Going Mad for Lucia

Virginia Opera concludes its 2017-2018 season at the Center for the Arts with Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. One of the most widely performed Italian operas of the Romantic era, the work is perhaps best known for one mesmerizing scene. 

Inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s novel, The Bride of Lammermoor, Donizetti composed Lucia di Lammermoor to feed into 19th century audiences’ fascination with Scottish folklore. The plot develops around the clandestine lovers, Lucia and Edgardo, who are members of opposing houses. Lucia is deceived by her brother, Enrico, and forced to marry another nobleman, Arturo. The conflict leads to a climactic wedding scene where a devastated Edgardo curses Lucia and vows to duel with her brother. However, in an unexpected and drama-filled turn, Lucia goes mad and kills her new husband. What follows is a hypnotic aria in which Lucia imagines she is with Edgardo on their wedding night. Between tenderness, joy, and terror, she vows she will never be happy in heaven without her lover and that she will see him there. It is apparent that Lucia has lost her senses and, after a violent exchange with her brother, she eventually collapses. 
 
Kyle Lang, Stage Director for Virginia Opera’s upcoming production, explains: “as the heroine of a gothic horror story, the fragile Lucia has little agency. She is warm, delicate, emotional, and is surrounded by cold and insensitive people. Her dreams of happiness and love fall to pieces in a desperate race for power and fortune. This cautionary tale, Lucia di Lammermoor, is a warning of the destructive power of blind ambition.” 
 
The “mad scene,” as it is popularly referred to, is the subject of operatic analysis and deep-dive press articles—like this one. It garners interest from both opera aficionados and new audiences for the beauty of its bel canto lines, the despair and emotionality that consume the main character, and the sheer vocal command and virtuosity demanded of the singer portraying Lucia. Virginia Opera has enlisted American soprano, Rachele Gilmore, to embody this challenging role. She is one of today’s most sought-after coloratura sopranos, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2009 while covering the role of Olympia in The Tales of Hoffman. You can get a taste of her vocal and acting dexterity from the video above.

Don’t miss this dramatic masterpiece and join us for the closing opera of the season! 

Virginia Opera  
Lucia di Lammermoor 
Saturday, April 7 at 8 p.m. 
Sunday, April 8 at 8 p.m. 
Tickets start at $54