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Four titles for three new stagings that revolve around the theme of “marriage” addressed in different facets:
at Teatro Donizetti Caterina Cornaro and Il furioso nell’isola di S. Domingo and at Teatro Sociale the diptych formed by Il campanello and Deux hommes et une femme
In the main roles great performers such as Carmela Remigio, Mariangela Sicilia, Paolo Bordogna, Alessandro Corbelli, Vito Priante, Enea Scala and Bruno Taddia, who will be joined by younger performers such as Riccardo Fassi and Giulia Mazzola and the students of the Bottega Donizetti
On the podium, in addition to artistic and musical director Riccardo Frizza, two young talents such as Alessandro Palumbo and Enrico Pagano
Signing directors Francesco Micheli, Manuel Renga and Stefania Bonfadelli
Bergamo, November 14 to 30, 2025
Tickets on sale from June 21, 2025
It will be the first edition signed by Riccardo Frizza, in the dual role of artistic and musical director, that of Donizetti Opera 2025, an international festival dedicated to the famous Bergamasque composer that will enliven the theaters of the “City of Gaetano Donizetti” from Nov. 14-30.
Donizetti Opera is organized by the Teatro Donizetti Foundation of Bergamo chaired by Giorgio Berta with the general direction of Massimo Boffelli, with the support of the City of Bergamo. It is also made possible thanks to the support of Allianz(Main Partner of the Donizetti Theater Foundation of Bergamo), Intesa Sanpaolo, SIAD and a growing number of partner companies and realities adhering to the Donizetti Ambassadors project that support the festival through Art Bonus.
“The program of Donizetti Opera 2025,” comments Riccardo Frizza, “already reflects the path indicated by the three-year guidelines we presented last January and on which we have worked carefully in recent months, starting with a greater internationalization of the festival. In fact, in addition to the co-production with the Teatro Real in Madrid, among the most prestigious theaters in the world, this vision is also embodied in the collaboration with Opera Rara, which will allow audiences to hear, over a three-year period starting this year, the complete Romanze by Donizetti, including some in world premiere, within the Sunday morning concert series. In addition, the focus on Donizetti’s voice and music is the beating heart of the initiatives on the bill: the four operas, all proposed in new stagings, feature casts made up of internationally renowned artists flanked by young talents, whom a festival has a duty to promote and help discover. I am thinking of my two podium colleagues, Alessandro Palumbo and Enrico Pagano, and then of Carmela Remigio, Mariangela Sicilia, Paolo Bordogna, Alessandro Corbelli, Vito Priante, Enea Scala, Bruno Taddia, who will work with Giulia Mazzola, Riccardo Fassi and the talented students of the Bottega Donizetti, a fundamental reality for the formation of a generation of artists who will know how to tackle the Donizetti repertoire with awareness. Attention to young people will also see the imminent opening of an exceptional call for proposals, aimed at librettists Under 35, for the new
Thus, Donizetti Opera 2025 presents, for three consecutive weekends, four titles offered in three new stagings: the following will be staged at the Donizetti Theater Caterina Cornaro in modern premiere, with the entire poetic text set to music by Donizetti and the finale according to the composer’s wishes (Friday, Nov. 14, Saturday, 22 and Sunday, Nov. 30), and Il furioso nell’isola di S. Domingo in the full version of the 1833 score (Sunday, Nov. 16, Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 29); at the Teatro Sociale, in Città Alta, the diptych consisting of the one-acts The Bell, in the 1837 version, and Deux hommes et une femme in the original French version (Saturday, Nov. 15, Sunday, 23 and Friday, Nov. 28).
The philological work on the works chosen for the 2025 edition was supported and followed by the Centro Studi della Fondazione Teatro Donizetti directed by Paolo Fabbri, who helped identify the critical editions of the scores published by Casa Ricordi, made with the contribution and collaboration of the Bergamo Foundation.
