Lucrezia Borgia (opera)

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Lucrezia Borgia (opera)

Lucrezia Borgia is a melodramma
Melodramma

Melodramma is an Italy term for opera, used in a much narrower sense by English writers to discuss developments in the early 19th century Italian libretto....
, or opera

Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti

Gaetano Donizetti

Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italy composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. Donizetti's most famous work is Lucia di Lammermoor , and arguably his most immediately recognizable piece of music is the aria "Una furtiva lagrima" from L'elisir d'amore ....
. Felice Romani

Felice Romani

Felice Romani was an Italy poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini....
wrote the Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
libretto

Libretto

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, Musical theater, and ballet....
after the play by Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo

Victor-Marie Hugo was a France poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romanticism movement in France....
, in its turn after the legend of Lucrezia Borgia

Lucrezia Borgia

Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei....
.

Performance history
Lucrezia Borgia was first performed on 26 December 1833 at La Scala

La Scala

The Teatro alla Scala , in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous opera houses. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778, under the name Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala with Antonio Salieri Europa riconosciuta....
, Milan

Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
with Lelande and Pedrazzi.

The first London production was at Her Majesty's Theatre

Her Majesty's Theatre

Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, located in the Haymarket, in the City of Westminster. The present building was designed by Charles J....
in 1839 with Giulia Grisi

Grisi

Grisi may refer to:* Giulia Grisi, opera singer* Carlotta Grisi, ballet dancer...
and Mario. When the opera was staged in Paris

Paris

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Lucrezia Borgia (opera)'

Start a new discussion about 'Lucrezia Borgia (opera)'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Opera

Gaetano Donizetti

Felice Romani

Felice Romani was an Italy poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini....
wrote the Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
libretto

Libretto

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, Musical theater, and ballet....
after the play by Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo

Lucrezia Borgia

Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei....
.

Performance history

Lucrezia Borgia was first performed on 26 December 1833 at La Scala

La Scala

Milan

Her Majesty's Theatre

Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, located in the Haymarket, in the City of Westminster. The present building was designed by Charles J....
in 1839 with Giulia Grisi

Grisi

Grisi may refer to:* Giulia Grisi, opera singer* Carlotta Grisi, ballet dancer...
and Mario. When the opera was staged in Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
(Theatre des Italiens) in 1840, Victor Hugo obtained an injunction against further productions within the domain of French copyright law. The libretto was then rewritten and retitled La Rinegata, with the Italian characters changed to Turks, and the performances were resumed.

The first English-language production was in London on 30 December, 1843. The English tenor Sims Reeves was a noted Gennaro. Lucrezia was presented at New York (Astor Place Opera House) in 1847: with Giulia Grisi in 1854; and with Therese Tietjens and Brignoli in 1876. It was given at the Academy of Music in 1882, and at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1902 with Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso was an italians tenor. Caruso was also one of the most significant and renowned singers in any genre in both the 19th and 20th Centuries, and one of the most important pioneers of recorded music....
as Gennaro.

Therese Tietjens

Thérèse Johanne Alexandra Tietjens

Th?r?se Johanne Alexandra Tietjens was a leading opera and oratorio soprano singer of Hungary origin. Born in Hamburg, Germany, she made her career chiefly in London in the 1860s and 1870s....
was a particularly famous 19th century Lucrezia, who made her debut in the role at Hamburg

Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
in 1849, and in her day was unequalled and completely identified with the role. (She was also a superb Norma, Donna Anna, and Agathe.) In later life she became very fat, and collapsed on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre, London during her last performance, in this role, in 1877. She died soon afterwards.

A famous performance of Lucrezia Borgia given in 1965 at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue , occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street , two blocks south of Central Park....
with soprano

Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....
Montserrat Caballé

Montserrat Caballé

Montserrat Caball? is a Spain Catalan people operaticsoprano. One of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century,she possesses a voice of remarkable beauty and of great range...
(her American debut) was soon followed by a recording featuring Caballé, mezzo soprano Shirley Verrett

Shirley Verrett

Shirley Verrett is an American operatic mezzo-soprano and soprano. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s and was much admired for her radiant voice, beauty, and great versatility....
, tenor

Tenor

The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....
Alfredo Kraus

Alfredo Kraus

Alfredo Kraus Trujillo was a distinguished Spanish people tenor of Austrian descent, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles....
, and bass Ezio Flagello

Ezio Flagello

Ezio Flagello is an Italian-American bass , particularly associated with the Italian repertory, he sang at the Metropolitan Opera from 1957 to 1984....
, conducted by Jonel Perlea

Jonel Perlea

Jonel Perlea was a Romanian Conductor particularly associated with the Italian and German opera repertories.Born Ionel Perlea in Ograda, Romania, he studied in Munich with Beer-Waldbrunn and Kotana, then in Leipzig with Martinsen and Graener....
. This performance and recording helped reintroduce the work to the opera-loving public.

