To kick off the 32nd Bydgoszcz Opera Festival, we staged the first-ever production of Gaetano Donizetti’s *Lucia di Lammermoor* on the Bydgoszcz opera stage. This work—composed to a libretto based on Walter Scott’s romantic novel—was directed by the outstanding American artist Thaddeus Strassberger, an opera director as well as a set and costume designer, the creator of over 75 productions in 15 countries around the world, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London, the Los Angeles Opera, and the Theater an der Wien, and winner of the 2005 European Opera Award for direction and set design.

During his first meeting with the Opera Nova ensembles, Thaddeus Strassberger presented an outline of his vision: a world in which nature and humanity constantly intertwine. The elements and the changing seasons will appear on stage—fire, movement, light, and… reflections. Mirrors will serve not only as part of the set design but also as a symbolic echo of bel canto—full of repetitions, emotions, and tension.

As the director revealed, the inspiration for this interpretation came, among other things, from the painting “The Experiment with a Bird in an Air Pump” by the British painter Joseph Wright of Derby (1768)—a moving tale about the fine line between the fascination with knowledge and human cruelty. This motif will become one of the keys to understanding Lucia’s story.

Costumes? One of them—a traditional one—came to us straight from Scotland. Beyond that, natural materials, forest-inspired textures, and a wealth of detail. The ensemble scenes feature powerful symbolism—unity, repetition, and shadows…

This is a “Łucja” unlike any Bydgoszcz has ever seen! From the very first rehearsals, this production—full of inspiration, imagery, and emotion—promised to be an extraordinary spectacle, and the reviews from the premiere confirm it!

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Lucia di Lammermoor - an opera

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