LUCREZIA BORGIA
Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848)
Opera in two acts in Italian
Libretto: Felice Romani after Victor HugoPremièr at Teatro alla Scala, Milan – 26 December 1833
06†, 08, 10 October 1971
Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo
OPENING PERFORMANCE OF TEATRO DONIZETTI DI BERGAMO
Conductor: Adolfo Camozzo
Chorus master: Lido Nistri
Stage director: Enrico Frigerio
Scene: Bertolini - Slimbeni
Costumes: Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Costumes: Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Alfonso d’Este Duke of Ferrara GIANFRANCO
CESARINI Baritone
Lucrezia Borgia LEYLA GENCER soprano
Maffio Orsini ANNA MARIA ROTA contralto
Gennaro young nobleman in the service of Venetian
Republic UMBERTO GRILLI tenor
Liverotto young nobleman in the service of Venetian
Republic GIANFRANCO MANGANOTTI tenor
Vitellozzo young nobleman in the service of Venetian
Republic WALTER GULLINO bass
Gazella ALFREDO GIACOMETTI bass
Rustighello BRUNO SEBASTIAN tenor
Gubetta FEDERICO DAVIA bass
Astolfo DINO MONTOVANI bass
Petrucci PAOLO CESARI baritone
Time: Early Sixteenth Century
Place: Venice and Ferrara
† Recording date
OPERA MAGAZINE
1971 September
OPERA MAGAZINE
1971 October
CORRIERE DELLA SERA
1971.10.08
OPERA MAGAZINE
1971 December
Recording Excerpts [1971.10.06]
Com'e bello... Quale incanto... Prologue Scene II
Di pescatore ignobile Prologue Scene III
Oh! a te bada Act I Scene VI
Tu pur qui? non sei fuggito Act II Scene VII
M'odi, ah! m'odi... io non t'imploro Act II Scene VII
FROM CD BOOKLET
LUCREZIA BORGIA
BERGAMO
One of the main functions - nay obligations - of private recording ventures is to rectify the sins and omissions of the commercial companies when documenting careers of important singers - and a lot of sins and omissions there are. The two great divas of the 1950s and 60s - Callas and Tebaldi - captured public attention to such a degree that the mighty recording companies were loath to venture further afield. Virtually a whole generation of important singers were relegated to undeserved secondary statues. Magda Olivero, Maria Vitale, Virginia Zeani and Leyla Gencer are four instances that come to mind immediately. Luckily it is now possible to gradually rectify some of these omissions and to document the careers of these important sopranos for posterity. Leyla Gencer's career - and versatility - is indeed something to marvel at. Born in 1924 in Ankara of Turkish/Polish parents, she studied with Elvira de Hidalgo, making her debut in 1950 in Ankara as Santuzza. Subsequently she continued her studies with the legendary Giannina Arangi-Lombardi as well as Apollo Granforte. She made her Italian debut in 1953 at the San Carlo in Naples as Butterfly. That same season she also sang Tatjana. Her rise to fame was fast. She sang Tosca in Lausanne and Munich, Violetta in Palermo, Vienna and Triest. That's all very well...but what about the versatility? Well...soon followed Charlotte in "Werther", Agathe in "Freischütz" (with Renata Scotto as Ännchen!), Zandonai's "Francesca da Rimini), Blanche in the world premiere of Poulenc's "Les Dialogues des Carmélites" (Gencer's La Scala debut in 1957) - the world premiere of Pizetti's "Assassinio nella Cattedrale" (La Scala, 1958), Marguerita and Elena in Boito's "Mefistofele", Renata in Prokoviev's "The Fiery Angel", Lisa in "Pique Dame", "Figaro" Countess in Glyndebourne, Gluck's "Alceste", Monteverdi's Ottavia in "L'Incoronazione di Poppea", Mozart's Elettra, Elisabetta in Rossini's "Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra not to mention the central - and not so central roles in the Verdi, Donizetti and Bellini repertoire. It was Leyla Gencer who first rediscovered the vocal jewels hiding in such works as "Lucrezia Borgia", "Maria Stuarda", Beatrice di Tenda",
"Belisario", Roberto Devereux" and "La Straniera". Her career took her to the Bolshoi Theatre, the Leningrad Opera, Stockholm, Warsaw, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro as well as the Teatro Colón. Leyla Gencer knows her worth. Asked about "her greatest success" she replied with inimitable poise and grandezza: "The enthusiasm of the public was such that I only had great successes". "What about dream roles?" "I was fortunate in being able and allowed to sing everything I wanted to." History has made amends after all, it seems.
