This is a fine, old-fashioned performance of Lucia, with all the standard cuts, one that we would have been happy and lucky to encounter in any opera house in the world pre-Callas–and frankly, one that stands up in its own way even given the Callas revolution. Brooklyn-born Lina Pagliughi was a true, light-but-not-flimsy coloratura, with a radiant sound, a gorgeous legato, and an enchanting, heartfelt way with the text. Her Lucia exudes great sadness, and if it doesn’t go as deep as some, it’s certainly worth hearing nonetheless.
Much the same could be said about the Edgardo of Giovanni Malipiero, an under-recorded tenor who here is quite wonderful, singing with fervency when in love, quite a different type of fervency when outraged, and great, surprising tenderness in his final scene. Giuseppe Manacchini, the Enrico, doesn’t always sing on the note, but he’s involved too; and Luciano Neroni as Normanno tells us the sad truth about Lucia in Act 3 in a way that keeps us rapt. The other singers, chorus, and orchestra are good enough–but the show belongs to Pagliughi, as rightly this opera should. As filler on Disc 2 Naxos has given us 37 minutes of arias sung by Pagliughi, and she exhibits the same fine artistry in those nine selections as she does as Lucia–a sweetness, formidable virtuosity, and all-around loveliness. Those who used to be known as “canary-fanciers” will have a field day; so will all lovers of good singing.
