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| Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak makes her Seattle Opera debut as Lucia. Photo by Cory Weaver. |
Fans of the Seattle Opera already know what’s in store starting October 16 and running through the 30th. Donizetti’s thrilling and melodramatic Lucia di Lammermoor returns for eight chilling performances just in time for Halloween in a story that features a gothic tale of a young woman driven to murder and insanity by the greedy actions of her family and its feud with a rival house. It’s Italian opera at its finest, ripe with passion, mystery and bold emotions and featuring the beautiful music of Donizetti at the height of his powers as a composer.
For those of you less inclined, but curious about sampling the world of opera, Lucia is a good place to start…it’s got an exciting melodramatic plot, a spooky setting and an infamous mad scene that you’re probably already aware of. What? You claim you’ve never HEARD any music from Lucia? Ah, but many of you have and probably didn’t realize it. The opera scene in the Bruce Willis sci-fi film, The Fifth Element with the blue alien “Diva”? She’s singing an excerpt from the mad scene from Lucia di Lammermoor…or, at least until it starts getting all disco groovy at the end…
Another good reason to start sampling the pleasures of the Seattle Opera…they have a sweet deal for LGBTQ fans and wannabe fans. The Opera is continuing their LGBT Night packages that feature a discounted rate and some great perks. LGBT Night for Lucia is October 29 and tickets are still available. And, if you buy a package that includes all three LGBT Nights, (for Lucia, January’s The Barber of Seville, and next May’s The Magic Flute) you’ll receive an orchestra level seating to the April 2 performance of Seattle Men’s Chorus’ spring concert on April 2. It’s a good deal for three very popular and crowd-pleasing operas but don’t dilly dally…tickets will go VERY fast for the best seats, especially for the very popular The Magic Flute, Mozart’s beloved comic opera.
– Michael Strangeways
