[Photo provided to China Daily]

"It will be the first time for me to work with these Chinese artists. I am very excited.

"Lucia di Lammermoor is an emotional extravaganza, in which music and text come together at the highest level. We will present the story in a complete way."

The director has created more than 100 stage works and won a number of awards, including the French Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, the Laurence Olivier Award and the Prague Quadrennial Gold Award.

Kokkos will make effective use of the color red to symbolize violence and power in Lucia di Lammermoor.

Changing images of nature will also be projected against the stage to portray the characters' emotions.

Kokkos adds that the opera is a great challenge for performers because some of the arias are technically and expressively demanding, such as the scene when Lucia goes mad and kills her bridegroom, Arturo.

Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva will play Lucia.