CULTURE

Donizetti’s ‘Lucia’ features an international cast at Megaron

Tickets are already sold out for the upcoming performances of Gaetano Donizetti’s opera «Lucia di Lamermoor» at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), where celebrated soprano June Anderson is undertaking the lead role. Featuring impressive stage settings and a powerful cast of Greek and foreign artists, tonight’s premiere will be followed by three additional performances (tomorrow, February 25 and 27). A great work of the romantic movement, the opera was first presented in Greece by the Corfu National Theater in 1839. At a recent press conference, Nikos Petropoulos, stage director as well as set and costume designer for the Athenian performances, discussed his own approach to the opera, one of Donizetti’s greatest and most popular works. «I worked with black and white and created, in collaboration with Sergio Rossi, a set with various spaces and levels. The idea was to render the atmosphere of the huge, dark Scottish castles and the cloudy light that surrounded them,» said Petropoulos. Based on Walter Scott’s «The Bride of Lamermoor,» the opera has all the right ingredients of a period drama: heavy action, a well-wrought mystery, an unrequited love story and an ending in high drama. In the Athens Concert Hall performances, however, the opera also has the added dimension of its star, the leading American soprano June Anderson (the Italian soprano Valeria Esposito, who was scheduled to appear tomorrow, will be replaced by Greek soprano Mata Katsouli). At the press conference, June Anderson avoided direct answers to questions put forward by the press. «If I were to use words in order to express how I will interpret the role, then I would have to stand up and sing,» said the soprano. She did, however, speak about the concert hall’s great acoustics. Joining Anderson on stage are Ramon Vargas, Roberto Frontali, Saverio Fiore and Christophoros Staboglis. Angelos Cavallaro will conduct the Athens State Orchestra, while the National Opera’s choir will be led by Fani Palamidi.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.