Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Anna Christy and Mark Stone in the English National Opera's Lucia di Lammermoor
Och aye the noo ... Anna Christy and Mark Stone play Lucia and Enrico in ENO's Lucia di Lammermoor. Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Och aye the noo ... Anna Christy and Mark Stone play Lucia and Enrico in ENO's Lucia di Lammermoor. Photograph: Tristram Kenton

Digested opera: Lucia di Lammermoor

This article is more than 14 years old
Donizetti's brooding tragedy about love and lunacy in the Scottish lowlands gets the John Crace treatment

Act 1, Scene I: A hall in Ravenswood Castle, Scotland

Chorus: Out and about in inclement weather / Skipping through the bogs and heather / We've lost the intruder, he must be clever!

Normanno: You seem quite jumpy ...

Enrico: I am, you numpty / I'm losing my clout / While Edgardo's about / A deal with Arturo / Would be hunkydoro / But Lucia's acting the clown / By turning him down.

Raymondo: Be kind to your sis / She's been hit and miss / Since your mum croaked.

Chorus: The mists have cleared / And just as you feared / The man on the loose is the well-hardo / Edgardo.

Enrico: Feel my pain / Through the driving rain / I hate this man / Almost as much as I hate midges.

Act 1, Scene 2: A park

Lucia: My first song / Is predictably long / With plenty of trills / And high vocal thrills / I've been dreaming for years / It will all end in tears / But my heart won't be at rest / Till Edgardo is pressed to my breast.

Edgardo: Here I am in a trance / For I must flee to France / But our love is strong / And I will be back ere long / To make peace with your bro / Who treats you like his ho / For though he is low life / I want to make you my wife.

Lucia: Did I ever tell you you're my hero? / You're everything, everything I wish I could be / Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle / 'Cause you are the wind beneath my wings / But it could be an idea / Not to mention any of this to Enrico / Cos he is a psychoooooooo.

Edgardo: I will do as you say / Though my heart I betray / But let's exchange rings / To show how our love sings.

Act 2: A drawing room in Ravenswood Castle

Enrico: The silly old cow / Is on her way now / She'd better not kick off / For today she plights her troth.

Normanno: There will be no problem / From that little madam / I've forged a letter in Edgardo's hand / That makes it appear he's shagging half the land.

Enrico: You are a star / Now piss off to the bar.

Lucia: This is the day I've been dreading / The day of my wedding / To Arturo the loser / Who you want to schmooze.

Enrico: Don't be so morose / Things could be much worse / You could have been married to Edgardo the Cad / Who is shagging around, like Iacopo the Lad.

Lucia: As I am not very bright / I must assume you are right / I will go to my grave / A lover betrayed.

Enrico: Do give it a rest / Carry out my behest.

Lucia: Oh what shall I do / Och aye the noo.

Raymondo: You don't have a choice / So try to rejoice / Because God loves you / Even if He's got a funny way of showing it.

Lucia: Very well, I will wed ...

Arturo: ... Now let's go to bed.

Edgardo: I'm back somewhat sooner than everyone thought / And in flagrante delicto you seem to be caught.

Enrico: Now that you're here, we might as well duel ...

Edgardo: I'll cut out the heart of one so wantonly cruel.

Raymondo: Come, come now. You chaps / There's no need for that.

Lucia: It's all a bit much / I'm such a soft touch / Now I've finished my tune / I must lie down and swoon.

Edgardo: Have back your ring / May unhappiness it bring.

Act 3, Scene 1: The tower of Wolf's Crag

Edgardo: I am not asleep / I'm just being deep.

Enrico: There you are, you creep ...

Edgardo: As you sow shall you reap / Let us fight at dawn / When the guests have all gawn.

Act 3, Scene 2: The castle

Raymondo: Try not to laugh / As it does seem quite daft / But Lucia's lost her head / And topped Arturo in bed.

Lucia: My soul is in torment / This is my biggest moment / Sopranos' careers have been built / By wearing a kilt / And seeing how long / They can string out the Mad Song / So I make no excuse / For singing fast and loose / With several cadenzas / All achingly tender / That will leave you breathless and crying / Till my pianissimo dying.

Enrico: Ooh, hark at that / I've been a complete twat.

Act 3, Scene 3: The tower of Wolf's Crag

Edgardo: Where is the fool? / It's time for the duel.

Raymondo: Oh dear, oh dear / Here's Lucia's bier.

Edgardo: I take this knife / To end my life.

Most viewed

Most viewed