Lucrezia's aria "Com'è bello", Orsino's brindisi "Il segreto per esser felice", the tenor's "Di pescator ignobile", and the bass aria "Vieni, la mia vendetta!" are all very effective and famous melodic moments from the opera and have been performed and recorded frequently.

Lucrezia Borgia is still performed from time to time as a vehicle for a star soprano, and there are several recordings available.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 26 December 1834 (Conductor: - )
Alfonso D'este, Duke of Ferrara	baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of European classical music male voice type that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice....	Luciano Mariani
Lucrezia Borgia	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....	Henriette Méric-Lalande Henriette Méric-Lalande Henriette M?ric-Lalande was a French operatic soprano, one of the leading sopranos of the early 19th century.She was the daughter and pupil of the conductor Jean-Baptiste Lalande, and made her stage debut in Nantes, in 1814....
Maffio Orsini	contralto Contralto In music, a contralto is a type of European classical music female voice type with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. The term is used to refer to the deepest female singing voice....	Marietta Brambilla
Gennaro, young nobleman in service of the Venetian Republic	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....	Francesco Pedrazzi
Liverotto, young nobleman in service of the Venetian Republic	tenor	Napoleone Marconi
Vitellozzo, young nobleman in service of the Venetian Republic	bass	Giuseppe Vaschetti
Gazello	bass	Giuseppe Visanetti
Rustighello, in the service of Don Alfonso	tenor	Ranieri Pochini
Gubetta, in service of Lucrezia	bass	Domenico Spiaggi
Astolfo, in service of Lucrezia	tenor	Francesco Petrazzoli
Gentlemen-at-arms, officers, and nobles of the Venetian Republic; same, attached to court of Alfonso; ladies-in-waiting, Capuchin monks, etc.

Synopsis

Prologue

The Palazzo Grimani in Venice

Gennaro and his friends celebrate on the brightly lit terrace, in front of which lies the Giudecca canal. The friends’ conversation turns to Don Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, to whose house they will be travelling the next day, and to his wife, the infamous Lucrezia Borgia. On hearing Lucrezia’s name, Orsini tells of how Gennaro and he, alone in a forest, were warned by a mysterious old man to beware her and the entire Borgia family. Professing his boredom with Orsini’s tale Gennaro wanders off and falls asleep nearby. His friends are invited to rejoin the festivities, and he is left alone. A gondola appears and a masked woman steps onto the terrace. She hurries over to the sleeping Gennaro and observes him with affection. (Com'è bello! Quale incanto in quel volto onesto e altero!) She kisses his hand, he wakes and is instantly struck by her beauty. He expresses his love for her and sings of his childhood as an orphan brought up by fishermen. He adds that he loves dearly the mother he has never met. (Di pescatore ignobile esser figliuol credei.) The others return and instantly recognise her as Lucrezia Borgia, listing in turn the members of their families she has killed to Gennaro’s horror.

Act 1

Ferrara

The Duke, believing Gennaro to be Lucrezia’s lover, plots his murder with his servant Rustighello (Vieni: la mia vendetta è mediatata e pronta.) Gennaro and his companions leave the house for a party and pass the Duke’s palace with its large gilded coat of arms reading ‘Borgia’. Keen to show his contempt for the Borgia family, Gennaro removes the initial ‘B’, leaving the obscene ‘Orgia’ ("orgy").

In the palace, Lucrezia is shown into the Duke’s chamber. Having seen the defaced crest, she demands death for the perpetrator, not knowing that it is Gennaro. The Duke orders Gennaro to be brought before her and accuses him of staining the noble name of Borgia, a crime to which he readily confesses. Lucrezia, horrified, attempts to excuse the insult as a youthful prank, but Don Alfonso accuses Lucrezia of infidelity, having observed her meeting with Gennaro in Venice. In a scene full of drama and tension, she denies any impropriety, but he demands the prisoner’s death and forces her to choose the manner of Gennaro’s execution. Pretending to pardon him, the Duke offers Gennaro a glass of wine and he swallows it. After a stunning trio (Guai se ti sfugge un moto, Se ti tradisce un detto!) the Duke leaves and Lucrezia hurries to Gennaro, giving him an antidote to the poison the Duke has mixed with the wine. He drinks, and in a last duet she implores him to flee the city and her husband. (Bevi e fuggi ... te'n prego, o Gennaro!)