“The plots that the Donizetti Opera 2025 festival brings to the stage,” explains Paolo Fabbri, “seem to be variations on a single theme: marriage. In Caterina Cornaro the protagonist would like to enter into it with her beloved, but political reasons, harsh to the point of blackmail, force her into a union of another kind. A cheating and contemptuous wife has caused the
The leading ensembles of recent years are confirmed for this eleventh edition of Donizetti Opera, with theDonizetti Opera Orchestra engaged in the two titles at Teatro Donizetti, theOrchestra Gli Originali – a formation that adopts period instruments – at Teatro Sociale and the Accademia Teatro alla Scala Chorus conducted by Salvo Sgrò in all productions.
Caterina Cornaro and The Furious in the Island of St. Domingo
It will be the last opera composed by Gaetano Donizetti that will open the festival: Caterina Cornaro, a title conceived on a libretto by Giacomo Sacchero in 1842 for the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, at the request of impresario Bartolomeo Merelli, but later staged in 1844 at the San Carlo in Naples. In the Neapolitan city, the opera met with a resounding failure dictated by a number of reasons, including extensive reworking of the libretto by the censors that affected the clarity of the plot and an orchestration designed for an Austrian theater. Hence Donizetti’s desire to intervene substantially on the dramaturgy in the third part of the opera: this very finale, the manuscript of which exists, will be
The story of the Queen of Cyprus, who became such thanks to a singular friendship between her two contenders, with the power of the Council of Ten ready to come down on anyone who got in the way of the interests of the Venetian Republic, will be brought to the stage at the Donizetti Theater under the direction of Francesco Micheli, who says, “Caterina Cornaro is in fact the last opera that Donizetti composed, at the beginning of the troubled decline of his physical and mental health. The new critical edition, which I have followed in past years as artistic director of the festival, allows us to fully understand this authentic swan song where the central theme is precisely the slow extinguishing of the male protagonist. For me, a great opportunity to say goodbye to the festival for good and pay homage to the great Gaetano. To restore the shocking beauty of this unknown masterpiece is an incredible feat, reminding me of the incredible days of Ange de Nisida.”
The new premiere production, co-produced with Teatro Real in Madrid, will feature sets by Matteo Paoletti Franzato, costumes by Alessio Rosati, lighting by Alessandro Andreoli, Dramaturg Alberto Mattioli. In the title role, one of the audience’s favorites, Carmela Remigio, returns to the Donizetti Opera, alongside Enea Scala ‘s Gerardo and Vito Priante‘s Lusignano. Performing as Mocenigo will be Riccardo Fassi, while Fulvio Valenti will be Andrea Cornaro and Francesco Lucii will play the dual role of Strozzi and Un cavaliere del re.
Caterina Cornaro opens on Friday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. and repeats on Saturday, Nov. 22 also at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m. The preview dedicated to Under30s is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.
Totally different fate than that which befell Caterina Cornaro had Il furioso nell’isola di S. Domingo, first performed at the Teatro Valle in Rome in 1833, where it was an immediate success with dozens and dozens of performances throughout Italy: in Naples, it was even performed in three theaters at the same time. The Donizetti Opera 2025 offers the critical edition by Eleonora Di Cintio for Casa Ricordi, which restores a couple of cuts made during the season of the Roman debut, thus inserting the complete version of the dry recitative that follows the duet between Cardenio and Eleonora “La mia vittima è qui… Apri il ciglio” and the use of the Sinfonia instead of the Preludio.
The opera centers on the figure of Cardenio, a character inspired by the senseless man from Sierra Morena in Cervantes’ Don Quixote and the protagonist of an anonymous five-act play from which Jacopo Ferretti drew the libretto. The role was played by Giorgio Ronconi, considered by most to be the first “modern” baritone.
