Make captimes.com your all-day, every-day, Madison news home page. Subscribe to get news updates delivered by email. Learn more.

Drama, intrigue, and a blood-soaked bride

Luz del Alba captivates in 'Lucia di Lammermoor'

Michael Muckian  —  5/10/2008 9:28 am

Madness and murder, suicide and a blood-soaked bride. Isn't that the stuff of which all great operas are made?

Madison Opera would like to make that case, and the quality of the company's production of "Lucia di Lammermoor," which opened Friday before an Overture Hall crowd of about 1,800, could create a whole new appreciation for viscera in the operatic canon. Those expecting familiar high levels of quality from the company were once again not disappointed in the staging of what for many is a less-familiar, but no less compelling work.

Donizetti's opera, which closes the 2007-08 season, is a tale of star-crossed lovers, political intrigue, a marriage of convenience - standard operatic fare - and what is considered to be the most famous "mad" scene in the entire genre. The former elements are to be expected, with the latter providing a stunning capstone for soprano Luz del Alba's outstanding performance in the title role. In many ways, "Lucia" is a wild ride that seemingly satisfied many audience members' giddy anticipation.

Members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor John Keenan, do a fine job keeping pace with Lucia, her lover Edgardo (tenor Robert Breault), her unfortunate husband Arturo (tenor Heath Rush), her conniving brother Enrico (baritone Quinn Kelsey) and the Presbyterian minister Raimondo (bass baritone Kyle Ketelsen) who serves as the opera's moral compass. All the performances are strong, especially Ketelsen, whose magnificent timbre brings authority and warmth to his clergyman role.

As with most operas, "Lucia" is the sorpano's show, and del Alba does a stunning job maneuvering through her range, striking some impressive coloratura notes without ever losing her grasp on the music. The Uruguayan-born singer has a full, rich soprano delivered with supple tone and well-rounded notes. Del Alba had drawn shouts of "brava" from the audience even prior to the mad scene, but by the time she finished her performance, collapsing in a blood-stained heap on the stage, the audience was in the palm of her diminutive hand.

Despite its relative fame, stage director Mike Scarola played the mad scene with a more or less somnambulistic gate, the company acting as if it were only mildly disappointed that Lucia's murder of Arturo had dampened their celebration. Del Alba's appearance brought more vibrancy to the stage, her full-out physical performance creating a palpable emotional characterization even bereft of her beautiful voice. Still, the scene proved a tepid slice of insanity in the end, its energy sapped be the relative lack of reaction from the supposed revelers to Lucia's viscera-dripping hallucinations.

Scenic designer Gerard Howland's stage setting, a tromp l'oeil view from the castle courtyard up through the battlements laid on its side, provides a serviceable framework for the opera's six scenes. Costume designer Susan Memmott Allred's 18th century gowns and gentlemanly garb contribute to a feeling of authenticity in the show.

In the end, of course, it's the voices that carry the performance. Breault and Ketelsen are veteran Madison Opera performers of which we can never hear enough. Del Alba is a wonderful new voice we hope returns very soon.

Michael Muckian  —  5/10/2008 9:28 am