Act 2

The palace of the Princess Negroni

Ignoring Lucrezia’s advice, Gennaro attends a party at the palace, swearing never to be parted from his friend Orsini. Orsini leads the party in a brindisi

Brindisi (music)

A brindisi is a song in which a company is exhorted to drink.The word is Italian, but it derives from an old German phrase, "ich bringt dir's" , which at one time was used to introduce a toast....
or drinking song (Il segreto per esser felici) and they drink. Lucrezia enters and announces that in revenge for their insults in Venice she has poisoned their wine and arranged five coffins for their bodies. She has hitherto believed that Gennaro fled Ferrara on her advice, and is thus dismayed when he steps forward and announces that she has poisoned a sixth. Orsini, Liverotto, Vitellozzo, Petrucci and Gazella fall dead. Gennaro seizes a dagger and attempts to kill Lucrezia, but she stops him by revealing that he is in fact her son. Once again she asks him to drink the antidote, but this time he refuses, choosing to die with his friends. In a final cabaletta (Era desso il figlio mio,) Lucrezia mourns her son and expires.

Selected recordings

Year	Cast (Genaro, Maffio Orsini, Duke of Ferrara)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1965	Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caball? is a Spain Catalan people operaticsoprano. One of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century,she possesses a voice of remarkable beauty and of great range... , Alain Vanzo Alain Vanzo Alain Vanzo was a French opera singer and composer, virtually the only French tenor of international standing of the postwar era.... , Jane Berbié Jane Berbié Jane Berbi? is a French mezzo-soprano particularly associated with Mozart and Rossini roles.... , Kostas Paskalis Kostas Paskalis Kostas Paskalis was a Greek opera singer, one of the leading baritones of the 1960s and 1970s in Europe, particularly associated with the Italian repertory....	Jonel Perlea, New York City Opera New York City Opera The New York City Opera was founded in 1943 with the aim of an opera company that would be financially accessible to a wide audience, innovative in its choice of repertory, and a home for United States singers and composers.... orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: Opera D'Oro Cat: 1030815
1966	Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caball? is a Spain Catalan people operaticsoprano. One of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century,she possesses a voice of remarkable beauty and of great range... , Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Trujillo was a distinguished Spanish people tenor of Austrian descent, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles.... , Shirley Verrett Shirley Verrett Shirley Verrett is an American operatic mezzo-soprano and soprano. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s and was much admired for her radiant voice, beauty, and great versatility.... , Ezio Flagello Ezio Flagello Ezio Flagello is an Italian-American bass , particularly associated with the Italian repertory, he sang at the Metropolitan Opera from 1957 to 1984....	Jonel Perlea Jonel Perlea Jonel Perlea was a Romanian Conductor particularly associated with the Italian and German opera repertories.Born Ionel Perlea in Ograda, Romania, he studied in Munich with Beer-Waldbrunn and Kotana, then in Leipzig with Martinsen and Graener.... , RCA Italiana Opera Chorus and Orchestra	Audio CD: RCA Cat: RCAG 66422RG
1972	Joan Sutherland Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, Order of Merit, Order of Australia, Order of the British Empire is an Australian voice type soprano noted for her contribution in the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.... , John Alexander John Alexander John Alexander may refer to:* John Alexander , Scottish historical painter and engraver* John Alexander , scriptural commentator* John Alexander , - United States Representative from Ohio... , Huguette Tourangeau Huguette Tourangeau Huguette Tourangeau is a French-Canadian operatic mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.... , Louis Quilico Louis Quilico Louis Quilico, Order of Canada was a Canadian baritone, known as "Mr Rigoletto."...	Richard Bonynge Richard Bonynge Richard Bonynge, Order of the British Empire , is an Australian conductor and pianist.He was born in Sydney, Australia and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London.... , Vancouver Opera Vancouver Opera Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada.It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada .... orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: Cat:
