LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR | Wiener Staatsoper

Laurent Pelly proves once again that he is among the finest interpreters of Donizetti on stage. His production, already familiar to Vienna, remains sharp, fluid, and theatrically intelligent — the kind of staging that earns its place in the repertoire because it adapts to the singers who inhabit it. Tonight, the voices made it special.

Adela Zaharia delivers a performance that sets a benchmark. Every moment — solo or ensemble — is electrifying. She brings far more than ornamental brilliance: the bel canto foundation is there, but enriched with dramatic weight and psychological depth. The mad scene is not a sudden eruption but the culmination of a meticulously built descent into insanity. Ten curtain calls and fifteen minutes of applause said it all — the audience simply refused to let her go. Zaharia is one of those rare singers, still young yet already so complete, that one wonders what heights lie ahead.

Mattia Olivieri matches her with elegance and bite. His Enrico may be visually constrained by Pelly’s concept, which softens the character’s inherent brutality, but vocally he is all authority. That silky bel canto baritone, perfectly projected, gives every phrase its due — from the Act I duet to the tense ensemble finales.

Bekhzod Davronov is a revelation as Edgardo. Youthful fire combined with real stage intelligence: he commands attention at every entrance, and his final scene — that long, inexorable suicide aria — is delivered with gripping intensity. It takes courage and stamina to stand alongside such a Lucia and an Ashton; he meets the challenge head-on.

Adam Palka offers a Raimondo of imposing presence and Verdian depth. His intervention in the first finale and his aria are executed with masterful control. Hiroshi Amako (Arturo), Isabel Signoret (Alisa), and Carlos Osuna (Normanno) complete the cast with precision and style.

Roberto Abbado, as an Italian conductor steeped in this tradition, gives the score its true colors. His sense of line and pacing allows the Vienna Philharmonic to shine in all its splendor.

Fifteen minutes of applause, ten curtain calls, and a house that simply didn’t want to leave. Simply too good.

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CAST

Enrico (Lord Henry Ashton)

Mattia Olivieri

Lucia,seine Schwester

Adela Zaharia

Edgardo (Sir Edgar Ravenswood)

Bekhzod Davronov

Arturo (Lord Arthus Buklaw)

Hiroshi Amako

Raimondo,Erzieher Lucias