Contents
Special thanks to our education community partners:
Characters | 3 Synopsis | 4 Composer | 6 A short history of Lucia di Lammermoor | 7 Listening guide | 8 Additional resources | 10
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Photo: Robert F. Reynolds | Seattle Opera
Characters Lucia | soprano She is in love with Edgardo, but cannot marry him as their families are feuding.
(In order of vocal appearance) Normanno | tenor Head of the Lammermoor guard.
Alisa | mezzo-soprano Lucia’s companion.
Enrico Ashton | baritone Lord of Lammermoor and Lucia’s brother. He arranges the marriage between Arturo and Lucia.
Edgardo | tenor Lord of Ravenswood. He is in love with Lucia.
Raimondo Biedebent | bass-baritone A Calvinist chaplin.
Arturo Bucklaw | tenor Lucia’s bridegroom. 3
Synopsis Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, after Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor. Premiered Sept. 26, 1835, at Teatro San Carlo, Naples
while Lucia was walking near her mother’s grave, a wild bull charged at her. Suddenly, a shot rang out and the bull lay dead at her feet. Lucia was saved and fell in love with the stranger who shot the bull, who Normanno believes to be their sworn enemy, Edgardo. The guards come in, saying they have spotted a man on horseback and it was indeed Edgardo. Enrico swears a vengeance.
The setting is Scotland toward the end of the 17th century. There is unrest in Scotland, with political factions fighting for supremacy and producing bitter feuds between noble houses. Among the men involved are Enrico Ashton of Lammermoor and Edgardo of Ravenswood, the last of his line, both who have Scene II been at odds for a long time. Lucia and her companion Alisa are waiting in the courtyard by the old fountain. Awaiting her lover, Lucia sings of an During the most recent political upheaval, Edgardo’s party apparition she believes she has seen, of a young woman long triumphed and Enrico found himself on the verge of financial ago murdered by one of the Ravenswoods (“Regnava ne ruin, as well as being in danger of execution for treason. In silenzio” / “Enveloped in silence”). While she is waiting, she order to save his fortune and himself, he arranges a marriage thinks of Edgardo (“Quando rapita in estas”). When Edgardo between his sister, Lucia, and the powerful Lord Arturo appears it is with the news that he has been ordered to France. Bucklaw, his ally. He suggests that he go to Lord Arturo and confess his love for Lucia, but Lucia insists it would be futile. They pledge their Act I mutual faithfulness and with a promise to write. They exchange Scene I rings and the lovers bid each other a passionate farewell The scene opens in the gardens of Lammermoor Castle, with a (“Verranno a te sull’ azure” / “Borne by gentle breezes”). group of guards and the head guard, Normanno, talking about whether or not some stranger is prowling around the estate. He Act II suspects the intruder is Edgardo. While the guards are looking Scene I for the intruder, Enrico complains to the cleric Raimondo that Several months have passed. In the meantime, Enrico has his sister Lucia refuses to marry Arturo Bucklaw. Raimondo made all the arrangements for Lucia’s marriage to Arturo. Lucia replies she is still grieving over the death of her mother and has not heard from Edgardo because her brother has been cannot think of marriage at this time. Normmano, returning intercepting her lover’s letters. She still refuses to marry Arturo, from the search, corrects Raimondo — he tells them that so Enrico forges a letter from Edgardo, saying that he has 4
Scene II Edgardo is at his family’s cemetery. Grief and despair have broken his heart, so he decides to take his own life. With his last reflections, he hears the brokenhearted Lammermoor folk and some of the castle guests approach, singing about a death. Raimondo appears and tells Edgardo that Lucia’s madness has resulted in her own death. Edgardo promises that they will never be parted again (“Tu che a dio spiegasti l’ali”) then stabs himself and dies.
