Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, THE PINNACLE OF TRAGIC OPERA

Lucia di Lammermoor is a tragic opera in three acts composed in 1835 by Gaetano Donizetti. Donizetti's first tragic drama, this immensely successful opera is often regarded as the first masterpiece of Italian Romanticism. It is certainly Donizetti's most accomplished work, written at the height of his fame. A masterpiece of the tragic register, Lucia di Lammermoor is as much one of the greatest achievements of bel canto opera as it is of nascent Romanticism. The tragic drama was also the first work of the prolific librettist Salvadore Cammarano, who drew inspiration from the work of Walter Scott.

The action takes place on the Lammermuir moors in Scotland at the end of the 16th century. The backdrop is the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, with an impossible love in the foreground. Ashton's Protestant family has taken up residence in the ruined castle of the Ravenswoods, a rival Catholic family. The fiery love between Lucia Ashton and Edgardo Ravenswood runs completely counter to family loyalties...