Lucia di Lammermoor is Donizetti’s tragic masterpiece. The opera marked the beginning of his partnership with regular collaborator librettist Salvadore Cammarano – who, as was a fashion of the day, looked to Walter Scott. Cammarano’s adaptation of Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor moved Donizetti greatly with its tale of the tragic consequences of a forced marriage. In the subsequent score he produced not only some of his most beautiful but also his most dramatically potent music.

One of the UK’s most sought-after directors, Katie Mitchell created this production for The Royal Opera in 2016. Mitchell compellingly draws the famous title character as a strong and independent woman who fiercely fights against her brother’s machinations. A spectacular split-screen set designed by Vicki Mortimer metes out the tragic events of Donizetti’s opera with devastating precision.

CREDITS

Music: Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto: Salvadore Cammarano
Director: Katie Mitchell
Designer: Vicki Mortimer
Lighting designer: Jon Clark
Movement director: Joseph Alford

Ladies Costume Maker: Sophie Donaldson