Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia / Bonynge, Sutherland, Kraus, Royal Opera

Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia / Bonynge, Sutherland, Kraus, Royal Opera
by Brian Large

List Price: $17.28
Our Price: $17.24
You Save: $12.71 (42%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases

DVD Cover Information

Movie Reviews of Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia / Bonynge, Sutherland, Kraus, Royal Opera

Movie Review: A Great Performance: Sutherland On Fire
Summary: 5 Stars

Joan Sutherland sings an Oscar worthy Lucrezia on this DVD live performance, eventhough she had sung the role at a time earlier in her career when her voice was in superior shape. There is also a fine recording of Lucrezia Borgia with Joan Sutherland singing the title role in a 1960's recording available at Amazon.com. The reason Joan is older here is that it's either late 70's or early 80' when she was in her fifties and about to retire and when the Met televised broadcasts first went out. Unfortunately, that's the price these singers had to pay to be seen on a performance captured on film. Both Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills had to deal with aging and declining voices when the opportunity to be televised first appeared. By then, they had a long career of singing sensationally at all the world's leading opera houses far behind them. Alfredo Kraus performs the tenor role of Lucrezia's son. The story is quite dramatic. The Renaissance matriarch, Lucrezia Borgia, who was demonized by many historic accounts of her cruelty and by her ambitious genes (she was the sister of Cesare Borgia after all, Cesare Borgia being the inspiration for Machiavelli's "The Prince"). That she was ruthless and power-hungry is probably true, for after all its power that corrupts any man or woman. Lucrezia's fiery and dark nature is vividly portrayed by Joan Sutherland here, while at the same time showcasing her lyric-coloratura assets (check out the Brindisi and the finale aria). However, Lucrezia's softer side is her maternal nature. She wants to re-establish a relationship with her estranged son but through tragic misfortune ends up poisoning him instead. Her great remorse and feeling of loss is indicated in her final aria as she takes her dead son in her arms.

There is ultimately no superior Lucrezia. So many singers still want to take on this incredible role and kudos to those who try. But we have so many choices to hear from the past- Joan Sutherland with whom you can never go wrong, Montserrat Caballe who provides much fire and passion and Beverly Sills who is transformed in the role of Lucrezia- from light soprano to dramatically masterful (to hear Beverly Sills sing Lucrezia you have to listen to the rare recording "Sillsiana" available on Gala series- a pastiche of many arias and an entire Lucrezia compilation at the end of the album. But we have to applaude Joan Sutherland's unearthly performance as the one and only Lucrezia Borgia. All fans of Sutherland and of opera alike must get this fantastic DVD.