WRITE A REVIEW: Having had the opportunity to see Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera Philadelphia, tell us what you thought. Be as detailed in your response as possible. Consider using "Wring a Review of the Opera" found of p.35 of your student guide to help organize your thoughts. We will accept all reviews, positive or negative! We simply ask that you thoroughly defend your opinion. In your response consider commenting on the story, the sets, the characters, the music, and more.
With both options we ask that you include your:
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You never know, if your blog entry is well written, we may just have to put it on Opera Philadelphia's official blog page. We look forward reading your entry! Happy writing.
Steven Humes
Opera Philadelphia
Education Manager
Comments
Chartertech
12th grade
I found this opera to be captivating. From beginning to end there wasn't a point when I wasn't interested. Lucia was my favorite character. Her voice is absolutely amazing and how she was laying on the ground while still singing so powerfully, I was in awe. The plot was interesting and all. I was a little confused by the fact that they said that Lucia had stabbed herself, but when she came out she hadn't had a stab wound, just bloody hands. Besides that small detail, it was one of the best operas I have seen so far, very impressive.
Chartertech High For Performing Arts
11th
My favorite part was the mad scene. How Lucia was able to hit that high note laying down on the ground. I also really liked how the setting was it mad it feel so real. The opera was great would love to go again any time.
WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE FOR ALL!! This opera experience allowed all the students who have never been to the opera to be exposed to a whole type of art that they would probably never have been able to access or know to access. Eternal thanks to the sponsors. You have done an AWESOME thing here. Please continue!
WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE FOR ALL!! This opera experience allowed all the students who have never been to the opera to be exposed to a whole type of art that they would probably never have been able to access or know to access. Eternal thanks to the sponsors. You have done an AWESOME thing here. Please continue!
11th Grade
Wilmington Friends School
Lucia Di Lammermoor Blog Post
Lucia Di Lammermoor tells a dramatic story of a forbidden love story set in Scotland, that has a Romeo and Juliet vibe. Throughout the performance the audience couldn’t keep their eyes off the actors, they were glued to their every word, even if they couldn’t understand italian. From the beginning of the opera we were all rooting for Edgardo and Lucia, the main love interests, to make it to the end. We all hoped Enrico, Lucia’s overbearing brother, would back off. And we wished that Arturo, the man Lucia is suppose to marry, was never brought into the picture. Through this intricate plot we watch Lucia’s heartbreak and wish we could rewrite the story.
This opera would be nothing without the pit. From the glass harmonica to the harp, the music and orchestra perfectly accompanies the actors and the plot. One thing that was different about the music in this opera was that a lot of the time the music was in a major key, but the subject matter was not happy, and vice versa. The duets between Edgardo and Lucia seemed to be very important to the plot because themes from those songs repeated throughout the opera.
From the first time it started to snow onstage, to the moment the curtain closed the set design was captivating. The snowy set was such a great set choice because it added a extra touch, and really enhanced the story. The costumes were very good. Most characters had the same costume for the entire show except for Lucia. One of the things I didn’t understand about the costumes/makeup was the white and black stripes on the right side of everybody’s costume and face.
From my understanding the version we saw of the opera was set in Scotland, which is where Donizeti intended it to be. However, I think the snow was a new touch for this specific version of Lucia Di Lammermoor.
I really enjoyed this opera. This was the first opera I have ever seen, and it was super cool. The music was incredible, and I was just amazed by everything happening on stage. I would definitely recommend this to people, because it was just such an incredible experience.
This production of Lucia Di Lammermoor tells a compelling conflict of two lovers, Lucia and Edgardo, and the power hungry Edgardo. Lucia and Edgardo have two big problems in their relationship: their families are rivals, and Lucia’s brother, Edgardo, needs her to marry someone else if he is to gain power.
The music in the production was excellent. As a percussionist, it was very cool to see the pit setup for an orchestra. My friends and I are now obsessed with the glass harmonica. The orchestra perfectly complimented the singers. Brenda Rae as Lucia has a lovely voice, and the power in Michael Spyres as Edgardo and Troy Cook as Enrico’s voices resonates with the audience.