found a new love. Distraught and upset, Lucia leaves the room. Scene II In the castle’s great hall, guests are assembled for the marriage of Lucia and Arturo. After the shock she has just received, Lucia enters in a daze. She reluctantly signs the marriage contract, stating she has just signed her death warrant, and which now makes her Arturo Bucklaw’s wife. The ink is barely dry on the marriage contract when Edgardo appears to claim Lucia. The famous sextet, “Chi mi frena in tal momento” (“Who restrains me at such a moment?”) is about the shock of Edgardo’s arrival. Enrico and Arturo draw their swords to threaten him. Edgardo then confronts Lucia, who admits she has already signed the marriage contract. When Edgardo realizes how ruthlessly he has been treated, he curses the whole Lammermoor family and rushes away. Act III Scene I It is the wedding night and the guests are celebrating the nuptials (“Oer te d’immenso giubilo”). Raimondo appears with the ghastly news that Lucia has slain her husband and gone mad (“Dale stanze, ove Lucia”). Just as Raimondo finishes telling the guests of this tragedy, Lucia appears in a long white gown. She raves, unaware of her surroundings (mad scene: “Ardon gl’incensi). In her madness, she believes that her brother Enrico is Edgardo and she tells him that she is ready to marry him now. Enrico, mortified, instructs Raimondo and Alisa to take care of Lucia. 5
He could compose quite quickly — in 1832, the manager of a theatre in Milan asked for an opera that could be performed at an opening scheduled in two weeks. The manager suggested that Donizetti take old material and repurpose it into a new piece, but Donizetti asked his librettist, Felice Romani, to produce a new libretto inside of a week. The following week, Donizetti wrote the score and completed L’elisir d’amore in time for the requested opening.
Composer Gaetano Donizetti 1797 – 1848 Considered one of the greatest bel canto opera composers alongside Rossini and Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti would be one of the greatest influences on the operas that Verdi would eventually write. Born Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti on Nov. 29, 1797, in Bergamo, Italy, he was the youngest of three sons in a working class family. His music education included studying under Simon Mayr and later Padre Mattei, in Bologna. Donizetti’s father wanted him to return to Bergamo to teach music, but Donizetti didn’t like that idea and instead enlisted in the army. His first two operas, composed while enlisted, were great successes, and after the success of his second opera, he was discharged and exempt from further service so he could compose full time. Even though Donizetti’s bel canto works are widely recognized, he wrote
Donizetti enjoyed a successful professional life, although his personal life saw more tragedy — his wife, Virginia Vasselli, died in 1837 during a chlorera outbreak, and none of their three children survived more than a few days of infancy. for all styles of opera, in addition to composing 16 symphonies, 19 quartets, 193 songs, 45 duets, three oratorios and 28 cantatas. His early operas were usually written for the talents of a particular singer, but as he matured, his compositions focused on building and reaching dramatic heights. Starting in 1822, he worked in Naples for 16 years, where he produced operas at a rapid pace; usually three or four per year. 6
Later in his life, he spent some time in Paris and Vienna, but by 1845 he became quite ill. He was placed in a French sanatorium for 17 months before being transferred to Bergamo (by this point, he was paralyzed, disorientated and rarely spoke). He died on April 8, 1848, in Bergamo, and was buried in the Valtesse cemetery. Late in the 19th century, his body was moved to Bergamo’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
A short history of “Lucia di Lammermoor” Courtesy Virginia Opera Bel canto, the art of beautiful singing, was in full flower when Donizetti wrote his opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, which premiered at the San Carlo Opera House in Naples, Italy, on Sept. 26, 1835. Two other composers who had dominated the bel canto stage, Gioacchino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, were no longer actively composting. Rossini, having achieved great renown and considerable fortune, had retired to Paris, and the 33-year-old Bellini had died only three days earlier, on Sept. 23, 1835. Donizetti was at the midpoint of his career.
