2024-2025 OPERA AND BALLET SEASON
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR by Gaetano Donizetti
Music pub: E. F. Kalmus & Co., New York
Concertmaster and Conductor DANIEL OREN
Director BRUNO BERGER-GORSKI
Set designer CARMEN CASTAÑÓN
Costume designer CLAUDIO MARTÍN
Chorus master PAOLO LONGO
A PRODUCTION BY AMIGOS CANARIOS DE LA ÓPERA DE LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA
Main characters and performers
LUCIA JESSICA PRATT (17, 22, 24, 26/IV) / AIGUL KHISMATULLINA (18, 27/IV)
Edgardo FRANCESCO DEMURO (17, 22 e 24/IV) / IVAN MAGRÌ (18, 26 e 27/IV)
Lord Enrico MAXIM LISIIN (17, 22, 24, 26/IV) / YOUNGJUN PARK (18, 27/IV)
Raimondo CARLO LEPORE (17, 22, 24, 26/IV) / GABRIELE SAGONA (18, 27/IV)
Lord Arturo ENZO PERONI
Alisa MIRIAM ARTIACO
Normanno NICOLA PAMIO
ORCHESTRA, CHORUS AND TECHNICIANS BY FONDAZIONE TEATRO LIRICO GIUSEPPE VERDI DI TRIESTE
Lucia di Lammermoor returns to Trieste after only eight years, in the staging by German director Bruno Berger-Gorski, premiered in 2023 in Gran Canaria to high praise from the Spanish press and now making its Italian debut. Starring in the title role is the undisputed queen of Donizetti heroines and Bel Canto diva, Anglo-Australian soprano Jessica Pratt, while the baton is entrusted to Daniel Oren, a conductor much loved in the city and an expert in the Romantic repertoire.
Back in Trieste after a short absence, Donizetti’s most iconic opera heroine takes the stage once again. Since its premiere at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 1835, the work has never ceased to captivate audiences worldwide. Donizetti’s opera, with a libretto by Cammarano, takes its inspiration from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott—one of the landmark novels of Romanticism—and departs from the original only in a few respects, such as moving the setting back by a century. At its core, however, it fully embraces the proto-Romantic sensitivity towards a new understanding of madness—no longer a supernatural affliction as in ancient or medieval views, but reinterpreted through the emergence of psychiatry in the late 1600s and into the 19th century’s concept of emotional or romantic madness. It is this form of passionate and romantic insanity that made Lucia di Lammermoor the quintessential musical heroine, securing the opera’s enduring success.
Bruno Berger-Gorski—now Vienna-based and, like many of his fellow citizens, a regular presence in Trieste—is faithful to the opera’s original Scottish setting, which he considers essential to the Romantic imagery, to the flavour of its cultural context, and to framing Lucia as a historical symbol of the rebirth of madness as a mental state worthy of respect when understood in its deeper causes. His focus is therefore not on an alienating reinterpretation, but rather on an in-depth exploration of each character and their dramatic credibility—a choice that earned him unanimous acclaim from the Spanish critics, who were also captivated by the sombre beauty of the sets and costumes created by Spanish designer Carmen Castañón, who trained professionally between Rome, Madrid and Milan, and by costume designer Claudio Martín.
Jessica Pratt stands out in the cast, a flawless Donizetti soprano praised across the board in the Bel Canto repertoire. Sharing the role is another rising star, young Russian soprano Aigul Khismatullina, recently featured at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Taking on the role of Edgardo is tenor Francesco Demuro, one of the most sought-after voices of the moment, who is set to appear at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and London’s Royal Opera House, among others. He will be joined in the role by Catania-born Ivan Magrì, a frequent presence on leading European stages and beyond. The role of Lord Enrico will be shared between two outstanding baritones: Maxim Lisiin, who has already sung the role in Bologna, and Korean baritone Youngjun Park, acclaimed in the Gran Canaria production despite it being his debut. The role of Raimondo will be performed by the solid and accomplished bass Carlo Lepore and Arena di Verona regular Gabriele Sagona. Completing the cast are three seasoned performers: Enzo Peroni as Lord Arturo, Miriam Artiaco as Alisa, and Nicola Pamio as Normanno.
At the podium, Daniel Oren returns to Trieste—a familiar and warmly received presence at Teatro Verdi, and a recognised authority in the Romantic repertoire. His interpretation of Lucia will feature carefully considered cuts, striking a thoughtful balance between established tradition and contemporary performance practice.
Teatro Verdi also announces that, beginning with Rigoletto, the Victor de Sabata Lounge will reopen with a new spring menu, available during the first three performances of the opening weekend.
PERFORMANCES:
A Thursday 17 April 2025, 8:00 p.m.
B Friday 18 April 2025, 8:00 p.m.
C Tuesday 22 April 2025, 8:00 p.m.
E Thursday 24 April 2025, 8:00 p.m.
S Saturday 26 April 2025, 4:00 p.m.
D Sunday 27 April 2025, 4:00 p.m.