The staging was relatively minimalist. I liked the snow effects, but they made things difficult to understand sometimes such as whether or not the actors are inside, given that the snow never moves. I really like all of the coats that the men wear. I should get one of those. The setting seemed relatively accurate to Scotland in 1835. Because the staging was minimalist, it seems as though it could take place at any point in time.
I would recommend this production to my friends and family who like musicals and music in general. Opera is not for everyone, but I know some people who would definitely enjoy this production.
Weldin,
11th Grade,
Wilmington Friends School
School: Wilmington Friends School
Grade: 12
Lucia Di Lammermoor was my first opera. I found the plot to be very interesting. It was a little confusing but was a regular drama plot. Though I am new to operas I thought that there was very little props. I was also confused when Encrio was confronting Lucia about her secret lover. I could not figure out if they were inside or outside because there were doors but there was also still snow on the stage. I also thought that the death scenes were very long and not dramatic enough. I thought that sinc Lucia was standing on chairs, I thought she was going to dramatically fall of the chairs like a trust fall but instead I felt like she went crowd surfing. I thought the music was fantastic. It was so moving and really portrayed the emotions of the actors. I like how it was dark and mysterious whenever Encrio appeared and a lighter tone when Lucia entered the stage. The singers were amazing and the acting was very well done. For my first opera, I think that this was fantastic.
School: Wilmington Friends School
Grade: 12
Lucia di Lammermoor had the visual and auditory components I believe are necessary when displaying opera to a student for the first time. The sets of this show were simple, which allowed the viewer to draw their focus to the performance rather the complexity of the actors' surroundings. I was especially drawn to the amount of fake snow falling from above the stage; an impressive feat by the designers of the set. The vocals on the other hand brought the piece to life with each clear note in Lucia's mad scene partnered by the excellence of the glass harmonica (which I was particularly excited to see live). I was equally impressed and horrified at the sight of Lucia singing at the top of her range flat on her back in multiple parts of the performance. The artistic originality and use of angles in the mad scene brought on eerie feelings that would not have been rounded out as well with just the singing.
Wilmington Friends
12th
This was my first time viewing an Opera, and I enjoyed seeing the performance for Lucia de Lammermoor. The performance was engaging for the audience, especially in terms of the duets consisting of an antagonist and protagonist. The overall conflict between Lucia and Edgardo against Lucia's brother was one which the play managed to highlight dramatically. The score for the Opera was one which I also felt to compliment the drama, and one point at which the music highlighted the actor very well was the Mad Scene, as the Glass Harmonica did a good job of complimenting Lucia's descent into madness. The lighting and and staging didn't detract too much from the experience, although the change in scenery mid scene, such as the walls rising during the sextet was somewhat distracting. I think the setting of the opera stayed true to the composer's intentions, and I think that made the piece very strong in terms of keeping the audience's attention to the scene occurring. I would recommend this play to friends because of the opera's plot and points of conflict which, at some points could be confusing, but the plot did seem familiar in some ways which helped to keep track of the characters and the plot as a whole.
Wilmington Friends School
11th Grade
In Lucia di Lammermoor, the characters were illustrated a very graspable understanding of the story’s events and their meaning in context of the story. I very much enjoyed the portrayal of all main characters except for, at times, Lucia. At the beginning of the performance, when Lucia was first introduced, she was portrayed as already somewhat lunatic, which, in my opinion, ruined the circumstantial change in the dynamic of Lucia.
The music and vocal performances throughout the opera were, in my opinion, phenomenal. I genuinely enjoyed the vocal sound produced by all of the performers. I specifically enjoyed the accompaniment of the glass harmonica in “Regnava nel silenzio.”
The staging of the opera was quite interesting. I was amazed by the falling snow in the opening scene and the small mountainous floor in outside scenes remarkable; however, it seemed very out of place in many scenes regarding the context.
Throughout the performance, it was difficult to distinguish the setting of the performance.
I enjoyed this performance of Lucia di Lammermoor. There were many different and strange adaptations and pursuits in this performance.
