_{Southern Ontario Lyric Opera
Lucia di Lammermoor} “Operatic high-wire act”

Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (SOLO) took on the monumental task of performing Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Despite the fact that Lucia was chosen for the second night of the Metropolitan Opera’s opening in 1883, it’s not in the top 10 of operas performed today. Why? Because of the extreme demands put on the soloists and particularly the soprano singing Lucia.

The plot of Lucia di Lammermoor is simple compared to other convoluted opera storylines. It’s set in the bewitching realm of 16th-century Scotland, where Lucia’s brother (Enrico), forces her to marry a rich lord (Arturo) instead of the man she loves (Edgardo). Enrico even stoops as low as to forge a letter saying that Edgardo has married another woman. Lucia marries Arturo, but, mad with grief, Lucia kills her husband and then herself. Edgardo hears about the tragedy and kills himself. Picture Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Outlander all rolled into one gloomy drama with exquisite music.

Lyric coloratura soprano Holly Chaplin sang the daunting role of Lucia. The role requires an extraordinary degree of vocal virtuosity, demanding technical expertise and dramatic vulnerability. In Act One, Chaplin was utterly convincing as a teenager in love. The long lyrical passages in “Regnava nel silenzio” showcased her strong breath control, and “Quando rapito in estasi” displayed her command of Donizetti’s rapid-fire ornamentations and vocal nimbleness. In Act Three, Chaplin dove into the behemoth mad scene. Her command of her ringing high tones was evident in the cadenza with the flute.  My only concern is that Chaplin does not push herself too hard too soon. Like a fine wine, her portrayal of Lucia will mature, and the eerie lower vocal tones needed for this role will evolve even further.

Joel Ricci shone in the role of Lucia’s ill-fated lover, Edgardo. He is a pure Italiante tenor, and he embodied his role from the get-go. His duet with Lucia, “Verrano a te sull’aure,” was beautifully nuanced, and their chemistry onstage was completely believable. His marathon session in Act Three produced an exquisite “Tombe degli avi miei’ / Fra poco a me ricovero,” made even more moving by his phrasing and well supported sotto voce notes.

Alexander Cappellazzo played the dual roles of Arturo and Normanno. He has a strong, clear tone which demonstrates his love of and training in Baroque music, and his excellent acting and singing demonstrated a passion for this art form. Stephanie Yelovich was outstanding as Lucia’s handmaid, Alisa. She has a rich, silken mezzo and is the consummate actor. Michael Robert-Broder’s powerful and understated portrayal of the chaplain Raimondo Bidenet was supported by his rich, smooth baritone voice. Of particular note was his “Dalle stanze ove Lucia,” sung with the stoicism of a Calvinist chaplain but simmering with the underlying emotion of a sympathetic human being. 

Photo Credit: John Martens 
Holly Chaplin and Joel Ricci in Lucia di Lammermoor at Southern Ontario Lyric Opera

Rounding out this all-Canadian cast was veteran baritone James Westman as Enrico. Westman was a powerful performer, and the audience knew that they were in the presence of a Canadian icon. He was the consummate actor, showing all sides of his character from the conniving brother to the shocked and conflicted manipulator of his sister’s fate. Add to this his lush baritone tones and it made for a great evening of opera.

The amateur chorus boasted 35 voices. The men’s chorus struggled throughout the evening. At times, their singing was timid, and there was even the use of cheat sheets. Their singing was weakest when they were lined up like a firing squad, making any cohesive harmony that much more difficult. The chorus singing continued to be haphazard even with the addition of the stronger women’s chorus. Words were difficult to decipher and there was a fight with the orchestra over tempo. The chorus was at its best when accompanied by leads, who set the tempo and pitch.

The orchestra was also a mixed bag. The brass section lacked focus and rapid-fire passages sounded wobbly and out of pitch. Brava to Siobhan Kerr for her beautiful harp playing and to oboists Islay-May Renwick and Heather Ryan for some very poignant passages. Flautist Rodney Gray was well-deserving of his stage bow after his skilled playing in the mad scene.

Director Gregory Finney’s strength lies in his ability to trust his solo artists to bring their perception of their roles into play, and it works. Of particular note was his use of lighting in Edgardo’s death in the final scene. Rather than subject the audience to more blood and gore, undercutting the impact of the mad scene, Finney used a red spotlight on Edgardo to echo the lighting in Lucia’s death. He was showing that men can also die of a broken heart. It was an intriguing and effective ending.

Brava to Pamela Blackwood-Marques for her costume and set design. With an extremely limited budget and clever resourcefulness, she transformed the stage into 16th-century Scotland. The costumes were unified and evocative of the time period, while the large stone archway effectively added drama to entrances and exits.  Every time I see a SOLO opera, the overall production value of the sets and costumes is set a bar higher.

Conductor and Artistic Director Sabatino Vacca is passionate about opera and tries his best to pull the most he can from his orchestra and singers. His skill lies in casting soloists on the brink of stardom while also mixing in veteran singers based out of Ontario. And the combination works, for the most part, but the effectiveness of this formula is also contingent on the repertoire. Did Vacca bite off more than SOLO could chew with Lucia? Judging by the rapturous applause at the final curtain, Vacca gave the audience just what their palates wanted: an operatic high-wire act wrapped up in a delicious coating of all-Canadian cast patriotism.

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