by InTrieste
The anguished cries of Lucia di Lammermoor will once again echo through Trieste’s Teatro Verdi this spring, as Gaetano Donizetti’s iconic Bel Canto masterpiece returns to the stage in a production that blends gothic drama with fresh theatrical vision.
Marking its Italian debut, the staging by German director Bruno Berger-Gorski — originally presented in 2023 to critical acclaim in Gran Canaria — brings a haunting visual world to Donizetti’s tragic heroine. The production opens April 17 as part of the 2024–25 opera and ballet season, with the orchestra, chorus, and technical teams of the Giuseppe Verdi Opera House Foundation of Trieste at the helm.
At its heart is soprano Jessica Pratt, the Anglo-Australian sensation widely regarded as a reigning interpreter of Donizetti’s women. Known for her crystalline tone and virtuosic control, Pratt will sing the role of Lucia on four dates, sharing the part with rising Russian soprano Aigul Khismatullina.
Conductor Daniel Oren, a beloved figure in Trieste’s musical life and a specialist in 19th-century repertoire, leads the production. His return to the podium underscores the city’s enduring passion for Romantic opera.
The cast also includes tenors Francesco Demuro and Ivan Magrì alternating as the doomed Edgardo, with baritones Maxim Lisiin and Youngjun Park as Lord Enrico, Lucia’s tormented brother. Bass Carlo Lepore and Gabriele Sagona share the role of Raimondo, while supporting roles are filled by Enzo Peroni (Lord Arturo), Miriam Artiaco (Alisa), and Nicola Pamio (Normanno).
First premiered at Naples’ Teatro San Carlo in 1835, Lucia di Lammermoor has never strayed far from the global repertory. Inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor, the opera captures the essence of Romantic tragedy, with its themes of doomed love, family honor, and emotional collapse. Though the libretto by Salvadore Cammarano deviates slightly from the novel — notably resetting the action a century earlier — its dramatic power remains intact.
In Trieste, a city steeped in history and perched at the intersection of cultures, Lucia finds a fitting stage. As this new production revives one of opera’s most enduring tales, it also reaffirms Trieste’s place as a vital center for musical storytelling in Europe.
