Leyla Gencer didn't sing Lucia often and, in fact, only did her first Lucias not long before this performance was given. She was in San Francisco to do Liu opposite Leonie Rysanek's Turandot (wouldn't we all love to have a recording of that?) when Kurt Herbert Adler noticed she had Lucia on her resume. It seems a soprano named Callas was scheduled to sing the role, but kept postponing her arrival date. He asked Gencer if she would sing in Callas' place. There was just one problem: she didn't know the role. Rather than admit to her resume-padding, Gencer learned Lucia in a week and had a triumph. She uses a lighter timbre to suggest Lucia's youth and embellishes conservatively throughout as was her wont in Donizetti. To be sure she sings all the traditional high notes (an Italian audience of that period would have roasted her had she left them out) and sings them very well (a tremendous top D crowns the Act Two finale.) She also employs many different vocal colors to convey Lucia's vulnerability and tenuous grasp of reality. The Mad Scene is heartbreaking. Gencer's colleagues are excellent. Prandelli is just as sensitive as his prima donna and responds with truly beautiful singing. He was always underrated. The edition used is the standard abridged one of the time. The sound is listenable, but is a little murky at times. There is some odd static that affects the latter part of Act Two, but it is not very intrusive.Gencer and Lucia fans need this.

Gencer singt die Lucia souverän und schön. Leider sind nicht alle Abschnitte durchgehend in guter Aufnahmequalität zu hören. Einige Szenen fehlen ganz. Trotzdem zu empfehlen da die Sänger gut sind.