Much of the soprano repertoire focuses on coloratura showcases or the dramatically fierce, while the lyricism of the tenor and baritone often bring out some of the composer’s most inspired melodies. I love how in Lucia, the tenor’s aria at the end can make you forget all about the Mad Scene!
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Of all the Donizetti operas I have ever sung, a few brilliant comedies, and a few gut wrenching tragedies, I do believe Lucia di Lammermoor is his masterpiece.
However, there are a few sections in Maria Stuarda, which to me are some of the greatest operatic moments ever written. One of those is the prayer scene at the scaffold before our Queen gets the chop.
There are many sublime recordings of this opera by beloved divas, including Sills, Sutherland, Gruberova, Gencer, Devia, Ciofi, just to name a few. But for me, the model of this great scene is Montserrat Caballé’s rendition, of which I found a bootleg recording on YouTube from a live performance at La Scala in 1971. This prayer, which is a solo with the chorus, is so beautiful…one of, if not the best, most emotional, challenging, but still gorgeous, things EVER.
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