Michela Gerosa

This year, as per tradition, the Teatro Donizetti Foundation's Theater Season hosts a production of the Teatri di OperaLombardia, a regional circuit that brings together the cities of Brescia, Como, Piacenza, Pavia, and, of course, Bergamo, where on Friday, January 10 (8:00 PM) and Sunday, January 12 (3:30 PM) Rigoletto, a three-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on Victor Hugo's drama Le roi s’amuse, will be staged at the Teatro Donizetti. Directed by Matteo Marziano Graziano and with musical direction by Alessandro D’Agostini, the new production of Verdi's masterpiece features sets by Francesca Sgariboldi, costumes by Laurent Pellissier, and lighting by Cristian Zucaro. The orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano and the OperaLombardia Choir, directed by Diego Maccagnola, will perform. Characters and performers: Rigoletto Giuseppe Altomare, The Duke of Mantua Paride Cataldo, Gilda Bianca Tognocchi, Sparafucile Mattia Denti, Maddalena Victória Pitts, Giovanna/The Countess of Ceprano Lara Rotili, The Count of Monterone Baopeng Wang, Marullo Lorenzo Liberali, Matteo Borsa Raffaele Feo, The Count of Ceprano Graziano Dallavalle, The Duchess's Page Federica Cassetti, Court Usher Marco Tomasoni. The two performances will be preceded, on Thursday, January 9 at the “M. Tremaglia” Music Hall of the Teatro Donizetti (6:00 PM), by a meeting titled Rigoletto and Lucrezia Borgia: Victor Hugo from Donizetti to Verdi, featuring speakers Livio Aragona, Paolo Fabbri, and Candida Mantica from the Donizetti Studies Center of the Teatro Donizetti Foundation. «Rigoletto is a complex character, whose disabled body makes him the object of mockery and marginalization. His physical condition does not conform to the norms of normality and social acceptability, forcing him to live as an outcast in a cruel world. To survive, Rigoletto exploits his disability, turning it into a macabre spectacle that entertains and disgusts the Duke's court», says Matteo Marziano Graziano in the director's notes. «The concept of Rigoletto revolves around the theme of Fracture, which emerges strongly in every aspect of the opera, from the characters to the scenes, to the costumes. The term Fracture, which derives from the Lombard spahhan, means to split, to create cracks in something. With this opera, Verdi casts a critical light on a deeply flawed, corrupt, and divided society, where the lack of morality towards women, the lack of compassion for different bodies, and the relentless pursuit of personal power at the cost of corruption and favoritism reveal a world in which human values have been irreparably compromised». «The concept of the production is not intended to be a simple act of denunciation, but rather an invitation to a deep reflection on our contemporary society, on our blind spots and the cracks we still need to heal today», continues the director, «In this interpretation, the Fracture becomes not only a narrative theme but also a visual and symbolic element that permeates the entire staging. The sets play with broken lines and transparencies, creating an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty that reflects the tormented soul of the characters. The costumes, made with recycled materials

In view of the two performances on Friday, January 10 (8:00 PM) and Sunday, January 12 (3:30 PM) of the opera Rigoletto, in the new production co-produced by the OperaLombardia Theatres included in the 2024/2025 Theatre Season, the Donizetti Theatre Foundation promotes a meeting around Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece organized by the Donizetti Studies Center of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation, scheduled for Thursday, January 9 at the “M. Tremaglia” Music Hall of the Donizetti Theatre at 6:00 PM. The meeting, titled Rigoletto and Lucrezia Borgia: Victor Hugo from Donizetti to Verdi, will feature speakers Livio Aragona, Paolo Fabbri, and Candida Mantica from the Donizetti Studies Center of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation. The image repertoire curated by Clelia Epis, Edoardo Cavalli, and Maurizio Merisio, also researchers at the Center, will show how the famous Verdi opera has been staged and interpreted at the Donizetti Theatre in Bergamo. To participate in the meeting, it is necessary to book at the Eventbrite link published on the theatre's website. Lucrezia Borgia by Gaetano Donizetti and The King Amuses Himself by Victor Hugo, that is Rigoletto: cursed stories in which motherhood and fatherhood redeem sinister characters, morally and perhaps even physically 'ugly'. Sordid tragedies in which, against all appearances, filial love would make humanity blossom if an adverse Fate did not systematically cut them down with mocking regularity. Such an intense, irregular theatre, cultivating the category of the Ugly, juxtaposing sublimity with wickedness, mixing the tragic and the grotesque, fascinated Felice Romani and Donizetti in 1833. And in 1851, Francesco Maria Piave and Giuseppe Verdi. Once again, Donizetti proves to be a champion of a Theatre of Novelties of the full Nineteenth Century, of which Verdi would take up the baton.  LINK FOR RESERVATIONS https://www.eventbrite.it/e/rigoletto-e-lucrezia-borgia-victor-hugo-da-donizetti-a-verdi-tickets-1110165387559?aff=oddtdtcreator  

