The show, which was enjoyed by over 1,000 people last week, will be on in Bolonga, Oviedo and Sevilla

 

The councillor of Culture of Cabildo de Tenerife, Enrique Arriaga, was present at the striking down of the Lucrezia Borgia set. The opera was enjoyed by over 1,000 people last week and is now travelling to its coproduction theatres in Bologna, Oviedo, and Seville. Arriaga highlighted that “we make excellent cultural productions in Tenerife which are then exported to other countries, like this show in which, in stage design alone, more than 20 companies were involved”.

The councillor explained that “this production, made in Tenerife and led by Auditorio de Tenerife, is now on the market and Latin American theatres have expressed an interest in it and we expect to close deals with them shortly”. Arriaga watched as the set was dismantled to then be carried to containers. 

Jorge Cabrera, technical production manager of Auditorio de Tenerife, said that “dismantling usually takes several days but thanks to the theatre’s technological means and the ability of workers, it’s done in just two days”. “When the show ended on Saturday, striking began and it finishes today, Monday, as we have to prepare the stage for Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife’s rehearsal tomorrow”, he said.

This Lucrezia Borgia by Gaetano Donizetti is a co-production led by Ópera de Tenerife (Auditorio de Tenerife opera scheme) with Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Ópera de Oviedo and Teatro de la Maestranza de Sevilla.

Stage director Silvia Paoli transfers the opera to Mussolini’s fascist Italy to reinforce the sense of oppression and claustrophobia the story suggests, specifically setting it in a slaughterhouse, which is recreated on the stage with a wealth of details by stage designer Andrea Belli, costumes by Valeria Donata Bettella and Alessandro Carletti’s lighting design.

The Coro de Ópera de Tenerife, was conducted by Carmen Cruz, and Sinfónica de Tenerife under the baton of Andriy Yurkevych, musical director Teatr Wielki Opera Norodowa (Polish National Opera), one of the most sought-after conductors internationally. 

The leading role, Lucrezia Borgia, was played by Canarian soprano Yolanda Auyanet, who was joined by internationally successful tenor Antonino Siragusa as Gennaro, bass Simone Alberghini playing Alfonso I d’Este, Duca di Ferrara, mezzosoprano Na’ama Goldman as Maffio Orsini, tenor Jorge Franco in the role of Jeppo Liverotto; bass Pablo Gálvez as Don Aposto Gazella, bass Daniele Terenzi as Ascanio Petrucci, tenor David Astorga playing Oloferno Vitellozzo, bass Borja Molina as Gubetta, tenor Mario Méndez as Rustighello and bass Eugenio Di Lieto as Astolfo.

Lucrezia Borgia is a melodrama in a prologue and two acts with music by Donizetti and libretto by Felice Romani. It is based on a drama, with the same title, by French writer Victor Hugo, loosely inspired by the historical figure of Lucrezia Borgia. It was premiered at the Teatro alla Scala de Milan on 26 December 1833. The composer looks deeply into the morbid legend of Pope Alessandro VI’s daughter who grew up in a family surrounded by rumours of incest, adultery, infidelity, betrayal, murder, and horror, creating a strong psychological portrait of a powerful but fragile woman.