2010-2011 Performances: Lucia di Lammermoor

Wichita Grand Opera
Century II Concert Hall
225 W. Douglas Ave.
Wichita , Kansas 67202
316.683.3444 Admin Office
316.262.8054 Box Office

Gaetano Donizetti’s

Lucia di Lammermoor

An Opera in Three Acts
Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage

Friday, January 14, 2011, 7:00 PM
Sunday, January 16, 2011, 7:00 PM
Century II Performing Arts Center, Mary Jane Teall Theater

Libretto in Italian by Salvadore Cammarano
Based on Sir Walter Scott’s “The Bride of Lammermoor”
World Premiere: Teatro San Carlos, September 26, 1835

Giorgio Lalov

Krassimir Topolov

Stage Director

Conductor

Set Design

Valentin Topencharoff

Lighting Design

Giurgi Boyukliev

Costume Design

Giorgio Lalov

Choreographer

Diane Gans

Wigs and Makeup

Toshka Kanchaska

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Lucia Ashton ...................................................................................................Olga Orlovskaya

Lord Enrico Ashton, her brother, Lord of Lammermoor ........................ Plamen Dimitrov

Sir Edgardo of Ravenswood.................................................................................. Igor Borko

Lord Arturo Bucklaw, Lucia’s bridegroom....................................................... Georgi Dinev

Raimondo Bidebent, a chaplain................................................................... William Powers

Alisa, Lucia’s handmaid.................................................................................. Viara Zhelezova

Normanno, Captain of Enrico’s guards............................................................... Yuri Nikolov

CHORUS: Ladies and Knights related to the Ashtons; Wedding Guests;
Pages, Soldiers, and Domestics in the Ashton Family
BALLET: Revelers at the Wedding Celebration
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Production and Artists subject to change

This production is sponsored in part by:
Drs. Zack and Hana Razek, Herb & Lisa Klaskin and Steve & Winnie Laughlin

Setting: Scotland, 1600
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Synopsis:

          PROLOGUE: In a feud between the families of Ravenswood and Lammermoor, Lord Enrico Ashton of Lammermoor had gained the upper hand over Edgardo of Ravenswood. However, Enrico's fortunes have now begun to wane, and he stakes all on marrying his sister, Lucia, to the wealthy Arturo Bucklaw.

          ACT I. Near Lammermoor Castle, Lord Enrico's guards search for a mysterious trespasser. Normanno, captain of the guard, remains behind with Enrico, who decries Lucia's refusal to marry Arturo. Normanno reveals that Lucia has been seen with their sworn enemy, Edgardo. Enrico, in a rage, swears vengeance.

           At a secluded rendezvous, Lucia waits for Edgardo. Upon his arrival, he explains that he must go to France, but wishes to reconcile with Enrico so he and Lucia may marry. Lucia, knowing her brother will not relent, begs Edgardo to keep their love a secret. He agrees, and the lovers seal their vows by exchanging rings.

           ACT II. In Lammermoor Castle, Enrico plots to force Lucia to marry Arturo. Lucia enters, distraught but defiant, only to be shown a forged letter, supposedly proving Edgardo is pledged to another. Crushed, she longs for death, but Enrico insists on her marrying at once to save the family fortunes.

           Arturo pledges to restore the Ashtons' prestige. Enrico prepares him for Lucia's melancholy by pleading her grief over her mother's death. No sooner has the girl signed the marriage contract than Edgardo bursts in. He has learned of the wedding and returned to claim his bride. Seeing Lucia's signature on the contract, Edgardo tears his ring from her finger, curses her and rushes from the hall. Hardly comprehending his words, Lucia collapses.

           ACT III. The wedding festivities come to a halt at the announcement that Lucia has gone mad and killed Arturo in the bridal chamber. Disheveled, unaware of what she has done, she wanders in, recalling her love for Edgardo and imagining herself married to him. Enrico rushes in, furious, but is silenced by her pitiful condition. Believing herself in heaven, Lucia falls dying.

           In a private location near the castle, Edgardo laments Lucia's betrayal and awaits a duel with Enrico, which he hopes will end his own life. A crowd comes near, speaking of the events in the castle. Edgardo learns Lucia is near death and calling for him. He returns to the castle, but is too late. In agony Edgardo draws his dagger and stabs himself. Dying, he calls out to Lucia that God will reunite them in heaven.

To read more about the story and history of Lucia di Lammermoor, click here.

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Star Bios:

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	Olga Orlovskaya Lucia Ashton Russian soprano Olga Orlovskaya made her U.S. debut in 2006 as Adele in *Die Fledermaus* in a 50-city tour with the Stanislavsky Opera of Moscow. She is a frequent guest artist in Russia’s most important opera houses, where her roles include Violetta in La Traviata, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, the title role in Rusalka, and Katerina in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, which earned her a Golden Mask nomination. She also won recognition for Best Performance at the 2008 “Operetta Land” competition in Moscow. Ms. Orlovskaya descends from a family well-known for producing talented artists: her great-grandfather, Feodor Chaliapin, was the most famous Russian opera singer of the early 20^th century and a close friend of Sergei Rachmaninoff. Her great-uncle, Feodor Chaliapin, Jr., is best-known for his role as the Grandfather in the 1987 movie *Moonstruck* with Cher and Nicholas Cage.

