Programs · Episode

DONIZETTI: Lucrezia Borgia

Program: At the Opera
Aired: Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 6:00 pm
Hosted by Lisa Simeone

The historical Lucrezia Borgia may actually have been a fine, upstanding citizen.  But her popular reputation isn't so sunny, and it's her legacy as a notorious poisoner that Donizetti exploits in an opera featuring a title role that's both brilliant, and daunting.  At the Opera features a pair of recordings boasting two exceptional portrayals of Lucrezia, by sopranos Joan Sutherland and Montserrat Caballé.

FEATURED RECORDINGS

Richard Bonynge, conductor

National Philharmonic Orchestra, London Opera Chorus 

CAST: Joan Sutherland (Lucrezia Borgia); Giacomo Aragall (Gennaro); Marilyne Horne (Maffio Orsini); Ingvar Wixell (Don Alfonso); Richard Van Allan (Gubetta); Graeme Ewer (Rustighello); Nicola Zaccaria (Alstolfo) 

(DECCA 421497)

Jonel Perlea, conductor

RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra and Chorus 

CAST: Montserrat Caballé (Lucrezia Borgia); Alfredo Kraus (Gennaro); Shirley Verrett (Maffio Orsini); Ezio Flagella (Don Alfonso); Vito Maria Brunetti (Gubetta); Giuseppe Baratti (Rustighello); Robert El Hage (Astolfo) 

(Sony 88697575942)

MORE ABOUT THE OPERA 

Not too long ago, many cable television aficionados, along with fans of 15th-century Italian history, were glued to their screens for the much-ballyhooed finale of The Borgias, a colorful series on the Showtime network — and thanks to Gaetano Donizetti, more than a few opera-lovers may have tuned in, as well. 

The show takes its name from a famous historical family. The patriarch of the Borgias — both in real life and on TV — was Rodrigo, who got himself elected as Pope Alexander VI in 1492. 

Showtime billed their series as "The Original Crime Family," which might seem like something of an oversell. Still, the historical Borgias were influential, political powerbrokers at a time when the term "cut-throat politics" was more than just a figure of speech, and there's at least one member of the family who has an especially lethal reputation even today: Pope Alexander's daughter, Lucrezia Borgia. 

In truth, the historical Lucrezia may have been perfectly respectable; she supported the arts and did charitable work. But by now, her enduring reputation is another thing altogether — and it's easy to see how that got started. She was married three times. The first marriage was annulled under shady circumstances, and her second husband was murdered — apparently by her own brother. All of that gave plenty of impetus to any number of scandalous rumors. 

So it's hardly surprising that by now, Lucrezia may be less familiar from the history books than she is from dramatic portrayals — which seldom treat her kindly. For example, in the Showtime series, her character starts out innocently enough, but quickly becomes a femme fatale. By the final episode, she also lives up to one particularly nasty rumor that has stuck with her over the centuries: that she was a master poisoner. And that's the same rumor Donizetti exploits in the 1833 opera that bears Lucrezia's name. 

Now, if you're thinking that Donizetti, working in the high-brow world of the opera house, surely made Lucrezia a less sensational character than she is in a salacious cable TV series, think again. Then again, most opera lovers would never harbor that thought in the first place. 

The truth is, opera was a hotbed of sensationalism long before cable television came along. And in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia, the notorious title character does more than just poison a husband or two. She does in a whole ballroom of people, including her own son. All at the same time. 

The title role in Donizetti's opera places enormous musical and dramatic demands on any soprano who takes it on. AT THE OPERA host Lisa Simeone presents the drama in recordings featuring two of the best. We'll sample a 1977 recording with Joan Sutherland as Lucrezia, and also starring mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. Also, from 1966, we'll hear Montserrat Caballe, alongside Alfredo Kraus, and Shirley Verrett.

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