On Sunday, 9 November, at 5 p.m., Gaetano Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia will be staged at the Teatro del Maggio.

Giampaolo Bisanti will conduct the Maggio Orchestra and Chorus, and Andrea Bernard will direct the performance.

On stage, in the leading roles, Jessica Pratt—making her debut in the character—plays Lucrezia Borgia; Mirco Palazzi is Alfonso I d'Este; René Barbera is Gennaro, and Laura Verrecchia plays Maffio Orsini.

New production in co-production with the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.

The performance on 11 November will be broadcast live on Rai Radio 3

Florence, 31 October 2025 – More than 45 years after its last staging in Florence, and for the third time after performances in 1933 and 1979, Lucrezia Borgia, Gaetano Donizetti's masterpiece based on Victor Hugo's tragedy of the same name, returns to the Teatro del Maggio.

The premiere is scheduled for Sunday 9 November at 5 pm; three further performances are scheduled for 11 and 14 November at 8 pm and 16 November at 3.30 pm.

On the podium of the theatre's Sala Grande, conducting the Maggio Orchestra and Chorus, is Maestro Giampaolo Bisanti, who returns to conduct at the Maggio after the performances of Madama Butterfly in July 2015. The show is directed by Andrea Bernard, who returns to the Maggio after Don Pasquale, staged in February 2020. The sets are by Alberto Beltrame, the costumes are by Elena Beccaro and the lighting is by Marco Alba. The choir master is Lorenzo Fratini.

On stage, Jessica Pratt takes on the role of Lucrezia Borgia for the first time in her career, thus enriching her repertoire with another debut after her hugely successful performance in Norma last spring.

Mirco Palazzi, returning to Florence after performances in La Cenerentola in June 2017, plays Alfonso I d'Este; René Barbera, making his debut at the Maggio, plays Gennaro; Laura Verrecchia is Maffio Orsini and Daniele Falcone is Jeppo Liverotto. Don Apostolo Gazella is played by Gonzalo Godoy Sepúlveda; Davide Sodini plays Ascanio Petrucci; Yaozhou Hou is Oloferno Vitellozzo; Mattia Denti is Gubetta and Antonio Mandrillo is Rustighello. Rounding out the cast are Huigang Liu and Dielli Hoxha, playing Astolfo and Un coppiere, respectively.

‘The version we will be presenting in this production is decidedly unique,’ emphasised Maestro Bisanti when discussing the staging, "in that it will include all the changes and corrections that Donizetti made over time, as well as the opera's three alternative endings. During the prologue, we will perform Lucrezia's aria Com'è bello and then “attack” the famous cabaletta Si voli il primo a cogliere, which is linked to the 1840 version of the opera, the Paris version. In the finale of Act II, however, we will perform the London version (from 1839), which includes Gennaro's aria Madre, se ognor lontano. Lucrezia is an opera that, musically speaking, experimented a great deal at the time of its composition with what would be heard in the following decades, despite the ostracism of the critics of the time, who pointed out the absence of solo arias. In terms of the narrative, the remarkable work done by Donizetti and Felice Romani can be appreciated: Lucrezia is in fact an ambitious and grim woman, but what shines through is the love she has for her son as the story unfolds. Another important aspect is undoubtedly the tragic-comic dichotomy that pervades the story, a dichotomy that stands out in the toast scene and in those featuring Maffio Orsini, the opera's cross-dressing character.

From an orchestral point of view, I can say that we do not encounter any particular technical difficulties; it is a work in which the orchestra is always present and provides clear support for the singing and its developments. What is complex in this type of repertoire is finding the right logic and the right dramaturgical structure within the rhythmic rigour.