	Plamen Dimitrov Lord Enrico Ashton Bulgarian baritone Plamen Dimitrov performs as a principal soloist with Sofia National Opera and Opera Varna in Bulgaria, and has been a guest artist in other European opera companies. He has performed various roles with Teatro Lirico Europa on tour in the United States during the last five seasons, including Schaunard in *La Bohème, Escamillo and Morales in Carmen, Ping in Turandot, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, and the title role in Rigoletto*.

	Igor Borko Sir Edgardo of Ravenswood Ukrainian tenor Igor Borko is a Soloist of the National State Opera in Kiev, and has made guest appearances in the United States, China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Romania, Hungary and Russia. His repertoire encompasses principal parts in Bizet’s *The Pearl Fishers, Puccini’s La Bohème, Verdi’s Rigoletto* and *La Traviata, Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and Gounod’s Faust*.

About the Composer:
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           Gaetano Donizetti was born November 29, 1797 in Bergamo, Italy. He, Bellini and Rossini were the three great masters of the opera style known as bel canto . Bel canto operas had set numbers of separate arias and ensembles that featured particularly florid vocal writing designed to show off the human voice to maximum effect. These works demanded great virtuosity from the singers and served as star vehicles for leading operatic performers. Donizetti dominated the Italian opera scene during the years between Bellini's death and Verdi's rise to fame after Nabucco.

           Donizetti's musical talents were apparent at an early age, and he was admitted to the Lezioni Caritatevoli school on full scholarship when he was nine years old. The school was founded by Simon Mayr, who had a significant influence upon Donizetti's musical development and helped the young composer launch his professional career. Mayr sent Donizetti to Padre Stanislao Mattei, the teacher of Rossini, for further compositional instruction. Mayr also partially paid for the lessons with Mattei and arranged for Bartolomeo Merelli to write the librettos for Donizetti's early stage works.

           Between 1817 and 1821, Donizetti received several commissions from Paolo Zanca. His first staged opera was Enrico di Borgogna in 1818. He wrote several other works during this period, including chamber and church music as well as opera. It was the success of his fourth opera, Zoraide di Grenata, that caught the attention of Domenico Barbaia, the most important theater manager of his time. Barbaia offered Donizetti a contract. The young composer accepted it and moved to Naples, which was Barbaia's primary business location. For the next eight years Donizetti wrote works for Rome and Milan as well as Naples, with mixed success. It was not until 1830, with the performances of Anna Bolena in Milan, that Donizetti achieved international fame.

           Donizetti was a prolific composer, writing both comic and serious operas as well as solo vocal music. Throughout his career he battled with the powerful Italian censors to put his works on stage. Two of his best-known comedies, L'elisir d'amore (1832) and Don Pasquale (1843), are considered masterpieces of comic opera and continue to hold their places in the standard performing repertoire. Perhaps his most famous serious opera is Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), although Anna Bolena has enjoyed considerable success in this century through the efforts of such artists as Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. Donizetti was well acquainted with the greatest singers of his day, and he created many of the roles in his operas for their specific vocal talents.

           As Donizetti's fame grew, he was able to accept of variety of engagements, writing operas for Paris as well as the famous opera houses of Italy. He relocated to Paris in 1838. It was there that he composed La fille du régiment in 1840, which is still frequently performed. Donizetti was also appointed music director for the Italian opera season at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna, a position secured for him by Mirelli, the librettist for his early works.

           Donizetti was a friendly and sincere man, supportive of fellow composers and other artists, and loyal to his long-time mentor Mayr. Unfortunately, he endured great tragedy in his personal life. Donizetti had met his wife Virginia Vasselli while he was in Rome in the 1820's and married her in 1828. They had three children, none of whom survived. His parents died in the mid 1830s. A year after his parents' death, his wife succumbed to a cholera epidemic. Donizetti himself suffered from cerebro-spinal syphilis. Symptoms of his illness became evident as early as 1843; by 1845 his condition deteriorated to the point that he was institutionalized for almost a year and a half. His friend from Vienna, Baron Lannoy, interceded with Donizetti's nephew to have the composer moved to a Paris apartment where he could be cared for and receive visitors. Verdi came to see him there and was deeply saddened by his colleague's condition. Friends in Bergamo finally arranged for Donizetti to be brought back to his home town, where he stayed at Baroness Scotti's palace until his death in 1848.

           Donizetti was reputed to have great facility and could compose very quickly. His favorite librettist was Salvadore Cammarano, with whom he first collaborated on Lucia di Lammermoor. Donizetti often assisted in writing the librettos for his operas. He completed 65 operas during his career; L'elisir d'amore, Don Pasquale, and Lucia di Lammermoor are generally considered the outstanding examples of his work. His compositional style proved influential for future Italian opera composers, most notably Verdi.

                                              - Courtesy of Arizona Opera