Lucia di Lammermoor is an opera based on a Scottish romance by Sir Walter Scott. Composed by Gaetano Donizetti, this is a thrilling opera, thrillingly performed by the Dallas Opera cast. The main characters are played by Elena Masuc, who plays the main character; Bryan Hymel, who plays Sir Edgardo di Ravenwood; and Luca Grassi, who plays Lord Enrico Ashton. Minor characters are played by Jordan Bisch, Scott Quinn, Aaron Blake and Cynthia Hanna (Dallas Opera). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay The pieces are played by a medium-sized orchestra, as well as sung by the actors: Masuc is a soprano, Hymel is a tenor, and Grassi is a baritone; Bisch is bass, Quinn and Blake are tenors, and Hanna is mezzo-soprano (Dallas Opera). There was no sound system; rather, it was the powerful voices of the performers that carried through the room. The performance took place at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas at 7:30 p.m. on October 19, 2011, the final dress rehearsal before opening night two days later. The audience was small, mostly made up of students who were probably going to see a performance for school. The dress code was semi-formal, although I was allowed in wearing jeans and a jacket. I was seated in the highest row of the large upper floor, the view of which is partially obscured by the low ceiling as well as the large chandelier. Fortunately, the ceiling did not obscure the stage or the surtitles, and the chandelier rises so as not to obstruct the view of the spectators seated high up. My only complaint is that it becomes very difficult to distinguish singers from each other at this height, and for a regular performance I would recommend a lower seat. In Act I, Scene 2, Masuc sings a very famous tune called Regnava nel Silenzio. In the scene, which takes place near a fountain at the entrance to a park, the main character, Lucia di Lammermoor, sings to Hanna's character about the time she saw the ghostly figure of a young girl who was killed right where she stood, but then sings about the love of her life, Edgardo, who had saved her life earlier in the story. She sings these things for about nine very strange and beautiful minutes. Throughout the first half, Masuc carries a terrifying melody, moving from sad downward scales to intense, frightening dissonant chords with the orchestra closer to the middle of the piece. It is when Hanna says that her disturbing vision speaks of danger and that she should give up her love for Edgardo that Masuc completely changes direction and sings Edgardo. Now the melody is joyous and whimsical, and she sings her highest, most piercing notes in this section. The rest of the elements are treated the same way, being divided between the first and second half. The orchestra creates dissonant harmonies in the first half, but more consonant harmonies in the second. The key also shifts from minor to major as Masuc crosses the bridge from fear to happiness. Although this piece is extraordinary in its attempt to capture both love and terror, it does not quite live up to Lucia di Lammermoor's other famous scene. In Act III, scene 2, Masuc also sings the aria "Il dolce suono". It's called the "crazy scene" of the opera, and with good reason. The lyrics of the tune alone speak of a beautiful marriage between the main characters, Edgardo and Lucia, but she sings it after the murder of Arturo (played by Aaron Blake), whom she had married just hours before,.