Donizetti – Lucia Di Lammermoor / Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Herbert von Karajan - panerai/Zaccaria / Stadtische Oper Berlin / Warner Classics 2x Audio CD 2017 / 0190295844585

UPC 190295844585

Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico (tragic opera) in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor.

Lucia di Lammermoor–likeLa sonnambula–had become associated with light-voiced sopranos, so when Callas took onthe title role in the early 1950s she proved revelatory with her combination of visceral power, technical refinement and interpretative insight. In 1955, she and the La Scala company visited Berlin to performLuciaand the result was what the Germans call a ‘Sternstunde’–a shining hour. It brought her together with another musical titan, Herbert von Karajan, andthe results were phenomenal, the more so for a cast that also included the tenor Giuseppe di Stefano, the baritone Rolando Panerai and the bass Nicola Zaccaria.

Donizetti wrote Lucia di Lammermoor in 1835, when he was reaching the peak of his reputation as an opera composer. Gioachino Rossini had recently retired and Vincenzo Bellini had died shortly before the premiere of Lucia leaving Donizetti as "the sole reigning genius of Italian opera". Not only were conditions ripe for Donizetti's success as a composer, but there was also a European interest in the history and culture of Scotland. The perceived romance of its violent wars and feuds, as well as its folklore and mythology, intrigued 19th century readers and audiences. Sir Walter Scott dramatized these elements in his novel The Bride of Lammermoor, which inspired several musical works including Lucia.

The story concerns the emotionally fragile Lucy Ashton (Lucia) who is caught in a feud between her own family and that of the Ravenswoods. The setting is the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland (Lammermoor) in the 17th century.