I’ve been to Bayerische Staatsoper a few times now, and so far, I haven’t encountered any singers who made me want to leave early. Tonight, it was bel canto on the menu – the art of beautiful singing – and once again, they lived up to their high standards.

Lucrezia Borgia is a classic opera full of twists, love (…kinda), and a bit of poison. At the center is Lucrezia Borgia, a woman with a family tree that has an extra (and to many unknown) branch. When she meets the young man, Gennaro (who has no idea who she really is) things quickly spiral into betrayal, murder, and all sorts of chaos. The plot’s pretty straightforward, though: a few lies, some bad decisions, and a bunch of people who probably just should’ve just stayed home.

The same goes for this production – not that Henrik Ahr should’ve stayed home, but he definitely took the straightforward route. His stage design is pretty minimalist, and honestly, not that exciting to watch. It’s simple, which is probably the point, though it doesn’t exactly grab your attention.

We start with an open stage, where on a light gray backdrop, the name of the woman causing all the drama – Lucrezia Borgia – is displayed. As the opera progresses, this backdrop gradually shifts to the left, eventually disappearing by the end. A kind of countdown to someone’s death, perhaps?

My seat neighbor tonight? Total bel canto enthusiast. We got chatting about all the Donizetti productions at Bayerische Staatsoper this season, and he casually mentioned he’d seen the Lucia di Lammermoore (link to my review here ) at least 20 times – like it was no biggie! But when it came to Lucrezia Borgia, he admitted he hadn’t seen this production since its premiere in 2009.

I was also told that director Christof Loy has a bit of a thing for chairs in his productions. Honestly, I could totally see that – this opera wasn’t just a few chairs, but a full-on chair situation. In fact, Act 2 looked like the chairs had taken over the stage, with the entire choir sitting on them. And then there were the choir’s costumes – everyone in pirate-like outfits. I still can’t quite figure out what the thoughts were behind those…

For me, the highlight of the evening was probably Erwin Schrott as the not-so-friendly Don Alfonso. In this production, he’s portrayed as a serious guy, though at times, they add a little comedic twist – like when he has his helper, Rustighello, trailing after him in a rather awkwardly commanding way. But Schrott’s voice is unmistakable: it’s rich, full-bodied, and has a nice depth, especially in the lower notes.

His wife, Lucrezia Borgia, is brought to life by the coloratura soprano Angela Meade. It seemed like she needed a bit of time to warm up at first, but in the final act, she delivered quite the performance. Her voice cuts through the air effortlessly, and at no point was it difficult to hear her.

As for Gennaro, who’s essentially one of the leads alongside Lucrezia, he was played by Pavol Breslik, who actually performed the role at the premiere 16 years ago. It was the first time I clearly heard the prompter’s voice coming from the black box on stage, giving him a few reminders – though, of course, it’s easy to forget things sometimes! Despite that, Breslik’s performance was still solid.

Bayerisches Staatsorchester is one of my favorite opera orchestras, but tonight wasn’t their best performance. There were a few timing issues – moments where entries didn’t quite sync, and the intonation was a bit off here and there. They also didn’t play as tightly together as they normally do. It wasn’t the smooth, polished performance they usually deliver. They’re typically top-notch, but tonight, they didn’t quite hit their A-game. That said, they’re still one of the best orchestras in the world, so I’m only saying this based on their usual standard of excellence.

All in all, Lucrezia Borgia has its moments, but it’s one of the more lackluster productions I’ve seen. The performances were solid, but the staging didn’t manage to bring the drama to life as much as it could have. The whole thing felt a bit flat, and while there were a few highlights, the overall impact just didn’t hit home.

Fun Fact: 

After Lucrezia Borgia premiered in Paris in 1840, Victor Hugo, whose play the opera was based on, sued for plagiarism. The result? A dramatic makeover, with the opera reappearing as La Rinnegata, now set in Turkey instead of Italy.

Trailer: 

Cast: 

• Conductоr: Antonino Fogliani
• Directоr: Christof Loy
• Stаge Designer: Henrik Ahr
• Сostume Designer: Barbara Drosihn
• Light Designer: Joachim Klein
• Choreographic collaboration: Thomas Wilhelm
• Dramaturg: Andrea Schönhofer and Yvonne Gebauer
• Сhoir: Franz Obermair

• Don Alfonso: Erwin Schrott
• Donna Lucrezia Borgia: Angela Meade
• Gennaro: Pavol Breslik
• Maffio Orsini: Maria Barakova
• Jeppo Liverotto: Zachary Rioux
• Don Apostolo Gazella: Levente Páll
• Ascanio Petrucci: Thomas Mole
• Oloferno Vitellozzo: Joel Williams
• Gubetta: Roman Chabaranok
• Rustighello: Granit Musliu
• Astolfo: Bálint Szabó

Bayerisches Staatsorchester