The Operetta returns, as always, a staple in the Teatro Donizetti Foundation's Theater Season: three titles, all scheduled at the Teatro Donizetti on Sunday afternoons at 3:30 PM, which will surely attract many enthusiasts of this genre of theater considered "light," but which in its best expressions has nothing to envy from opera or musicals. And this year too, there will be quality offerings, starting with the inaugural event on Sunday, January 5th with Ballo al Savoy, an operetta but also something more. Written by Alfred Grünwald and Fritz Lohner-Beda, with music by Paul Abraham, Ballo al Savoy can indeed be defined as an operetta-musical, in two acts, which in Bergamo will be presented in the production of the Compagnia Teatro Musica Novecento. Characters and performers: Daisy Darlington - Silvia Felisetti, Mustafà Bei - Alessandro Brachetti, Aristide - Antonio Colamorea, Maddalena - Renata Campanella, Celestino - Fulvio Massa, Pomerol - Marco Falsetti, Arcibaldo - Alessandro Garuti. Corpo di Ballo Novecento with choreography by Salvatore Loritto. Orchestra Cantieri d’Arte conducted by Stefano Giaroli. Sets and Costumes by Artescenica Reggio Emilia. Directed by Alessandro Brachetti. In addition to waltzes, arias, and love duets, Ballo al Savoy is rich in wild rhythms, from Argentine Tango to Swing, with clear allusions and references to the musical that was booming across the ocean in the 1930s. In particular, there is a nod to a renowned American composer like Cole Porter: Abraham included a paraphrase of the famous “Night and Day” in his score. The story is set in Nice, in 1932. In the Hall of the Hotel Savoy, the return of Marquis Aristide Di Faublais and his young wife Maddalena from their long honeymoon is being celebrated. But Aristide receives a telegram from his lawyer, informing him that to access his late father's estate, he must honor a commitment made by his father, which involves spending a night with Tangolita, a Spanish dancer. Aristide must therefore find a way to fulfill the commitment without jeopardizing his marriage... After Ballo al Savoy, the Operetta Season will continue on January 19th with Sogno viennese by the Compagnia Corrado Abbati, a show that, while drawing from the school of the Austrian capital, but not only, moves between historical reconstruction and pure entertainment through a sequence of lavish scenes with a fast-paced rhythm. Finally, on March 30th, Scugnizza will be staged, an operetta full of typically Neapolitan lyricism. Production by the Compagnia d’Operette Elena D’Angelo.

The event that the Donizetti Theatre Foundation proposes on December 31 in the main city theater will be marked by the typical festive colors of the musical. And at the stroke of midnight, a toast in the historic halls of the same Donizetti Theatre, together with the artists of the BIT Company, who on this special occasion (at 10:00 PM) will present A Christmas Carol, adapted from the most famous novel by Charles Dickens, adapted by Melina Pellicano, with original music by Stefano Lori and Marco Caselle. On stage, a cast of over 20 members, with Fabrizio Rizzolo in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, and special effects curated by Alessandro Marrazzo, 150 costumes, and spectacular sets. Melina Pellicano, director and author of the musical's libretto, wanted to be as faithful as possible to the novel because Dickens' writing is already very theatrical: "Scrooge's loneliness and his economic wealth are in contrast with the serenity of the family and the modest social situation of the other characters. The richness of the soul and the courage to face a less fortunate situation are the true wealth. It's an old concept, but absolutely current," she says, "There are some differences in the story and the characters, but always in respect of the original story and in the spirit of Dickens. This was intentional and is a small personal way to pay homage to the writer." "I chose to open the show with the monologue and song of little Tim (the youngest son of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's employee), to entrust a child with the task of explaining 'how things really are,' to explain to the audience the point of view of a child who looks at the world with clear eyes and without judgment. Tiny Tim indeed tells that Scrooge 'is not able to smile and is always angry with anyone who speaks to him,' but that in reality 'he is just alone' and no one should be alone at Christmas," continues the director. Another unmissable event will be the New Year's Concert, scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, January 1 at the Teatro Sociale (11:00 AM). The Italian Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Andrea Oddone, will guide the audience on an exciting musical journey through The Dances of Europe, reflecting various European musical traditions, from Vienna to Italy, passing through the heart of Central Europe. The concert program includes masterpieces by composers who have captured the soul of folk dances and transformed them into timeless works of art. The repertoire of Johann Strauss, "the King of the Waltz," with his famous polkas and Viennese waltzes, will evoke the elegance and energy of the Austrian capital during the golden age of dance music. Antonín Dvořák, on the other hand, with his Slavonic dances, will immerse the audience in the warm and evocative atmospheres of Central Europe: his melodies, rich in liveliness and sentiment, reflect the pride of the popular culture of his homeland, the Czech Republic. There will also be a tribute to Italy with

