G. Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor / Rost, Ford, Michaels-Moore, A. Miles, Mackerras

Lucia has not exactly been neglected on records, and Andrea Rost is not as dramatic a Lucia as Maria Callas nor as vocally opulent as Joan Sutherland. Still, she is vocally satisfactory and dramatically effective, and she is supported by a first-class cast, notably the elegant Bruce Ford as her doomed lover Edgardo and Anthony Michaels- Moore as her tormented, manipulative brother Enrico. The primary attractions of this edition, however, are the period-instrument orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras, who not only conducts a compelling treatment but has also taken the trouble of consulting and following Donizetti's original manuscript, scraping away a century and a half of "performing tradition"--i.e., changes introduced by singers more interested in showing off their voices than in following the composer's wishes. This is closer to the original inspiration than any previous recording, and more structurally coherent if less vocally spectacular. The recorded sound is very impressive. --Joe McLellan