1973	Leyla Gencer Leyla Gencer Leyla Gencer, or Ayse Leyla ?eyrekgil was a world-renowned Turkish soprano opera singer.Known as "La Diva Turca" and "La Regina" in the opera world, Gencer was a notable bel canto soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s, and had a repertoire encompassing more than seventy ro... , José Carreras José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as Jos? Carreras, is a Spain Catalonia tenor. One of the most prominent opera singers of his generation, and particularly eminent in the operas of Verdi and Puccini, his career has encompassed over 60 roles on stage and in the recording studio.... , Tatiana Troyanos Tatiana Troyanos Tatiana Troyanos was an United States mezzo-soprano.Born in New York City, Troyanos went to Forest Hills High School in Forest Hills, New York.... , Matteo Manuguerra Matteo Manuguerra Matteo Manuguerra was a Tunisian-born French baritone, one of the leading Verdi baritones of the 1970s.Manuguerra was born in Tunis, Tunisia, to Italian parents, who later moved to Argentina....	Nicola Resigno, Dallas Civic Opera Dallas Opera The Dallas Opera is an opera company located in Dallas, Texas, Texas . The company was founded in 1957 as the Dallas Civic Opera by Laurence Kelly and Nicol? Rescigno, both of whom had been active with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the first as administrator, the second as artistic director....	Audio CD: Melodram Cat: 270109
1977	Joan Sutherland, Giacomo Aragall Giacomo Aragall Jaume Aragall i Garriga better known as Giacomo Aragall is a Spain/Catalan people tenor, born in Barcelona, Spain on 6 June 1939.After his initial studies in Barcelona under Jaime Francisco Puig, Giacomo Aragall travelled to Milan on a scholarship from the Gran Teatre del Liceu to study with Maestro Vladimir Badiali.... , Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne is an United States mezzo-soprano opera singer who is particularly associated with the music of Gioacchino Rossini and George Frideric Handel.... , Ingvar Wixell Ingvar Wixell Ingvar Wixell is a Sweden baritone opera singer.Wixell made his debut 1955 as Papageno in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute. He worked at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm 1955–1967....	Richard Bonynge, National Philharmonic Orchestra and London Opera Chorus	Audio CD: Decca Cat: 421497
1979	Leyla Gencer, Alfredo Kraus, Elena Zilio, Bonaldo Giaiotti Bonaldo Giaiotti Bonaldo Giaiotti is an Italian operatic Bass , particularly associated with the Italian repertory.Born in Udine, he studied in his native city and later in Milan with Alfredo Starno, where he made his debut at the Teatro Nuovo in 1957....	Gabriele Ferro, Teatro Comunale di Firenze orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: Living Stage Cat: LS1096
1980	Joan Sutherland, Alfredo Kraus, Anne Howells, Stafford Dean	John Copley, Royal Opera House Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building, often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", is the home of Royal Opera, London , Royal Ballet, London and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.... , Covent Garden orchestra and chorus	DVD: Kultur Cat:
1989	Joan Sutherland , Alfredo Kraus, Martine Dupuy, Michele Pertusi	Richard Bonynge	Audio CD: EMI Classics EMI Classics EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed european classical music releases.... Cat:D232361
2002	Mariella Devia , Marcelo Alvarez Marcelo Álvarez Marcelo Ra?l ?lvarez, born February 27, 1962 in C?rdoba, Argentina, is an Argentine voice type who achieved international success starting in the mid-1990s.... , Daniela Barcellona, Michele Pertusi	Renato Palumbo La Scala La Scala The *Teatro alla Scala* , in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous opera houses. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778, under the name Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala with Antonio Salieri Europa riconosciuta.... (Teatro Arcimboldi ) orchestra and chorus	DVD: EMI Classics EMI Classics EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed european classical music releases.... Cat:D232361
1998	Renee Fleming , Marcello Giordani Marcello Giordani Marcello Giordani is an Italian operatic tenor who has sung leading roles in opera houses throughout Europe and the United States. He has had a distinguished association with the New York Metropolitan Opera, where he has sung in over 170 performances since his debut there in 1993.... , Sonia Ganassi, Michele Pertusi	Gianluigi Gelmetti La Scala La Scala The *Teatro alla Scala* , in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous opera houses. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778, under the name Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala with Antonio Salieri Europa riconosciuta.... (Teatro Arcimboldi ) orchestra and chorus	Radio broadcast: La Scala La Scala The *Teatro alla Scala* , in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous opera houses. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778, under the name Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala with Antonio Salieri Europa riconosciuta....

External links

Historical sources

G. Kobbé
Gustav Kobbé

Gustav Kobb? Master of Arts was an United States music critic and author, best known for his guide to the operas, The Complete Opera Book, first published in the United States in 1919 and the United Kingdom in 1922....
, The Complete Opera Book
The Complete Opera Book

The Complete Opera Book is a guide to operas by American music critic and author Gustav Kobb? first published in the United States in 1919 and the United Kingdom in 1922....
, English edition (London and New York 1922), 339-343.
H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (Corrected edition) (London & Oxford 1974).