Opera often conjures the image of a mad bride in a blood-stained nightgown — this bride is Lucia di Lammermoor.
Lucia di Lammermoor will be presented by State Opera South Australia this November—its first showing in over 30 years and only the second in the company’s history.
In a post-#MeToo era, this production arrives as an exploration of female identity and agency, with a creative team of women bringing fresh perspectives to this classic tale. For those new to opera, it offers a compelling entry point into the rich interplay of power, identity, and vulnerability.
Why you should watch Lucia di Lammermoor:
- It has one of the most iconic scenes in opera
- The music
- This production has a creative team led by women
Synopsis and that iconic mad scene
Lucia di Lammermoor follows the emotionally fragile Lucia Ashton who is forced by her brother Enrico to marry Arturo Bucklaw to secure their family’s future. Lucia secretly conceals a great love for Edgardo Ravenswood, her family’s sworn enemy.
At the opera's emotional centre is the iconic 'mad scene' where Lucia enters the stage after murdering Arturo, fantasising that she is marrying Edgardo. This mad scene is one of the most famous moments in all opera, marrying extraordinary displays of virtuosity with technical musical mastery.
Content Warning: The following image depicts a scene of violence and may be triggering for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Image Description: A woman in a white nightgown, covered in blood, standing on stage.
Image: James Rogers courtesy of West Australian Opera
Lucia is the role that turned Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland into a legend. Her rendition of the mad scene in the third act is now regarded as one of the finest operatic performances in history. Dame Joan became so synonymous with Lucia that she continued to sing the role for another three decades.
What to listen for in the music
Lucia di Lammermoor is a bel canto masterpiece renowned for its exquisite music and vocal artistry. Donizetti employed various musical techniques to enhance the narrative: a sombre opening evokes mist-covered hills and foreshadows the lovers' tragic fate, while a harp underscores Lucia’s purity and the exhilaration of love.
Bel canto, which translates to "beautiful singing," emerged during Donizetti’s era and is characterized by the quality of vocal performance, enabling the human voice to soar over the orchestra in long, seamless lines. The opera demands exceptional principal singers to capture the score's enchantment and engage the audience in the unfolding drama.
Image: James Rogers courtesy of West Australian Opera
During the mad scene, Donizetti reprises the melody from Lucia and Edgardo's love duet from Act I, where they promise to be faithful to each other. The libretto (the words that are sung or spoken in an opera) make it clear that no one besides Lucia can hear the melody of the duet, furthering the notion that the melody is an auditory hallucination.
Cast and creatives
State Opera’s production led by Revival Director Laura Hansford, Conductor Lucía Marín and principal soprano Emma Pearson, promises bring to the stage a woman’s story told by women.
- Lucia (Emma Pearson) a noblewoman of the Ashton household
- Enrico (Morgan Pearse) Lucia’s brother, head of the Ashton household
- Edgardo (Alok Kumar) of the Ravenswood family, Lucia’s beloved
- Raimondo (Pelham Andrews) the Ashton’s chaplain and tutor
- Arturo (Iain Henderson) Enrico’s husband of choice for Lucia
- Alisa (Samantha Rubenhold) Lucia’s maid and confidante
- Normanno (Jiacheng Ding) Captain of the castle guard
Don't miss Lucia di Lammermoor
Showing at Her Majesty's Theatre from the 8 - 16 November.
Want to learn more?
For more information about the opera, check out this blog by our friends at State Opera South Australia.