In 1819, Sir Walter Scott published a blood-and-thunder novel about a pair of star-crossed Scottish lovers, “The Bride of Lammermoor.” It’s a tale filled with hate-filled rival families, tempestuous drama and a wonderfully demented mad scene for the heroine. It was a story that cried out to be adapted into an opera. Which is exactly what happened when Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” had its premiere on Sept. 26, 1835, at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. Director Elkhanah Pulitzer chose to update the setting to 1885, in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and prior to the Suffragettes’ fight for women’s rights.
Los Angeles Opera, 2014
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Conductor: James Conlon
Director: Elkhanah Pulitzer
Projections: Wendall K. Harrington
Lights: Duane Schuler
Scenery: Carolina Angulo
"it was a rare occasion...that also worked as compelling theater"
—— Orange County Register
"Pulitzer made effective use of dramatic shadows and...staged Lucia’s mad scene...with clarity and focus."
—— Los Angeles Times