This very interesting performance combines the star quality of Beverly Sills, then at the height of her powers after breaking into international celebrity, with a glimpse of the growing talents of Luciano Pavarotti. The tenor was hardly “unknown,” as he had made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera the previous year to good notices, but he was then seen as a tenore di grazia, with his burst into international fame two years in the future. Sills is in good voice, with accurate fioriture and high notes full of sparkling color. But her voice, as always, was rather small, heard more to advantage in smaller houses like her NYCO home, and during recitatives and low-lying passages one has to strain to hear her. The beginning of the Mad Scene is an example. Pavarotti by contrast has the larger voice and more vivid personality, and there is a telling moment when he takes over the melody in the Act One duet “Veranno a te.” The melody lies right in the tenor’s most honeyed register, and you can hear him leaning into it, his voice audibly filling the hall. The audience’s reaction amps up here, and at each subsequent time Pavarotti is on stage. In Act Three he throws a ferocious curse at Lucia, and while the audience gives a generous reception to Sills’s Mad Scene, Pavarotti’s intense rendition of “Frà poco me ricovero” audibly brings the house down. House baritone Roberto Banuelas is a strong Enrico, his voice picking up tenor-like qualities on the high notes. The recording is a good document of the live performance, with a helpful track list.

Exciting with those two great artists in their primes !!!

According to Beverlysills.com (the website that contains Sills' performance annals), Sills sang a matinee of Lucia at NYCO on October 25. She hightailed it down to Mexico City for this one-off performance at the Bellas Artes on the 28th, sung with some unknown young Italian tenor named Pavarotti. She then hightailed it right back to New York for another Lucia on November 1. No wonder her vocal prime was cut short!At any rate, this is an exciting Lucia with two wonderful protaganists and a fine supporting cast. Sills' voice is still very much in its prime here. The high notes are bell-like and beautiful, the coloratura dazzling. Her characterization is very detailed, centered as it is on the text. Pavarotti lives up to his growing reputation, singing with that golden tone that thrills us all. His diction is, as usual, superb. Roberto Banuelos is an excellent Enrico with terrific top notes and a great sense of line. Joshua Hecht, a NYCO regular, must've flown down with Sills and contributes an assertive Raimondo. Too bad his big scene is cut. In fact, except for the "S'avanza Enrico" section of the Mad Scene, all the traditional cuts are taken here.The sound is very listenable and is pitched correctly. Those who don't understand why Sills was such a phenomenon should hear this performance. Recorded before she took on the three Donizetti queens and wore off the lovely sheen on her tone, one can better comprehend why so many were so enthusiastic about her.

Great singing; great sound. I saw Sills as Lucia w/ the New York City Opera inthe 70s. A wonderful performance.I sent her a fan letter afterwards. She responded on a postcard w/ her photoon it. Had similar postcards from Rosa Ponselle and Lotte Lehmann.

The great soprano Beverly Sills, I think her fans will miss her 4 ever…thanks for bring her Lucia with Pavarotti alive…two brilliant stars of the opera firmament. I specially love her art and try to get any of her live performances. Is a shame we can not enjoy her Lucia, Elvira, Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Elisabetta, etc on DVD. I can not understand how that happened? When we could find DVD’s of other singers before her time.