The Donizetti Theatre Foundation’s new staging will see the direction of Manuel Renga, who for Donizetti Opera has curated several projects for younger children and who this year, given the acclaim achieved, has also been called upon to tackle a festival title, in addition to the Opera Family inspired by this Donizetti work. The performance will have sets and costumes by Aurelio Colombo and lighting by Emanuele Agliati. This is how Renga introduces his reading, “A photograph and the fog of the mind clears. Or so it seems. Il furioso nell’Isola di S. Domingo, among Donizetti’s most resounding successes, is a semi-serious opera in which the protagonist is mad and furious, like the madman in the Sierra Morena of Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Commonly we speak of madness as a plant whose branches can be cut off, but the roots remain forever. In the new staging, the key through which to view the whole affair is precisely the root of madness, which years after the events on the island, gives new sprout. The insane old man Cardenio, isolated in his world of memories locked in the past, withdrawn to a nursing home, through the few objects of a distant life returns to the time of the adventure on the island of S. Domingo: the meeting with Marcella and Bartolomeo, the relationship with Kaidamà, the return of his beloved Eleonora, the leap into the void, into the depths of the ocean. Memories, however, confuse, feelings blur, reality and fantasy can no longer be distinguished, until the strength of will and love emerge to restore clarity and serenity to life: true love is awakened, the love for which it is permissible even to go mad.”
Playing the role Cardenio will be baritone Paolo Bordogna while, with the role of Eleonora, Mariangela Sicilia, this year’s winner of the 44th “Abbiati” Prize, will make her Donizetti Opera debut. The shoes of Kaidamà will be worn by Bruno Taddia and those of Marcella by Giulia Mazzola. Fernando and Bartolomeo will be Santiago Ballerini and Valerio Morelli, respectively. On the podium, conducting the Donizetti Opera Orchestra and the Accademia Teatro alla Scala Chorus, will be Alessandro Palumbo.
The Furious in the Isle of St. Domingo debuts Sunday, Nov. 16 at 3:30 p.m., with repeats on Friday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. The Under30 premiere will be Thursday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.
The Bell and Deux hommes et une femme
The curtain of the Teatro Sociale in Bergamo Alta will open on the diptych formed by the farce The bell and from the opéra-comique Deux Hommes Et Une Femme, both in one act and both centered on the sentimental triangle of a woman and two men: in the first case, the young Serafina is betrothed to the apothecary Don Pistacchio, but the beloved Enrico, thanks to a thousand disguises, will interrupt the wedding night by continuously ringing the pharmacy bell; the protagonist of the second opera, on the other hand, is Rita, married in first marriage to the violent Gasparo, but who joins in second marriage with the shy Pepè, believing her first husband to have disappeared at sea. Gasparo’s sudden return generates a paroxysmal “tirade,” in which the protagonist herself ends up at the center.
Il campanello will be staged with the critical edition edited by Ilaria Narici for Casa Ricordi with the contribution of the City of Bergamo. The version is that of 1837 for the Teatro del Fondo in Naples, with sung recitatives instead of the spoken dialogues present in the first version of the previous year written for the Teatro Nuovo. This opera gives us proof – once again – of a
If Caterina Cornaro was the last opera to debut with Donizetti during his lifetime, Deux hommes et une femme is among that group of works that saw the limelight after the composer’s death. It was devised for the Teatro dell’Opéra-Comique in 1839 to a libretto by Gustave Vaëz, author of verses rich in cynicism and decidedly disinclined to gender equality who, after an attempt to stage the work in an Italian version at the Teatro del Fondo in Naples went unsuccessful, succeeded in having the score performed in 1860 at the Opéra-Comique under the title Rita, ou le mari battu. In Bergamo Deux hommes et une femme will be performed in the original French version, with the libretto derived from the autograph source in the critical edition edited by Paolo A. Rossini for Casa Ricordi, with the collaboration of Francesco Bellotto.
