05/19/12 – Lucia di Lammermoor – 1:00pm

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti

Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 51 minutes
sung in Italian

In Scotland, Lucia and Edgardo are breathlessly, desperately in love. But their two clans are bitter rivals, so Lucia’s villainous brother Enrico sets out to kill his young sister’s romance. And he deploys every devious device he can muster, including lies, forgery, and finally the false revelation of Edgardo’s infidelity.

Little wonder that Lucia is mentally crushed and destroyed, driven to madness and murder before she dies of a broken heart.

Donizetti based Lucia di Lammermoor on a popular novel by Sir Walter Scott, and every minute crackles with drama. This, plus the composer’s succession of bravura vocal thrills (including the famous Mad Scene!), make for an experience you’ll remember forever.

Catherine Malfitano makes her Lyric directorial debut leading this sensational cast.

Lucia demands extraordinary vocal technique and an actress who’ll make you weep as her world falls apart. In what promises to be a breakthrough performance, Beverly Sills Award-winner Susanna Phillips will mesmerize “in a blaze of vocal glory.” The Dallas Morning News

Edgardo is both hot-headed and irresistible — perfectly suited to tenor superstar Giuseppe Filianoti, “who combines Italianate style with the ferocious verve that makes him impossible to resist.” San Francisco Chronicle

“Brian Mulligan gives notice of a fine, strong, open baritone as the obsessive Enrico.” Financial Times

“Kelsey’s singing is capacious and weighty, with effortless power and plenty of vibrant color.” San Francisco Chronicle

CAST/CREW:
Lucia
Susanna Phillips

Edgardo
Giuseppe Filianoti

Enrico
Brian Mulligan/Quinn Kelsey

Raimondo
Christian Van Horn

Conductor
Massimo Zanetti

Director
Catherine Malfitano

Set Designer
Wilson Chin

Costume Designer
Terese Wadden

Lighting Designer
Duane Schuler

Chorus Master
Michael Black