Lucia Di Lammermoor at the Grimaldi Forum

The 19th century bonuses were at the height of their influence and the cuts and alterations quickly transformed Lucia into a spectacular singing demonstration centred on heroin. Donizetti's only tragic opera to have survived the centuries without an eclipse is much more than that. It is also its dramatic grandeur that makes it one of the most beloved Italian operas. Donizetti's letter, but also Flaubert's sublime pages where Emma Bovary attends a performance of Lucia at the Opéra de Rouen, remind us that the audience at the time had clearly understood the very essence of this masterpiece.