For both operas, the staging will be overseen by a single, all-female creative team: direction by Stefania Bonfadelli, sets by Serena Rocco, costumes by Valeria Bettella and lighting by Fiammetta Baldiserri. “I find particularly happy the idea of combining these two works that seem to be one – says the director. One interpenetrates into the other both musically and in the dramaturgical plot, first of all, because of the fact that in Campanello a husband leaves and in Deux hommes et une femme one returns after many years, but above all because of that distinctly French flavor between “boulevard” and “vaudeville,” to which Donizetti delivers them by moving them away from the typicality of his most famous comic operas. Here it seems that Donizetti leaves room only for entertainment tout court, even a bit absurd if you will, without overt psychological implications. The two operas go beyond both farce and opera buffa to wink a little at Feydeau and a little at Ionesco, in surreal marriage relationships, disguises and agniptions.”
Leading the orchestra of period instruments Gli Originali will be Enrico Pagano, included in 2021 by Forbes Italy in the list of 100 Under 30 Italian leaders of the future, concertmaster of a cast made up entirely of the students of Bottega Donizetti 2025, curated by Giulio Zappa. This group of young talents will be mentored by Alessandro Corbelli, who performs the role of Gasparo in Deux hommes et une femme . It complements the participation of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala Chorus.
The diptych is offered on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 28 at 8 p.m., with an Under30 preview on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m.
The new collaboration with Opera Rara
Donizetti Opera’s international collaborations are expanding thanks to a new understanding being developed in recent weeks with Opera Rara, a British cultural institution whose goal is to rediscover, study, and popularize with recordings and live performances little-performed or forgotten compositions. These include the hundreds of songs, arias, barcarole, and cantatas for voice and piano composed by Gaetano Donizetti that, since 2023, Opera Rara has been bringing to light. At the festival, among more well-known pieces and some precious unpublished ones, the performers of the Bottega Donizetti will be featured on the occasion of the new Sunday morning event at the Donizetti Theater, thus completing the programming of each weekend of the event, where Donizetti’s vocal chamber repertoire will also find a place.
Dies Natalis and Opera Family
Donizetti Opera’s program is rounded off with a grand celebration on the occasion of the Dies natalis of Gaetano Donizetti on November 29, which will involve the entire city from the morning. Special programming for an equally special day will conclude with an 8 p.m. performance at the Donizetti Theater of the opera Il furioso on the island of St. Domingo.
But as early as the afternoon, the Donizetti Theater will be festively invaded by family audiences thanks to the Opera Family programming that, every Saturday of the festival, will offer an activity for young and old alike. On the composer’s birthday, people will be able to watch and interact with the participatory opera taken from Il furioso itself on the island of St. Domingo, offered under the title Il furioso Gaetano nell’isola di S. Domingo, to which is added the subtitle Or rather the astonishing memoirs of a visionary musician., with direction by Manuel Renga, musical dramaturgy by Alberto Zanardi in collaboration with Mariagrazia Mercaldo and music by Gaetano Donizetti conducted by Giulio Arnofi. Performing the score will be theDonizetti Opera Ensemble , which will harness the instruments of theOrchestra del Mare, made by the Opera Prison Liuteria from the wood of migrant boats, as a sign of the festival’s focus on crucial issues of our contemporary times. The show, recommended for ages 8 and up, will also be open to school audiences with double performances on Nov. 26 and 27 at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and on Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
But Opera Family proposals do not end there. They will begin, in fact, as early as Saturday, November 15, with the workshop Qui Lucia, held by Clelia Epis, which will give the opportunity to immerse oneself among the treasures of the iconographic archive of the Donizetti Theater Foundation’s productions of Lucia di Lammermoor and the monumental ones of the Donizetti Theater to be discovered with an interactive tour (workshop 3 p.m. and visit 4 p.m., activity recommended for ages 8 and up).
