Dame Joan Sutherland passed away this week at the age of 83. My first exposure to her singing was when my great- aunt Josephine was staying with us while my parents were away for the weekend.
Aunt Jo was a rabid opera fan. She even claimed that we were descendants of Richard Wagner because her mother, (my German great-grandmother), had both the maiden name Wagner as well as "Cosima Wagner's nose". Very few members of this side of the family avoided this particular genetic trait. If you ever heard them in a round of "Happy Birthday", however, you might disagree with her assumption about our famous lineage.
At any rate, what she lacked in musical ear, Aunt Jo made up for in musical enthusiasm. One of the activities she had planned for our weekend was a viewing her video of Sutherland and Pavarotti in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Met, (which was coincidentally filmed on November 9th, 1982, the day I was born). Why Lucia occurred to my Aunt Jo as a logical opera choice for a 12 and 14 year old, I am not sure. Perhaps she thought the violent spectacle a selling point. I think she was right. For those who don't know the plot, Lucia, a young Scottish woman, is forbidden to marry her lover because he comes from a rival family. She is forced to marry another man and on her wedding night, murders him in a fit of madness, comes downstairs where the wedding ball is still taking place, and sings the aria featured here. I recall upon my first viewing being quite stunned at the blood on her nightgown contrasted with her bird-like embellishments.
I have since sung in the chorus of the opera and I still find the drama compelling. I am usually more interested in studying composers over singers, but no one I have ever heard has sung with such a rich sound and facilitated the extreme high notes with such ease and perfection. It was because of Joan Sutherland that Lucia di Lammermoor was even revived outside of Europe. In 1959 when she sang her US premiere in the opera, it was rarely being performed.
For me, it wasn't until college that my voice teacher loaned me several rare recordings of Sutherland and I was hooked. I am aware that she is not exactly a consummate actress like Callas and that her diction suffered when she was coached by her husband for a more Italianate legato. For sheer beauty of tone and technical proficiency though she is impossible to beat. As one of my college professors said: "Sutherland is often criticized for sounding like she has marbles in her mouth... but I would put marbles in my mouth to sound like that." On top of that, she is kind of an underdog success story. In her autobiography she wrote of being a gawky and awkward young woman who bloomed into a world-renowned diva. She was also very involved in the founding of the Sydney Opera House, which the Times obituary neglected to mention, (but I shall not get carried away with my letters to the editor).
This clip is of the mad scene from that Met recording in 1982. Dame Joan will be remembered for her stunning, ethereal and often breathtaking talent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8wfKvN1zdU&feature=related
So the bride wore red.
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