Diana Damrau & Jesús López-Cobos - Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (2014)

Diana Damrau gave her first performance as Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at the Metropolitan Opera in October 2008, to much critical acclaim. This recording with the Munich Opera followed almost five years later, in July 2013, showing that she has staying power in the ultimate coloratura role. The Munich performance was conducted by Jesús López-Cobos, and Damrau was joined by an exceptional cast, which included Joseph Calleja as Edgardo, Ludovic Tézier as Enrico, and Nicolas Testé as Raimondo. The role of Lucia is one of the great bel canto roles, and Damrau's singing strikes a fine balance between the customary runs and embellishments characteristic of the style and the needs of the drama, which, in the case of Lucia, put her at the extreme poles of virtuosity and lyrical simplicity. High points of this recording are the arias, "Regnava nel silenzio," “Quando, rapito in estasi,” and the famous mad scene, "Spargi d'amaro pianto," which Damrau delivers with impressive control of line, crystalline ornamentation, and poignant expression. -- Blair Sanderson