Donizetti composed his master Lucia di Lammermoor in record time in the spring of 1835. It was a great success not only in Italy but also in the rest of Europe. In 1839 a French version of the opera was produced under the supervision of Donizetti, which differed from the original in several respects. For example, Lucia's future husband is introduced in the first act, the priest plays a much smaller
… role and the opportunistic character of Gilbert / Normanno receives more attention. The role of Lucia's lady-in-waiting Alisa is even completely canceled, leaving Lucia all alone in a world dominated by men. In the 2002 French production, directors Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser went even further by having all ladies-in-waiting dress up as men. The threat, the coercion and dominance radiates from them, making it more understandable why Lucia eventually yields to all the pressure and becomes insane. With excellent singers such as Patrizia Ciofi, Roberto Alagna and Ludovic Tezier, this is a performance to remember. Fragments of this impressive production were also once broadcast on TV with Natalie Dessay in the lead role. (CP)more
