The original glass harmonica player quit, forcing Donizetti to reassign the part to an additional flute for the premiere.
Composition History
Donizetti personally selected Lucia di Lammermoor as his next project after observing the success of Bellini's I puritani, which featured an extensive mad scene for its soprano heroine.
Instruments
Donizetti originally intended for the mad scene in Act III to feature a glass harmonica, an 18th-century instrument with eerie, disembodied tones.
Critical Reception
Donizetti, with characteristic diffidence, reported to his publisher that the premiere of Lucia di Lammermoor was an "unmitigated triumph from start to finish."
Cultural Impact
Lucia di Lammermoor's worldwide popularity meant it never left the repertoire, even during the rise of verismo opera, but it also led to textual liberties and cuts.
Composer Biography
Gaetano Donizetti, the composer, wrote 48 operas by the time Lucia di Lammermoor premiered, and would complete 70 operas in total during his career.
Composition History
The opera's premiere was twice delayed, and the Neapolitan opera house was on the brink of bankruptcy, with many involved not being paid on time or at all.
