Product DescriptionThe Mariinsky label s opera recordings have garnered acclaim and awards from around the world, most recently for Valery Gergiev s recording of Parsifal released in 2010. For the label s fifth opera, Gergiev conducts Donizetti s masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor with a magnificent cast led by Natalie Dessay. Donizetti s tragic opera depicts a family feud set in the Lammermuir hills of Scotland. Inspired by Sir Walter Scott s novel The Bride of Lammermoor, the central character of Lucia Ashton is torn between her family and true love and eventually descends into madness. Dessay is one of the world s most sought-after sopranos and an admired interpreter of lyric heroines. She is particularly renowned for her interpretation of the role of Lucia, which she has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House and the Mariinsky Theatre.