the flight.ĭirector Ron Daniel’s staging is sadly static. In fact, neither the direction nor most of the cast in Santa Fe Opera’s production surpass that description. It doesn’t require a trip to Santa Fe to see a Lucia di Lammermoor that is merely competent. That’s an honor but also a responsibility: it means they need to create shows worth traveling for. Santa Fe Opera serves as a summer destination for the opera-obsessed, drawing crowds from thousands of miles away.
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