THE true story of a tragedy which gripped 17th century Scotland – and inspired Walter Scott’s Bride of Lammermoor and an Italian opera – will be told in the closing event of this year’s Wigtown Book Festival.
Taking place on Sunday, it will feature three international opera singers performing arias from Gaetano Donizetti’s work, interspersed with a telling of the story of Janet Dalrymple, daughter of the 1st Viscount Stair.
In 1669, teenage bride Dalrymple’s husband was stabbed in their bedchamber on the night of their forced marriage. A few weeks later she was dead.
This year marks the 350th anniversary of the terrible events at Baldoon Castle in Wigtownshire, and the bicentenary of Scott’s novel. The book festival takes place near the now-ruined castle. The central role in the opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, written in 1835, has previously been performed by the likes of Dame Joan Sutherland and Maria Callas.
The Bride of Lammermoor event has been organised by Wigtown resident Rosemary Bythell (pictured), who spent years researching what happened and is author of a booklet entitled The Real Bride of Lammermoor.
She said: “It’s a story that rocked Scottish society at the time – and due to the novel, the opera and the painting it continues to echo down the centuries. But few people are aware of the real story, or that it all took place near Wigtown.
“So we decided that the time was right to hold an event to tell Janet’s story and bring people some of the arias from the magnificent opera it inspired.”
The performance will take place in the festival marquee. To find out what else is on at the festival this week see
www.wigtownbookfestival.com
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