Finally, for boys and girls ages 3 and up, the following will be staged on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. at the Ridotto Gavazzeni of the Donizetti Theater Little Mr. Noise, the story-play by Enrico Gabrielli among drawings, noises and music, preceded by a creative workshop at 3 p.m. With Enrico Gabrielli on piano, Sebastiano De Gennaro on percussion and noises and Marcello Corti on brass and narrator.
CineDOpera, the cineforum dedicated to Donizetti
In these months leading up to the start of the 2025 festival, prepare audiences for Donizetti’s language and music with the cineforum proposed by the Donizetti Theater Foundation Study Center in the “M. Tremaglia” Music Room of the Donizetti Theater. One event per month on weekends from May through October, from about 3 to 6:30 p.m. with free admission subject to availability, with reservations recommended on Eventbrite. Thus, the calendar offers on Saturday, May 17, the title Chiara e Serafina, staged for Donizetti Opera 2022, introduced by Candida Mantica, who on Sunday, June 15, returns to present L’aio nell’imbarazzo, again in the DO 2022 staging. On Sunday, July 6, it will be the turn of Livio Aragona and Maurizio Merisio with Rosmonda d’Inghilterra, from DO 2016, to meet again at the end of summer, Sunday, September 14, with Paolo Fabbri introducing Il diluvio universale (DO 2023). Candida Mantica will close the screenings on Sunday, October 5, with La fille du régiment (DO 2021).
Declares Elena Carnevali, Mayor of the City of Bergamo: “The Donizetti Opera is now a must-see event not only for Bergamo, but for the entire Italian and international cultural scene. It is much more than a festival: it is a living heritage of our city, an expression of its deep identity and its welcoming, creative, cultured spirit. With the new artistic direction of Riccardo Frizza, the link with Gaetano Donizetti is strongly renewed, in the sign of a vision that combines continuity and innovation, and aims at greater internationalization starting with the co-production of the inaugural title. This is how Bergamo is confirmed as a vital center of musical and operatic culture, an ambassador to the world of a legacy that speaks Italian but belongs to all humanity. At the heart of the festival is also a great attention to the new generations: young artists find here space to grow and train, while children, families and schools are involved in paths that make music and theater a shared good. I like to mention among the many initiatives the call for young librettists in order to look for new talent for contemporary opera. Because this is the deepest sense of Donizetti Opera: to cherish the past while looking to the future.”
Giorgio Berta, President of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation, continues, “The Donizetti Opera festival is the result of a collective work that concerted institutions, artists and audiences, as well as partners, supporters and Donizetti Ambassadors, whom I take this opportunity to thank for their valuable support, all united in an ambitious cultural project that sees the voice and music at the center. With Riccardo Frizza a new course has opened, marked by continuity in innovation, as the inaugural opera well represents. In fact, although following the natural change in artistic direction, the fertile relationship between the Foundation and Francesco Micheli continues this year with different forms, but with the common goal of enhancing the figure of the great Bergamasque composer Gaetano Donizetti. This includes the collaboration in the direction of the opera Caterina Cornaro, as well as M° Frizza’s confirmation of the titles proposed by his predecessor for the playbill, to which the new artistic and musical director has worked by carefully chiseling out the choice of voices, with leading names in the bel canto repertoire, in the sign of a deliberate continuity of intent, amply witnessed.”
Massimo Boffelli, General Director of the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti concludes : “Each edition of Donizetti Opera is a creative and organizational challenge, which the entire Foundation faces with great enthusiasm, competence and professionalism. The festival year after year is constantly growing, as demonstrated by numbers, quality and visibility, as well as the approval expressed by the public, which is increasingly international, and by critics. With the artistic direction of Riccardo Frizza and a cast of great value, the 2025 edition marks a new important step forward, aimed at thrilling an increasingly wide audience that, starting from the involvement of all spectator groups in our city, forges important ties even beyond national borders. This is with the primary objective of enhancing the Donizetti repertoire with a contemporary look and continuing to strengthen the prestige of the festival worldwide. And the 2025 playbill is concrete proof of this.”
