09/22/12 – Lucrezia Borgia – 1:00pm
San Francisco Opera
Lucrezia Borgia by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Felice Romani
Sung in Italian
Approximate running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes including two intermissions
Renée Fleming, “America’s most-loved and most-lauded opera singer” (The Times,London), returns to San Francisco Opera in the title role of this melodically rich bel canto masterpiece. A femme fatale renowned for her ruthless pursuit of power reveals poignant vulnerability when she comes face to face with her long-lost son. The silken-voiced soprano sings this touchstone role “with raw intensity and earthy richness, utterly inhabiting the character” (The New York Times). She will be joined by “rising American tenor Michael Fabiano [who] shone as Gennaro, his warm lyric tone founded on long-breathed phrasing and a well-shaped line” (Opera News), and bass Vitalij Kowaljow, who sings with a “potent blend of vocal weight and emotional transparency” (San Francisco Chronicle); mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, whose “big, bright and pleasing voice was wonderful as Orsini” (The New York Times); and led by internationally acclaimed conductor Riccardo Frizza.
Cast/Crew
LUCREZIA- BORGIA RENÉE FLEMING
MAFFIO ORSINI- ELIZABETH DESHONG
GENNARO- MICHAEL FABIANO *
ALFONSO D’ESTE- VITALIJ KOWALJOW
RUSTIGHELLO- DANIEL MONTENEGRO
JEPPO LIVEROTTO- CHRISTOPHER JACKSON
OLOFERNO VITELLOZZO- BRIAN JAGDE
APOSTOLO GAZELLO- AUSTIN KNESS
ASTOLFO- RYAN KUSTER
ASCANIO PETRUCCI- AO LI *
GUBETTA- IGOR VIEIRA
PRODUCTION CREDITS
CONDUCTOR RICCARDO FRIZZA *
DIRECTOR JOHN PASCOE *
PRODUCTION DESIGNER JOHN PASCOE
CHORUS DIRECTOR IAN ROBERTSON
Recorded Fall 2011, War Memorial Opera House.
* SAN FRANCISCO OPERA DEBUT
photo credits: Cory Weaver
Tags:Elizabeth DeShong, Gaetano Donizetti, Michael Fabiano, Renée Fleming, Vitalij Kowaljow
