Lyric Opera of Chicago: Lucia Di Lammermoor October 19, 2011

Catherine Malfitano makes her Lyric directorial debut leading a sensational cast featuring Susanna Phillips, Giuseppe Filianoti and Gabriele Viviani. It's Scotland in the late 17th century, where 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. Performed in Italian with projected English translations.