A super theatrical 'Lucia di Lammermoor'

The moment the curtain rises on the Washington National Opera’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” it’s clear that Director David Alden’s concept is unconventional and risky. But the risks pay off and, under Conductor Philippe Auguin, Gaetano Donizetti’s opera is ultimately a success. Based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel “The Bride of Lammermoor,” the opera centers about a feud between two Scottish clans, the Ravenswoods and the Ashtons. It tells the story of Lucia Ashton, who is forced by her brother, Enrico, to abandon her lover, Edgardo Ravenswood, to marry a man she does not love.