Donizetti like Atalanta? According to Umberto Orsini, there is a connection between the successes of the football team and the city's most important theater: the actor, one of the masters of Italian theater, now happily ninety years old, shared the applause with Franco Branciaroli from over 7,000 spectators who attended the eight performances from Saturday, December 7 to Sunday, December 15. Even in the last matinee performance on Sunday, the two great actors were repeatedly called back on stage. And with them the rest of the cast - Flavio Francucci, Chiara Stoppa, Eros Pascale, and Emanuela Saccardi - who, under the prestigious direction of Massimo Popolizio, brought Neil Simon's brilliant comedy The Sunshine Boys to Bergamo, the opening show of the 2024/2025 Prose Season of the Donizetti Theater Foundation. "The new Prose Season has started in the best possible way, driven by the 5,770 subscribers, over 11% more than the previous season," comments Massimo Boffelli, General Director of the Donizetti Theater Foundation, "The increase from seven to eight performances was necessary to reach and satisfy our ever-growing audience, who responded with enthusiasm." For Maria Grazia Panigada, Artistic Director of the Prose Season and Other Paths, "The Sunshine Boys was the right show to start a new adventure. We are happy that the audience appreciated this proposal, and we are confident they will also enjoy the upcoming ones: the emotions have just begun." "There has always been a great audience in Bergamo, which has also increased in recent years. Today, in relation to the population, it is the most theatrical city in Italy," observes Umberto Orsini, who had been absent from Donizetti for about ten years, "In Bergamo, there are two important realities: Atalanta and Donizetti. I don't know if the two are related, but when a theater works, the football team also achieves success. Maybe because husbands go to the stadium while wives prefer to go to the theater... Jokes aside, today Atalanta is at the top of the league, and so is Donizetti. It's a wonderful record!" Franco Branciaroli, who had to wait only a few months to return to the Donizetti Theater after the success of " The Merchant of Venice last spring, expresses satisfaction: "It is a great pleasure to return to Donizetti: there is no other theater in Italy that can boast such a high number of subscribers. Here is one of the best audiences in all of Italy. In Rome, we do two weeks of performances, in Bergamo a little less. And this means that there is extraordinary work behind those who choose the shows and those who work within the theater itself. Thank you, Bergamo: we hope to see you again soon!"

Successfully inaugurated the Prose Season with The Irresistible Boys, the Donizetti Theatre Foundation now launches the Altri Percorsi series, as always a showcase of new theatrical realities in the name of experimenting with various languages. It begins on Thursday, December 19 at the Teatro Sociale (8:30 PM) with Re Lear is Dead in Moscow, winner of the “Theatrical Mass 2023” award, featuring the dramaturgy and direction of the Argentine César Brie, a prominent figure in research theatre, well known and appreciated by the Bergamo audience. On this occasion, César Brie himself will take the stage at the Sociale along with a group of young actors: Leonardo Ceccanti, co-author of the dramaturgy, Davide De Togni, Anna Vittoria Ferri, Michelangelo Nervosi, a former student of the Young Project of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation, Tommaso Pioli, Annalesi Secco, Laura Taddeo and Alessandro Treccani. Bodywork by Vera Dalla Pasqua. Costumes by Matteo Corsi. Lighting by César Brie and the ensemble. Music by Pablo Brie and the Yiddish tradition. Historical consultancy by Antonio Attisani. Co-production Isola del Teatro, Campo Teatrale and Teatro Dell’Elfo. Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes without intermission. At the end of the show, there will be a meeting with César Brie and the company coordinated by Maria Grazia Panigada, Artistic Director of the Prose and Altri Percorsi Season. Re Lear is Dead in Moscow is also at the center of a series of thematic meetings, the last of which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18 at the “M. Tremaglia” Music Hall of the Donizetti Theatre at 6:00 PM: Maria Grazia Recanati from the Polytechnic of the Arts of Bergamo - Accademia Carrara of Fine Arts will scrutinize the delicate relationships between figurative art and power, in terms of compromise, dissent, and collaboration. «Re Lear è morto a Mosca tells the story of the Jewish theater Goset, founded in Moscow in 1919 by director Aleksandr Granovsky and painter-scenographer Marc Chagall: the actor-directors who led it, Solomon Mikhoels and Veniamin Zuskin, were assassinated on Stalin's orders, thus decreeing the end of the Goset theater», says Maria Grazia Panigada, «It is a precious show from a theatrical point of view and of great civil reflection, and I am very pleased to emphasize that among the actors is Michelangelo Nervosi, one of the students of the past edition of the Young Project, whose show Vorrei che fosse amore was directed by César Brie. This is one of the many testimonies of the importance of the educational work carried out for Progetto Young together with Fabio Comana». The story of King Lear Died in Moscow takes place in a specific year, 1948. On January 13, in Minsk, a van hits and kills Solomon Michoels: all that remains of him is a wristwatch stopped at 10 PM, two daughters, and a wife. On the night between December 23 and 24, in Moscow, Venjamin Zuskin is kidnapped in his sleep, interrogated, tortured, and four years later executed by firing squad. The great Jewish Theater of Moscow, the Goset,

