Gatchina Palace to Stage Lucia di Lammermoor at Festival

On 21 July 2026, the third performance of the «Opera for Everyone» festival will take place on the parade ground in front of Gatchina Palace. The action will revive the era of Queen Anne and transport the audience to 18th-century Scotland — the opera is based on Walter Scott«s novel »The Bride of Lammermoor«.

«Lucia di Lammermoor» became one of the most famous examples of bel canto. The work was first performed in 1835 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, but it was rarely performed in that city. Interest in the opera was revived by performances of Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland in the title role. In St. Petersburg, «Lucia di Lammermoor» was first performed in 1840 on the stage of the Stone Theatre (Kamenny Theatre).

The plot of the novel underwent changes when writing the libretto: the love drama came to the forefront, while the political motives of the characters receded into the background. The main heroine is secretly engaged to the enemy of her brother, who dreams of marrying her off to a wealthy lord. The brother resorts to deception, and Lucia, agreeing to the marriage, goes mad and kills the lord on the wedding night, while her lover stabs himself at her coffin.

The performance is prepared by Philipp Razenkov and Yulia Goltsova. Musical accompaniment is provided by the Symphony Orchestra of the F. I. Chaliapin Musical Theatre under the direction of Fabio Mastrangelo. The main roles will be performed by Alikhan Beisekov, Naziya Amineva, Sergey Aleshchenko, and Dmitry Grinoryev-Kan.

Start at 19:00, free admission. Age restriction: 6+.