The poison of melodrama

The premiere of Lucrezia Borgia of Donizetti at La Scala in 1833 coincided with the stay in Milan of a young music student by the name of Giuseppe Verdi. We cannot be certain that the promising 20-year-old went to one of the performances, but if he did, he paid close attention: the creativity, incisive use of language, abundance of dramatic turns… elements Donizetti used in this decisive score that would leave their mark on the young apprentice, and help construct what would be Verdi’s theatrical universe.

Because with Lucrezia, Donizetti gave priority to the singing line with his finest inspiration, thereby sowing the seed of Romantic melodrama. Two years later, the glorious Lucia di Lammermoor premiered. Here, the musician from Bergamo was motivated by Victor Hugo to construct a fiercely romantic and sombre drama. Sinister at times, it is pounded from beginning to end with intense human passion.

The final collaboration between Donizetti and his top librettist, Felice Romani, comes to the stage of the Maestranza for the first time, and in ideal conditions. Soprano Marina Rebeka embodies the indominable lead role. A woman who never doubts exhibiting her strength, at times brutal, so as not to be seen as a victim in a world of men. In the pit, Maurizio Benini, one of the great conductors in this repertory. The most beautiful of singing and its dramatic impact: ingredients of a potion which continues having an effect. A poison called melodrama.

Opera in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Felice Romani, based on the homonymous drama of Victor Hugo, according to the legend of Lucrecia Borgia.
Premiere on 26 December 1833 at Teatro alla Scala (Milan)
For the first time at the Teatro de la Maestranza