The first thing you need to know about the Opera Theatre of St. Louis production of Lucia di Lammermoor ‚ perhaps the only thing you need to know, given that it's by Donizetti ‚ is that it is beautifully sung. From the starring roles down to the chorus, this is a cast that can handle the most demanding material with ease.
And a good thing, too, because the score is one of Donizetti's richest and most dramatic. From the teeth-rattling choruses that conclude the second act, to the often imitated and even more often parodied Act III mad scene, to the legendary sextet ‚ a piece so famous that even the Three Stooges and the Warner Brothers cartoon crew knew they could make fun of it without losing the audience ‚ Lucia provides a treasure trove of great music, and the OTSL crew matches it with a great performance.
Pride of place goes to soprano Jennifer Welch-Babidge as Lucia, making her Opera Theatre debut with a performance that will send chills down you spine no matter what the temperature outside. Possessed of a beautiful and supple voice, she manages the treacherous pyrotechnics of the famous "mad scene" with apparent ease, her work marred only slightly by the excessive stage business assigned to her by director Stefano Vizioli, who apparently felt that Donizetti's music didn't indicate Lucia's insanity clearly enough.
Equally powerful is tenor Shawn Matheyas Lucia's tragic lover Edgardo, as effective in his tender love duets with Welch-Babidge as he is in the violent Act III tower scene (which is, by the way, as good an example of testosterone poisoning as you'll find anywhere in operatic literature). His opponent in that tower scene, of course, is Lucia's scheming brother Enrico, sung with great conviction by baritone James Westman.
Rounding out the principal roles are tenor Kevin Hill, making a strong impression as Arturo; bass-baritone Derrick Parker, who puts his authoritative stamp on the role of the chaplain Raimondo; and tenor William Ferguson, convincing but lacking vocal power as Enrico's henchman Normanno.
Stephen Lord conducts the OTSL orchestra with assurance and precision and William Lumpkin's chorus is wonderfully disciplined and articulate. The latter is especially important in Lucia since Donizetti assigns an important narrative role to the choir.
My earlier complaints about the "mad scene" aside, director Vizioli generally makes good, theatrically sound choices here, including the decision to move the action up in time to the late 19th century and leave the setting intentionally vague. By doing away with the Celtic trappings of the Sir Walter Scott novel that inspired the libretto, the emotional conflicts among the characters are brought into stark contrast ‚ much like the severe black and white themes of set designer Allen Moyer and costumer Anna Maria Heinreich. I was skeptical when I heard about this approach, but I've got to admit it works.
Opera Theatre's magnificent presentation of Lucia di Lammermoor runs in rotating repertory with three other operas through June 30th [2002] at the Loretto Hilton Center; call 314-961-0644 for ticket information or visit the Opera Theatre web site at www.opera-stl.org.