Lucia di Lammermoor

The experience of being Lucia is one that has repeatedly given me a lot of joy. Over the years I have performed the role in 10 productions. But it never feels like the same piece twice, and this is due to the incredible mastery of Donizetti. In our recording, which I’m so proud of, I had the privilege of working with Maestro Carminati, who was born in Donizetti’s hometown of Bergamo, and led us in a beautiful sweeping interpretation of the score. The gentlemen singing the roles of Edgardo, Enrico, and Raimondo are the brilliant Stefan Pop, Mattia Olivieri, and Riccardo Zanellato. We were able to bond while making this recording because not only did we just sing into microphones and put all our emotions into our voices, we were able to discuss the opera as colleagues, as if we were working on a production. This was very special to me! Knowing what’s happening onstage, what motivates your character, is of vital importance. Even if you’re in a recording studio, just singing the roles, you are still bringing the story to life through the music. And that’s why it was such a pleasure to make music with these great colleagues.

The Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania brought this world to life with their sensitive, skilled playing. In the music you can hear the wind across the hills, the stormy skies, the patches of sunlight…you can feel the cold of the ancestral home’s stone walls. It’s a full sensory experience that took me away and brought me right to the heart of this magnificent opera.

– Lisette Oropesa