Anna-Maria Rota commenced on her stage career in the mid-1950s in Italy and already in 1959-60, she appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival as Cenerentola. In 1961 she made her La Scala debut as Nicklaus in "Tales of Hoffmann", going on to sing Gondi in "Maria di Rohan". She first sang Orsini at La Scala in 1969. She specialised in travesti roles for a time, being particularly lauded as Cherubino, Pierotto in "Linda di Chamounix", Pippo in "La gazza ladra", Romeo, Beppe in "L'amico Fritz" and Ascanio in "Benvenuto Cellini". Her numerous roles also included Adalgisa, Dorabella, Isabella in "L'Italiana in Algeri", Leonora in "La Favorita", Azucena, Preziosilla, Eboli and Charlotte in "Werther".
Umberto Grilli made his debut as baritone at the Teatro Politeama in Genua as Silvio. In 1959 he made his debut as a tenor at the Teatro Nuovoa, Milan in "L'amico Fritz". Subsequently he was heard at La Scala, Triest, Rome, Venice, Turin, Parma, Palermo, at the Maggio musicale. Further guest appearances took into Vienna and Hamburg, the Teatre de la Monnaie, Brussels Monte Carlo, Teatro Colon, Dallas, Warsaw, Bukarest, Amsterdam, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice and Toulouse. Although he was one of the most important Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti tenors of his time he recorded infrequently.
"Belisario", Roberto Devereux" and "La Straniera". Her career took her to the Bolshoi Theatre, the Leningrad Opera, Stockholm, Warsaw, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro as well as the Teatro Colón. Leyla Gencer knows her worth. Asked about "her greatest success" she replied with inimitable poise and grandezza: "The enthusiasm of the public was such that I only had great successes". "What about dream roles?" "I was fortunate in being able and allowed to sing everything I wanted to." History has made amends after all, it seems.
Anna-Maria Rota commenced on her stage career in the mid-1950s in Italy and already in 1959-60, she appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival as Cenerentola. In 1961 she made her La Scala debut as Nicklaus in "Tales of Hoffmann", going on to sing Gondi in "Maria di Rohan". She first sang Orsini at La Scala in 1969. She specialised in travesti roles for a time, being particularly lauded as Cherubino, Pierotto in "Linda di Chamounix", Pippo in "La gazza ladra", Romeo, Beppe in "L'amico Fritz" and Ascanio in "Benvenuto Cellini". Her numerous roles also included Adalgisa, Dorabella, Isabella in "L'Italiana in Algeri", Leonora in "La Favorita", Azucena, Preziosilla, Eboli and Charlotte in "Werther".
Umberto Grilli made his debut as baritone at the Teatro Politeama in Genua as Silvio. In 1959 he made his debut as a tenor at the Teatro Nuovoa, Milan in "L'amico Fritz". Subsequently he was heard at La Scala, Triest, Rome, Venice, Turin, Parma, Palermo, at the Maggio musicale. Further guest appearances took into Vienna and Hamburg, the Teatre de la Monnaie, Brussels Monte Carlo, Teatro Colon, Dallas, Warsaw, Bukarest, Amsterdam, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice and Toulouse. Although he was one of the most important Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti tenors of his time he recorded infrequently.
