With the 2011 release of Lucia di Lammermoor, Valery Gergiev and the Orchestra and Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre continue the expansion of their impressive recorded legacy beyond the Russian repertoire. Gergiev and his forces had made their way through almost all the important 19th and 20th century Russian operas for Philips before establishing the Mariinsky label in 2009. This recording, along with the 2010 release of Parsifal, demonstrate that the Mariinsky belongs in the ranks of major opera houses that excel in ...
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With the 2011 release of Lucia di Lammermoor, Valery Gergiev and the Orchestra and Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre continue the expansion of their impressive recorded legacy beyond the Russian repertoire. Gergiev and his forces had made their way through almost all the important 19th and 20th century Russian operas for Philips before establishing the Mariinsky label in 2009. This recording, along with the 2010 release of Parsifal, demonstrate that the Mariinsky belongs in the ranks of major opera houses that excel in international repertoire. As with Parsifal, most of the cast is Russian, with a few European stars brought in, in this case Natalie Dessay as Lucia and Piotr Beczala as Edgardo. Dessay has recorded the mad scene on a solo album, as well as the complete opera in its French version, but this is her first studio recording of the Italian original. Her voice is not large, but it's entirely appropriate for conveying the character's fragility. Her supple, expressive coloratura is flawless and her...
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