Its "mad scene" contains some of the highest vocal notes of any standard opera, two E-flats. (Mozart's often-performed Singspiel "Die Zauberfl�te" contains a higher note, F, in its "Queen of the Night" aria.) However, the E-flats are not a written part of the Donizetti music, like the whole "cadenza" with flute, and have been omitted by some performers, most notably Maria Callas.
For decades Lucia was considered to be a mere showpiece for coloratura sopranos and was a little-known part of the operatic repertory. However, it was revived after World War II by a small number of technically-able sopranos, most notably Maria Callas and Dame Joan Sutherland. According to Opera America, it is now the thirteenth most performed opera in North America.
The plot of Sir Walter Scott's original novel is based (Scott tells us) on an actual incident in the history of the Stair family. Events take place in the Lammermuirs area of Lowland Scotland, in 1669.
The story concerns a feud between two families, the Ashtons and the Ravenswoods. When the opera begins, the Ashtons are in the ascendancy and have taken possession of Ravenswood Castle, the ancestral home of their rivals. Edgardo (Sir Edgar), Master of Ravenswood and last surviving member of his family, has been forced to live in a lonely tower by the sea, known as the Wolf's Crag. The Ashtons, despite their success, are threatened by changing political and religious forces. Enrico (Lord Henry Ashton) hopes to gain the protection of the important Arturo (Lord Arthur Bucklaw) to whom he intends to marry his sister Lucia (Lucy)./ Source |
