Lucia's reputation as music drama had been rather restored in the 1950s through the success of performances of the title role first by Maria Callas, then by Joan Sutherland. However, even Zeffirelli's famous Covent Garden staging did not present the work in any kind of complete text. Most scenes were heavily cut, and one, the important Wolf's Crag slanging match between tenor and baritone was cut altogether.
Glasgow Grand's programme note makes much of the fact that they were restoring many of these cuts, with the Wolf's Crag, as far as they could tell, having its first performance 'in this country' (without making it clear whether they meant Scotland or the UK). Even when Scottish Opera first mounted the piece, over a decade later, they still omitted this important scene, Also, the soprano singing the title role was able to give a high-powered dramatic performance - her previous role with the company in 1961 having been Lady Macbeth.
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