For the first time in 12 years, the Dayton Opera will present Gaetano Donizetti’s emotional 1835 tragic opera “Lucia di Lammermoor” Friday and next Sunday at the Schuster Center.

Based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel “The Bride of Lammermoor” and set in the Scottish hills of the 17th century, “Lucia,” performed in three acts, tells the story of Lucia Ashton, who descends into madness at the hand of her treacherous brother Enrico. Even though Lucia truly loves Edgardo, a hunter, Enrico tricks her into marrying Arturo Bucklaw. When Edgardo unexpectedly arrives at her wedding, Lucia grows insane and murders Arturo on their wedding bed, climaxing with an alarming mad scene, the opera’s breathtaking hallmark, which finds Lucia in a surreal state imagining Edgardo as her groom.

“What keeps ‘Lucia’ as one of the most popular operas is the never-ending, beautiful melodies that continually pours forth,” said Thomas Bankston, Dayton Opera artistic director. “Two of the most iconic pieces that are absolute audience favorites are Lucia’s ‘Mad Scene,’ one of the most demanding pieces in the soprano repertory, and the great Act 2 Sextet, an ensemble which brings all the principal artists and full chorus together in one of Donizetti’s most masterful moments.”

Soprano Angela Mortellaro, a fan of Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love,” will make her Dayton Opera debut in the titular role, which she portrayed in March with the Minnesota Opera. She’s excited for a second opportunity to rediscover Lucia, heightened in popularity by such legends as Maria Callas, Beverly Sills and Joan Sutherland.

“Lucia is an infamous role,” said Mortellaro. “So many singers have done this role expertly and to try to tackle the role in the same way is a big responsibility. To try to live up to the recordings I’ve heard and the history of the role is an honor. The first time you do a role you work hard and do the best you can, but the second time around you realize there is so much more work to do.”

Mortellaro also enjoys being immersed once more in the gorgeous yet challenging score, particularly the signature “Mad Scene.”

“Every time I approach the score I learn new things,” she said. “The music is so rich and vocally challenging, which I like. The ‘Mad Scene’ is so much fun and musically interesting than the rest of the opera. The scene jumps musically from one idea to another idea much more quickly. It is 20 minutes of singing, and the challenge is singing it really well and portraying a character that has lost her mind. It’s the biggest challenge and the biggest reward of the entire opera.”

“The ‘Mad Scene’ is one of the most demanding numbers any singer can do,” added director Kathleen Clawson, who staged “La Boheme” for Dayton Opera last season. “One of the great joys for me is finding all of the nuances and shades in that beautiful scene that helps the soprano bring it to life for the audience.”

Having previously staged “Lucia” for Opera Birmingham, Clawson has grown accustomed to navigating the mayhem and murder that fuels the tale, which resonates in spite of its melodrama. She particularly hopes audiences will be attracted to its universality.

“It’s a great story with a universal connection and great music,” she said. “It’s somewhat melodramatic, which is common for opera, because the music has to carry the story. If it were all about the words it would be hard to follow but it’s all about the music. Still, having said that, there are a lot of melodramas people connect to. Every soap opera is melodramatic. In the case of ‘Lucia,’ it’s the girl who loves someone her family won’t let her be married to but she has to be true to her heart. Unfortunately it doesn’t end well. The journey of her story, as is the case for all dramas, is cathartic.”

Clawson’s cast also includes the Dayton Opera debuts of tenor Joshua Kohl as Edgardo and baritone Lee Poulis as Enrico along with the return of bass Matthew Burns as Raimondo. Joseph Mechavich will serve as conductor.

“We have a very handsome cast that also happens to sing quite handsomely,” said Bankston. “‘Lucia’ is truly one of the great operas in the repertory. It is a piece that you can hear time and time again and never tire of its powerful and incredibly beautiful music.”