Legendary soprano Joan Sutherland sings Lucia in a landmark performance of Donizetti’s beloved bel canto masterpiece This 1982 performance was filmed following the four-year absence of Joan Sutherland, who made a triumphant return to the Metropolitan Opera in this undisputed gem of bel canto repertoire, Lucia di Lammermoor. As the ovation following her first aria faded away, a voice called out across the theatre, “Welcome back!” Donizetti’s masterpiece, composed in 1835, is based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel, The Bride of Lammermoore – a brooding tale of love, murder, and vengeance set in seventeenth-century Scotland In the role of Lucia’s doomed lover, Alfredo Kraus matches Sutherland’s musicality note-for-note in a performance bearing the elegance and refinement that has become the veteran tenor’s trademark. Kraus received worldwide acclaim for his rendering of Edgardo This historical performance, conducted by Richard Bonynge, was filmed live in its entirety during the November 13, 1982 performance at the Metropolitan Opera House and is an absolute must for every admirer of Donizetti’s operas