Thursday, December 12 at the Teatro Sociale in collaboration with Fondazione Polli Stoppani After the inauguration with Alessandro Quarta and his Five Elements, the Opera section of the 2024/2025 Theater Season of the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti continues on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at the Teatro Sociale (8:30 PM) with another notable event. The protagonists will be two pianists of absolute value, Monica Leone and Michele Campanella, engaged in the interpretation, in the legendary transcription for two pianos by Franz Liszt, of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which this year marks the bicentennial of its first performance. The concert is organized in collaboration with the Fondazione Polli Stoppani, concluding its concert season promoted together with the Biblioteca Musicale de Sabata Ceccato. "The collaboration with the Fondazione Polli Stoppani gives a significant boost to our musical programming within the Theater Season," comments Massimo Boffelli, General Director of the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti, "and testifies to our openness towards those realities that, like us, contribute significantly to the cultural life of the city." Giovanni Gavazzeni, Artistic Director of the Fondazione Polli Stoppani series, emphasizes: "Events like the concert of the Leone - Campanella duo aim to strengthen the role of classical music as an element of cultural and social growth, involving both enthusiasts and those approaching this art form for the first time. The collaboration with the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti is central to this vision: thanks to the synergy with such a prestigious institution, it is possible to create events capable of hosting internationally renowned artists." The piano duo formed by Monica Leone and Michele Campanella does not have an official birth date, but it is the natural development of the habit of playing together first as teacher and student, then as partners in music and life. It is the result of a shared mentality and approach to the piano from the beginning, as both grew up, at different times, in the school of Vincenzo Vitale. The ever-expanding repertoire includes music for four hands and two pianos, ranging from Bach to Bartok. Among the most performed pieces, in addition to a wide anthology of Schubert's four-hand music, are Ferruccio Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica, Beethoven/Liszt's Ninth Symphony, Stravinsky's Concerto for Two Pianos, Liszt's Dante Symphony, and Poulenc's Sonata. The duo's numerous and significant appearances and collaborations include: the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Sydney Opera House, the Coliseum in Buenos Aires, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the Settimana Musicale Senese, the Sagra Umbra in Perugia, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Orchestra della Toscana in Florence, the Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto, the Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan, the Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti in Rome, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the Rossini Opera Festival, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte di Montepulciano, Auckland in New Zealand, Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia.

The board of directors of the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti, chaired by Giorgio Berta and composed of Emilio Bellingardi, Enrico Fusi, Elisabetta Ricchiuti, Roberta Sestini, Giovanni Thiella, and Alessandro Valoti, met today in Bergamo. On the agenda was the appointment of the new artistic director of the Donizetti Opera festival following Francesco Micheli's unavailability for renewal. The board unanimously appointed conductor Riccardo Frizza – musical director of the same festival since 2017 – as the new head of the opera festival dedicated to the Bergamo composer for the next three years. «It is a thoughtful and shared choice – declares President Berta – based on the history and successes of the festival, two indispensable values that see in the appointment of the Brescia maestro an element of continuity and continuous investment in the “cultural heritage” built over these ten years. I therefore renew my thanks to the outgoing director Micheli and congratulate Frizza on behalf of the entire Foundation, confident that he will further enhance the legacy of the Donizetti Opera». «I am honored to take on the artistic direction of the Donizetti Opera – underlines Riccardo Frizza. The last eight years as musical director of the festival have been an extraordinary experience, made possible by the trust of the entire Foundation – from the stage, to the offices, to the scientific section – as well as by a fruitful collaboration with Francesco Micheli, to whom I extend my thanks for marking a significant period for the city and its festival. Today, in the dual role of artistic and musical director, I embrace this new challenge with enthusiasm, aiming to project the Donizetti Opera into an increasingly broad international dimension. To achieve this, I am certain I can count on the renewed support of all those who have accompanied my activity as musical director over these years». A press conference will be convened shortly to outline the new artistic and musical direction guidelines. Riccardo Frizza (Brescia, 1971), musical director of the Donizetti Opera in Bergamo since 2017, is among the most acclaimed conductors of his generation, a regular guest at national and international theaters and festivals such as the Opéra de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera of New York, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Real, Rossini Opera Festival, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Festival Verdi di Parma, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. Among the commitments of recent years stand out the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 inaugurations of the Donizetti Opera festival with L’elisir d’amore, La favorite (Abbiati Award for Best Show of the Year), Il diluvio universale e Roberto Devereux, the Homage to Caruso with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, La clemenza di Tito at the Bilbao Opera, Le tre regine at the Teatro San Carlo, L’amico Fritz at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Lucia di Lammermoor at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Maria Stuarda at the Teatro San Carlo, Simon

