Lucia Ashton is madly in love with Edgardo, leader of the Ravenswoods, her family’s fiercest political enemies. However, her marriage to Lord Arturo Bucklaw has already been arranged by her brother Enrico, in order to save their family from poverty. Caught in the middle of the two rival families, Lucia loses her strength and descends into madness, leading to the opera’s tragic conclusion. Donizetti’s beautifully tumultuous score is highlighted by the iconic “Mad Scene,” an extended, virtuosic showpiece made famous by sopranos such as Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, and Beverly Sills.