The libretto for Lucia was written by Salvatore Cammarano, based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel, The Bride of Lammermoor. The opera reflects the somewhat violent nature of Scott’s subject matter, and is full of melodramatic circumstances. The music of Lucia is designed with care and attention, which was not always the case with Donizetti’s operas. There is a robustness and energy to the work and the frequent use of ensembles. The chorus is used to great effect, sometimes for dramatic reasons and at other times to add volume and spirit to the setting. Another musical device successfully employed in the opera is singing in unison, both by singers during a duet and by the chorus during times of high drama. Lucia di Lammermoor was greatly admired for its Mad Scene, both by singers and the opera-going public. A mad scene was an extended vocal scena in which the heroine has a mental collapse and loses touch with reality. Donizetti included mad scenes in many of his operas, influencing French opera in this manner, but none have achieved the longstanding fame or popularity of the Mad Scene from Lucia. This lengthy scene is considered a tour de force for coloratura soprano requiring a wide range both vocally and dramatically, and makes very effective use of melodic material, which recall earlier moments of the opera. The Mad Scene made a huge impact on contemporary audiences, often reducing them to tears. Lucia was destined to become one of the most popular operas of the century.
In its ideal form bel canto singing required a pure sound and impeccable physical technique. It was an outgrowth of the 18th century’s love of improvisation, but also a modern day reflection of the vocal abilities of the castrati. The singer was expected to embellish and ornament what the composer had written, but to do so with a sense of style and taste. The musical vehicle for singers to demonstrate the full range of their abilities was through the device of the cavatina and cabaletta. The cavatina was slow-paced and melodious, showing the singer’s ability to sustain the long line with beautiful tone and coloration, while the cabaletta moved swiftly, displaying the singer’s technical skill and vocal flexibility. Donizetti believed in the supremacy of the voice in opera and composed music the singers delighted in singing. Roles in his operas were highly sought after by the great singers of the day because his music provided a platform for the showcasing of their vocal abilities. He wrote his music with flair and style and had a gift for writing melodies that the public could easily remember and whistle on the street after the performance.
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Of the three most famous bel canto composers, Donizetti had the greatest influence on Giuseppe Verdi, the next major force in Italian opera, and the composer who brought Italian romantic opera to its highest pinnacle. Verdi’s early operas reflect the fluency of Donizetti combined with the greater sweep and expressive force of the Verdi style.
Listening guide Courtesy Virginia Opera The opening measures of the orchestral prelude immediately depict a somber tone. The mysterious solo tympani opening combined with the mournful quality of the French horns exude the aura of melancholy which will permeate the drama which is to unfold. The 33-measure prelude is brief, yet powerful. After building to a tutti forte climax, the melody quickly subsides into a repetition of the opening motive. The quiet prelude is immediately followed by an energetic Allegro giusto in 6/8 meter, a galloping cabaletta which so accurately depicts the arrival of Normanno and his men in pursuit of an intruder on the grounds of the Lammermoor castle. In the opening measures of Enrico’s aria from the first scene, the repetitive triplet figure of the accompaniment creates a solid foundation for the baritone’s melody as well as representing the forward driven motion of Enrico’s emotional state. In the first vocal scena of the evening, Donizetti utilized the popular bel canto form of slow aria (cavatina) followed by brilliant cabaletta.
From Lucia’s first aria, “Regnava nel silenzio” (Sleeping in Silence) we hear the use of the clarinet in an arpeggiated chord accompaniment to Lucia’s mournful melody. Though the arpeggiated figure serves to accompany one of Donizetti’s brilliant bel canto melodies, it also vividly depicts the rippling of the water in the well in which Lucia has seen the menacing shadow of a long dead Lammermoor lass.
Lucia’s first entrance is preceded by an extended virtuosic solo for the harp, accompanied by the strings and woodwinds. The use of the delicate harp in such an extended solo passage was a unique innovation on the part of Donizetti. But what other instrument of the orchestra could so accurately depict the fragile and delicate nature of the title character?
