LUCY OF LAMMERMOOR

Inaugurating the 32nd Bydgoszcz Opera Festival, we presented the first ever production of the Bydgoszcz opera stage by Gaetan Donizetti's “Łucja z Lammermoor”. This work - composed for a libretto based on the romantic novel by Walter Scott - was directed by the outstanding American creator Thaddeus Strassberger - opera director and designer of scenography and costumes, author of more than 75 productions in 15 countries around the world, including: London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Los Angeles Opera and Theater an der Wien, laureate European Opera Award in 2005 for directing and scenography.

Thaddeus Strassberger, during his first meeting with the teams of Opera Nova, presented the outline of his vision: a world in which nature and man are constantly intertwined. The elements and the variability of the seasons will appear on the stage — fire, movement, light and... reflections. Mirrors will become not only an element of the scenography, but also a symbolic echo of bel canto — full of repetition, emotion and tension.

According to the director, the inspiration for this interpretation was, among others, the painting “The Experiment with a Bird in an Air Pump” by the British painter Joseph Wright of Derby (1768) — a moving story about the line between the fascination of cognition and human cruelty. This theme will become one of the keys to read the history of Lucia.

Costumes? One of them - traditional - came to us straight from Scotland. Besides, natural materials, forest textures, but also a wealth of detail. In the collective scenes there is a strong symbolism — unity, repeatability and shadows...

This is a “Lucia” like no other in Bydgoszcz! The staging full of inspiration, images and emotions from the first rehearsals promised to be an extraordinary spectacle, and the reviews from the premiere confirm this!

The premiere of “Lucia from Lammermoor” by Gaetan Donizetti opened the XXXII Bydgoszcz Opera Festival. The director, set designer and costume designer THADDEUS STRASSBERGER talks about his interpretation of one of the most famous works of bel canto, his work with the Bydgoszcz ensemble and the contemporary dimension of the history of Łucja. Conversation to read HERE

Conductor Tomasz Tokarczyk returned to Opera Nova, having the musical direction of the premiere of Gaetan Donizetti's “Łucja z Lammermoor” for the opening of the XXXII Bydgoszcz Opera Festival. In an interview with us, he talks about working on one of the most difficult works of the bel canto repertoire, collaboration with Thaddeus Strassberger and why love remains the most important thing in this story. Interview to read HERE