Lucia di Lammermoor is the very model of the Italian style of its era: the perfect embodiment of both the period preceding Bellini and Verdi and the melodic and sentimental Italian bel canto opera. Of Donizetti's entire humongous 67-opera oeuvre, this is perhaps the one that occupies the most important position: although it is his comic operas that are played most often, the great humorist distilled into this opera the very best of his dramatic skill. His music, just like the libretto by Cammarano, superbly reflects the passion and unearthly atmosphere of The Bride of Lammermoor, the Walter Scott novel that it is based on. An ancient feud between two families propels this love story, which has been a constant repertoire piece at opera houses ever since it was written.
After a hiatus of 13 years, it is now returning to the Erkel Theatre in a new production directed by Máté Szabó.