OPERA NACIONAL GRIEGA, LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
Lucia di Lammermoor, the remarkable co-production of the Greek National Opera with the Royal Opera House, London, returns to the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the GNO at the SNFCC, on 6, 8, 10, 12, 23, 27, and 29 April, as well as on 4 and 11 May 2025. Gaetano Donizetti’s masterpiece is presented in a stunning production of high aesthetics that garnered praise in London and Athens, featuring stage direction by the renowned British director Katie Mitchell and conducted by Lukas Karytinos.
Lucia di Lammermoor, the emblematic masterpiece of romantic
bel canto, is based on one of the most popular 19th-century novels, Sir Walter
Scott's The Bride of Lammermoor. The opera’s premiere at the Teatro San Carlo
in Naples in 1835 achieved such enormous success that Lucia rightfully became
recognised as the work that brought out Donizetti’s talent, despite the fact
that he had already composed several notable pieces, including L’elisir
d’amore, Lucrezia Borgia, and Anna Bolena among others.
The story is about Lucia’s love for Edgardo of the house of
Ravenswood, a man strongly hated by her brother, Enrico Ashton. Determined to
end their relationship, Enrico arranges for his sister to marry Arturo Bucklaw.
During the wedding ceremony, Edgardo arrives in a furious state and starts
cursing Lucia. She loses her mind, kills Arturo, and collapses. Hearing that
his beloved has died, Edgardo kills himself.
Stage director Katie Mitchell attempts to gain insight into
the world of 19th-century women by following the plot through the eyes of the
main heroine. As a contrasting foil to the dark, male-dominated world of the
North, as imagined by Sir Walter Scott, the director brings to the foreground
the female perspective, situating the overall work within the literary context
of the time, reminiscent of the atmosphere depicted in the works of the Brontë
sisters. In collaboration with renowned British set and costume designer Vicki
Mortimer, Mitchell creates a stage set divided into two parts, allowing us to
observe everything that happens in every scene of the performance while
witnessing simultaneous events unfolding throughout the story, bridging any
gaps.
Katie Mitchell is one of the most authentic and intriguing figures in European theatre. She was an Associate Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre in London. Since 2000, she has directed opera at the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including the Royal Opera House in London, the Dutch National Opera, Opéra-Comique in Paris, the Berlin State Opera, and La Monnaie in Brussels, as well as at the Aix-en-Provence and Munich Festivals, and other venues. Responsible for reviving the stage direction is Robin Tebbutt.
Acclaimed conductor and Artistic Director of the Athens
State Orchestra, Lukas Karytinos, will lead the production. His longstanding
journey at the Greek National Opera began in 1985. In 1992, he became the
musical director of the GNO, and from 1999 to 2005, he served as its artistic
director. He has conducted performances at numerous international festivals,
including those in Verona, Rome, Las Palmas, Torre del Lago, and Avenches, and
has collaborated with many prestigious opera houses, such as those in Berlin,
Barcelona, Cologne, Monte-Carlo, Detroit, and Salzburg, among others.
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