Composed in the autumn of 1833, Lucrezia Borgia debuted at the Teatro alla Scala on 26 December of the same year. The source is the homonymous drama by Victor Hugo that Felice Romani, author of the libretto, arranged in a prologue and two acts. It was Donizetti himself who suggested to Romani that he make an opera libretto from Hugo's drama, attracted as much by the high-tension situations present in the text as by the dark atmospheres that surround the story.

Lucrezia Borgia, a woman ruthless in the management of power and ready to eliminate all her enemies, finds her secret son Gennaro in Venice, whom she had to abandon at a young age. The young man, unaware of the truth, feels attracted to that masked noblewoman, until her friends reveal her identity by tearing off her mask and publicly insulting her. From that moment on, a series of increasingly dramatic events is triggered that will lead to the poisoning of Gennaro's group of friends, including himself. Only at the end of the opera, during a pathos-filled duet, will the young man discover that he is the son of the much-hated Lucrezia.

In Lucrezia Borgia, Donizetti musically forged the figure of a very complex woman with a dual personality. The role of the protagonist, as ruthless with her enemies as she is loving with her secret son, requires an interpreter with vocal mastery combined with a great dramatic personality.

New staging
More characters TBD (updated: August 22)

Poster © Gianluigi Toccafondo

Meeting with the audience - Parlando di opera

Tuesday, November 4th, 4:30 p.m.

"Un mostro di madre"
by Piero Mioli

In collaboration with Il Foyer - Amici della Lirica di Firenze
Free admission until all available seats are taken