Speaking about his vision for the opera, Andrea Bernard commented on his choice to set it in a period that profoundly marked Italian history, namely the post-war period; a historical moment that laid the foundations for our country as we know it today. The stage is designed as a “mental labyrinth” where Lucrezia's mind is lost between power and desire, guilt and love. For the first time at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale, a revolving stage is used, an element that allows the speed of Donizetti's opera to be conveyed: 'I chose to tell the story of Lucrezia Borgia by setting it in a period that profoundly marked our generation and which, politically and morally, laid the foundations for the Italy we live in today: the post-war period, between the late 1940s and early 1950s. A time suspended between the desire for rebirth and the fear of change, in which faith is intertwined with politics and power is disguised as morality. It was the era of Pius XII's centralisation of power and the birth of the Christian Democracy party, a time when the Church placed humanity at a moral crossroads – “either with God or against God” – while a new intelligentsia, disillusioned by the wounds of war, sought a language capable of interpreting the future.

‘In an ambiguous Rome, steeped in penance, corruption and political fervour,’ Bernard continues, “prelates, aristocrats and young idealists move about, anticipating the society of La Dolce Vita. These are the years when thought is rekindled in the folds of a restless and feverish Rome: writers, artists, directors and philosophers gather in the cafés of the city centre – from Caffè Greco in Via Condotti to the tables in Via Veneto – to discuss, question and reinvent reality. Cinematic references – from Ettore Scola's C'eravamo tanto amati to Elio Petri's Todo modo – become aesthetic coordinates for a story in which Lucrezia's personal history is intertwined with the collective history of a country in search of identity.”

Jessica Pratt takes on the role of Lucrezia Borgia for the first time in her career: 'I am really happy and excited to be back here at the Maggio – or rather, at home! – to make my debut in such a beautiful role as Lucrezia. The opera is truly fantastic, characterised by dramatic tones enriched by truly incredible pathos, and personally, I have been waiting a long time to make my debut with this character. This is not only because of the vocal demands Lucrezia requires, but also in terms of acting. She is a mature woman, strong and resolute in her decisions. But another aspect of her character also emerges, namely how vulnerable she is towards her son."

Mirco Palazziè Alfonso I d'Este: "From a vocal point of view, I think Lucrezia is undoubtedly demanding; there are parts where the orchestra is very loud and present, and this also affects the tessitura involved; Alfonso's part is also performed by baritones, which makes it a real challenge. Many parts are perfectly suited to a bass, of course, but other parts are decidedly more baritone, which makes the character almost two-faced; this obviously requires significant vocal attention in order to “embrace” these two aspects.

Added to this are many contrasts that perfectly convey the aspects of Alfonso's character: a character who reveals himself immediately and then “rebuilds himself from scratch” in the following scenes. Looking at Victor Hugo and his other great drama, Le roi s'amuse, from which Verdi's Rigoletto was later adapted, one can also think of a parallel between the Duke of Mantua and Alfonso. In reality, they are two very different souls, as the former is cruel and almost sadistic due to his own character, while Alfonso is permeated by a rage that stems from a wound, and therefore from a very specific reason.

Focusing on the aspects that most characterise his role, René Barbera, who is making his debut at the Maggio, highlighted the moral fibre that makes Gennaro such a strong character: 'He is a lost young man, missing a mother he never knew. His whole life has been a lie; he thought he was the son of a fisherman, but he will discover that this is not the case. Depression, anger, bitterness... he wants to run away but in the end he stays with and for his friends, especially his dear Maffio Orsini. He has sworn to him “until death, until the end”. Despite poisoning and attempting to kill his mother, he discovers that he is Lucrezia's son and condemns himself to the fate of everyone else.

Acting is not easy; you have to try to give voice to your darkest parts and the emotions that the character feels, and, moreover, we must not let our emotions become too attached to the part we are playing. We have to find a way to convey them, and music obviously helps a lot in this process.

Laura Verrecchia, making her debut in the role of Maffio Orsini, highlighted the most interesting aspects of this character: "This part is really curious and intriguing. Maffio is a role in drag, which I find very entertaining: it gives me the opportunity to “bring out” my masculine side. Of course, this involves having to do a very particular job, but at the same time it is fun and stimulating. This production is very engaging: Andrea Bernard has delved deeply into the psychology and feelings of the characters, working hard on our acting skills."