Grade 11
I thought the opera, Lucia Di Lammermoor, was beautifully composed and delivered. The characters on stage were very realistic and the viewers could clearly see the talent the actors possessed. I would love to be invited to another show at Opera Philadelphia in the future! (:
Charter-tech
10 grade
The whole plot was fantastic. Girl falls in love with the enemy then kills her husband who she had to marry. Then she dies the enemy finds out then kill himself. It is kinda like Romeo and Juliet, but with more killing and blood. The characters were a little confusing, why was Raimondo a tutor for Lucia? What is he tutoring her for?
The music was phenomenal and the characters I felt like I was in Scotland but there were some confusing parts. Like when it is a building when Normanno came through the doors to tell Enrico that Arturo was coming .Other than that the whole show was phenomenal.
Hello! My name is Yannelis. I’m in the 12th grade, and the school I go to is Esperanza Academy High School. The opera Lucia di Lamermoor was a beautiful yet sad show. The singers and actors did wonderfully. I also loved the music and props. They all fit the mood of each scene. Many parts caught my attention. Especially the scene when Lucia came with her bloodied wedding dress. This was the most dramatic scene in my opinion. Many things can be inferred as to why Lucia killed Arturo. It could’ve been because Lucia and him were arguing or fighting, or he got violent and so she was using self-defense. Or it could also have been because she didn’t love him. It’s all a mystery, and yet I guess it’s a way to get the audience to imagine. Also the saddest part for me was when Edgardo killed himself. That caught me off guard. I was not expecting that. Overall this was the first time watching an opera and I’m so glad I went.
Arcadia Univesity
Senior
This is the 2nd opera I have had the pleasure of attending through my school, and I loved this one! The music was that which I expected from the classical opera. Since the opera was used in a romantic language, the words flowed much better than when I went to an English Opera before. The use of the limited color scheme and set was impressive as well. I did enjoy the costume changes for Lucia, as it really exemplified her emotional state + the current event.
However, I may not be used to operas, but this one felt so much longer than the one I had attended previously. When Lucia was "dying", I felt like it took an unnecessarily long time. Her use of her voice during this time was interesting, but it took much longer than anything I've encountered before. I also wish that the translations of the Italian lyrics that appeared above the stage happened more frequently. Since the opera is so dark when it's playing, it hard to read along to exactly what they are saying. Sometimes, the words would stay up there really long and I would get confused as to why they would be up there if it wasn't relevant anymore to that particular scene.
Overall it was a wonderful experience and I definitely hope I can attend more!
Arcadia Univesity
Senior
This is the 2nd opera I have had the pleasure of attending through my school, and I loved this one! The music was that which I expected from the classical opera. Since the opera was used in a romantic language, the words flowed much better than when I went to an English Opera before. The use of the limited color scheme and set was impressive as well. I did enjoy the costume changes for Lucia, as it really exemplified her emotional state + the current event.
However, I may not be used to operas, but this one felt so much longer than the one I had attended previously. When Lucia was "dying", I felt like it took an unnecessarily long time. Her use of her voice during this time was interesting, but it took much longer than anything I've encountered before. I also wish that the translations of the Italian lyrics that appeared above the stage happened more frequently. Since the opera is so dark when it's playing, it hard to read along to exactly what they are saying. Sometimes, the words would stay up there really long and I would get confused as to why they would be up there if it wasn't relevant anymore to that particular scene.
Overall it was a wonderful experience and I definitely hope I can attend more!
Camden County Technical Schools
11th Grade
Having the opportunity to see the Midsummer Night’s Dream, it was a great experience. The set was beautiful. It was subtle details like the moon in the corner then it was very exciting details like the flying beds in Act 3. I was astonished, completely in awe. The set decorations was one of my favorite things about the play. Another was the singing. Each voice was amazing and every singer is very talented. I was impressed with their abilities. Though the set was appealing and the singing wonderful, the play itself, was strange. It was hard to keep up with and the scenes were very weird. I didn’t enjoy the play as much as I hoped but I was satisfied with the details.
Camden County Technical Schools
9th grade
Going to the opera made me feel confused, Happy and a little uncertain. I felt confused mostly because this opera was the first opera I have ever seen, although I still enjoyed watching it even when I was unsure of exactly what was happening. I felt happy because this was the first opera I have ever seen and I was excited to experience it. Lastly i felt uncertain because i wasn't sure of what to expect at first.