Typical, you wait ages for a Lucia and two turn up together. You can see Lucia di Lammermoor this month at Covent Garden (top price seat £165) or at Fulham Opera (top price £25).
On the left is Lisette Oropesa, Covent Garden’s Lucia, on the right Nicola Said, Fulham Opera’s Lucia. The photo looks like a love-in of sopranos – not a tiff of tenors or an argy-bargy of baritones in sight. If you come to Fulham Opera’s production there will be a welcome on the mat, especially on Friday 17th November when apparently the vice-chairman of Fulham Opera will be buying the drinks.
https://youtu.be/NYm7oJXVeks
Belatedly. The bloodied dress was first (afaik) seen in Joan Sutherland’s Lucia debut, and rocket launch, ROH 1959, despite the risk of vulgarity. Prior, Maria Callas had been all satin and pearls.
Interestingly, Sutherland’s blood stained ‘nightie’ was knocked up by wardrobe from a couple of bed sheets. It draws a marvellous image of a shattered bride, clutching blood stained bed linen, conclusions obvious enough, stumbling into insanity.
I hope you don’t mind my disagreeing with you about ‘doing’ mad. Donizetti did the mad well enough, and I have the general impression that the lesser the vocal competence, the more the need for thrashing about.