Lucia di Lammermoor was and is one of the great showcase pieces for sopranos due in large part to the famous mad scene (Il dolce suono), as well as the classic forbidden love story that provides a fantastic template for opera performers not only to sing some wonderful music, but also to act. AVA's resident artists will explore this nearly 400-year-old story this winter on stage in the Helen Corning Warden Theater (opening February 25 in Center City) -but first, let's take a look back at how a 17th century family feud came to be a beloved opera.
The origins of the story of Lucia di Lammermoor date back to the 1600’s, to the Dalrymple & Rutherford families, and a spat over politics. That story’s ‘Edgardo’ was forbidden to marry his “Lucia’ because their families supported different political parties in a strong way. Sir Walter Scott fictionalized their real-life story in his novel The Bride of Lammermoor. While the libretto retains much of Scott's concept, it also contains a number of significant alterations. In Scott's novel, it is her mother, Lady Ashton, who serves as the antagonist. Also, Bucklaw is only wounded by Lucy after their unfortunate wedding, and he later recovers and goes abroad. In the opera, Lucia's descent into insanity is not only clear but largely dramatic, while in the book, it is left uncertain and open to suggestion. Also, in the novel, Edgar and Lucy's last talk and farewell is supervised by her mother, and generally is considered far less melodramatic and more calming, though the final effect is equally devastating for both of them. At the end of the novel, Edgar disappears (his body never found) and is presumably killed in some sort of an accident on his way to have his duel with Lucy's older brother (a mere minor character in the novel); therefore, he does not commit a spectacular suicide on learning of Lucy's death. Salvadore Cammarano would transpose it all into a libretto worthy of Donizetti's score in 1835.
Donizetti himself was riding high at the time, as Gioachino Rossini had recently retired and Vincenzo Bellini had died shortly before the premiere of Lucia leaving Donizetti as "the sole reigning genius of Italian opera". There was also an interest among Europeans in Scottish history & culture. The perceived romance of its violent wars and feuds, as well as its folklore and mythology, intrigued 19th century readers and audiences. Audiences of that time seemed to be fascinated by the Tudor period of 16th century English history, revolving not infrequently around the lives of King Henry VIII (and his many wives), Mary I of England (better known as Bloody Mary), and Queen Elizabeth I, as well as the ill-fated Mary Stuart, known in England as Mary, Queen of Scots. Many of these historical characters appear in Donizetti's operas, and these themes would influence many of his non-historical works, including Lucia.
The opera premiered in September 1835 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. However, while there were 18 performances in the rest of 1835, there were only four in 1836, 16 in 1837, two in 1838, and only two in each of 1847 and 1848. The opera would go on to make its London debut in April 1838 and, for Paris, Donizetti revised the score for a French version which debuted in August 1839 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. It reached the United States with a production in New Orleans on December 1841. The opera was never absent from the repertory of the Metropolitan Opera for more than one season at a time from 1903 to 1972. After World War II, a number of sopranos were instrumental in giving new life to the opera, including Maria Callas (with performances from 1952 at La Scala and Berlin in 1954 and 1955 under Herbert von Karajan) and Dame Joan Sutherland (with 1959 and 1960 performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden). It has remained a staple of the operatic repertoire and ranks 21st on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide from the 2008 to 2009 season until the 2012 to 2013 season.
Here it is at the Metropolitan Opera, with Natalie Dessay as Lucia...
And here is a insightful look at a full production done last year at the Royal Opera House.
AVA mostly recently mounted the Donizetti opera in 2009. Future Tucker and Sills award winner Angela Meade sang the title role opposite Tucker and Sills award winner Michael Fabiano’s Edgardo with Taylor Stayton singing the role of the unfortunate Arturo Bucklaw. Mr. Fabiano would go on to reprise his Edgardo for Opera National de Paris in 2013 and famously performed on seven hours’ notice as a last-minute fill in at the Metropolitan Opera in 2015. Mr. Stayton - last seen in Philadelphia as Count Almaviva in Opera Philadelphia’s Il barbiere di Siviglia - reprised his Arturo at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden last season.
Lucia di Lammermoor opens February 25 with performances from February 25, 28, March 2 & 4 at AVA's Helen Corning Warden Theater and at Haverford's Centennial Hall on March 14. Kick off the new year in a grand way and get tickets now by calling 215-735-1685 or going to www.avaopera.org.
Gabriella Rose Balsam is a senior advertising major at Temple University, and an intern in AVA's Marketing Department.
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