The use of coloratura permeates the cabaletta, “Quando 8
rapito in estasi,” which closes Lucia’s first vocal scena. Wide leaps and fioratura must be executed by the soprano. This lilting Moderato in duple time during which Lucia anticipates the arrival of her lover Edgardo is in direct contrast to the immediately preceding mournful Larghetto.
Scene is comprised by the unusual juxtaposition of myriad musical forms. Before the scena ends with Lucia near death, the soprano will negotiate through a musical maze which includes an Andante arietta, a manic Allegro Vivace, and Andante arietta, and Allegro recitativo accompagnato, a Larghetto aria (w/chorus) and Allegro trio with Enrico, Raimondo and full chorus, a two-verse Moderato aria and a Piu Allegro Coda. No wonder that the scene is acclaimed as one of the most difficult in the repertory for any voice.
Donizetti wrote for two voices utilizing the coloratura in a free-form cadenza. The absence of orchestral accompaniment allows the two singers the freedom to join together in an almost improvisatory nature while they both execute the florid writing. A sample comes from the Act II scene during which Enrico demands that Lucia forsake Edgardo and save the Lammermoor future by marrying Arturo. The opening measures of the sextet begins with the enemies Edgardo and Enrico expressing identical emotions. The arpeggiated accompaniment figure is played by the complete string section without their bows (pizzicato), which creates a sound very similar to the lute or guitar. The inspired melody is taken up by Lucia, Raimondo, Arturo, Alisa, the choral ensemble and the entire orchestra as it develops to a stirring climax. This sextet is perhaps one of the best known ensembles in the operatic repertory. A clue to the desperate nature of Lucia’s mental state is seen in Andante Arietta, which opens her infamous Mad Scene. While the plaintive solo flute echoes a theme first heard during her Act I love duet with Edgardo, Lucia relives their meeting in her mind, imagining that Edgardo is with her and that she can hear his voice. The vocal tour-de-force scena which is known as Lucia’s Mad 9
Additional resources Lucia di Lammermoor costumes (this production from Seattle Opera will be seen in Edmonton) http://seattleopera.org/tickets/2010-2011/lucia/videos/costumes.aspx
A discussion with musicologist Stephan Bonfield, about the opera’s musical elements and literary influences is available as a podcast on iTunes. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/edmonton-opera/ id966998136?mt=2
How to listen to bel canto (Seattle Opera blog) http://www.seattleoperablog.com/2010/09/how-to-listen-tobel-canto.html
Videos from Opera 101, which features a panel discussion of experts in the fields of sociology, language, music, history and more, will be available starting the week of April 6. Previous lectures can be viewed on Edmonton Opera’s YouTube channel. Questions with Simone Osborne (performing the role of Lucia) https://www.youtube.com/user/operaedmonton • http://www.coc.ca/ExploreAndLearn/NewToOpera/OnlineLearningCentre/ParlandoTheCOCBlog.aspx?EntryID=24259 Listening guide (Metropolitan Opera): A close look at unison • http://vancouveropera.blogspot.ca/2008/09/twenty-queshttp://www.metopera.org/metopera/about/education/educations-with-simone-osborne.html torguides/content.aspx?customid=6040 Questions with Megan Latham (performing the role of Alisa) The mad aria in Lucia di Lammermoor http://vancouveropera.blogspot.ca/2010/04/twenty-questionshttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jan/28/lucia-di-lam- with-megan-latham.html mermoor-donizetti Canadian Opera Company listening guide (part of their educaSeattle Opera podcasts (particularly relevant are tracks “Speition guide, page 11) ght’s Corner Uncut” and “Lucia preview podcast.”) http://files.coc.ca/studyguides/LuciaDiLammerhttp://www.seattleopera.org/audio_player/lucia_06.aspx moor2013StudyGuideCOC.pdf Lucia di Lammermoor set (this production from Seattle Opera will be seen in Edmonton) http://www.seattleopera.org/tickets/2010-2011/lucia/videos_ sets.aspx 10