Si avvia alla conclusione la decima edizione del festival Donizetti Opera, realizzato a Bergamo dalla Fondazione Teatro Donizetti presieduta da Giorgio Berta, con la direzione generale di Massimo Boffelli, la direzione artistica di Francesco Micheli e quella musicale di Riccardo Frizza: grande festa al Teatro Donizetti venerdì 29 novembre per il dies natalis di Donizetti con una speciale edizione di “Citofonare Gaetano Amarcord”, una serata di parole, musica e immagini per ricordare i momenti e i temi fondamentali che hanno sostenuto le dieci edizioni, guidata dal direttore artistico Micheli e con tanti ospiti come Corrado Rovaris, Valentina Carrasco, Javier Camarena, Carmela Remigio, Roberto de Candia, Raffaella Lupinacci e Omar Mancini, oltre alle testimonianze di tanti collaboratori della manifestazione, del dramaturg Alberto Mattioli e del direttore musicale Riccardo Frizza. La decima edizione del Donizetti Opera ottiene nuovi importanti risultati in termini di presenze, incassi di pubblico, stampa e qualità artistica. Crescono quindi gli spettatori che, nel 2024 – quando ancora non sono chiuse le vendite per gli spettacoli di sabato e domenica – superano le 14.000 presenze, staccando il successo del 2023 (13.120) e i precedenti 2022 (12.484), 2021 (10.788), 2019 (10.293) e 2018 (8.491) e confermando l’attrattività del festival e la qualità della proposta artistica. A questi spettatori paganti se ne possono aggiungere altri 3.000 che hanno frequentato in queste settimane gli eventi gratuiti del festival. Anche gli incassi registrano un aumento superiore al 40% rispetto al 2023. «Sono commosso – sottolinea Francesco Micheli che lascia la direzione artistica – nel constatare che questo decennale, folle, rivoluzionario e pieno d’amore per Gaetano Donizetti, si chiude con un’edizione memorabile. Tre titoli diversi che declinano i tanti talenti del compositore di borgo Canale con spettacoli artisti animati dalla disperata vitalità del nostro maestro. Saluto la mia città, col cuore colmo e la testa alta». «Con questo decennio concludiamo un primo percorso che resterà nella storia del Festival Donizetti fondato da Francesco Micheli – dichiara il presidente della Fondazione Teatro Donizetti Giorgio Berta –. Decennio nel quale abbiamo costruito la base finanziaria per un'iniziativa che oggi conta su più del doppio delle risorse di dieci anni fa, una struttura organizzativa solida e una storia artistica costellata di successi importanti e di riconoscimenti unanimi. La decima edizione è stata il coronamento di una visione che vogliamo portare avanti: rigore economico, eccellenza artistica, partecipazione, ricerca scientifica. Siamo grati a Francesco Micheli per questo percorso indimenticabile, per il suo spirito indomito e per la sua competenza e lo aspettiamo a casa sua in veste di regista nella prossima produzione 2025 di Caterina Cornaro. A fine festival, i miei ringraziamenti vanno anche a tutti gli artisti, i tecnici, i professionisti e i tanti fornitori che, a vario livello, hanno collaborato con noi e che, in queste settimane, hanno profuso il loro impegno per ottenere i risultati che vi presentiamo e per far apprezzare ancora una volta le opere di Donizetti nel mondo». Nel corso di poco più di tre weekend, dal 14 novembre all’1 dicembre 2024, si è snodato quindi un programma di circa