Gaetano Donizetti’s

SYNOPSIS

ACT I Venice: The Grimani Palace in a time period ruled by male force. A celebration in honor of the imminent departure of the legation from Venice to Alfonso D’Este, the Duke of Ferrara, is in full swing. The party’s host, Duke Grimani, has invited many of the great families of Italy to attend the party. Young warriors from each of them comment with distaste on the fact that the Duchess of Ferrara is also a Borgia, for whom they have a profound hatred, as between her and her brother, many of their relatives have been killed or robbed.

Gennaro and Maffio Orsini, the most famous of all the young warriors, have committed to live and die together. However when Maffio again starts to berate the name of Lucrezia Borgia, Gennaro withdraws and manages to nap. The party moves into the ballroom and unseen by most, Lucrezia arrives wearing a mask and sees Gennaro sleeping. She gazes at him adoringly; he is her long lost son and, not having seen him since birth, she is enraptured by his noble beauty ( “Com’è bello” ). Finally she kisses him. Gennaro wakens to being kissed by this unknown beauty and, not knowing who she is, tells her of his instantaneous love for her and also for the mother he has never known. He then recounts the story of his humble background ( “Di pescatore ignobile” ).

Maffio then returns with the other revelers and seeing Lucrezia, they all tell the horrified Gennaro of the number of their family members who have died because of her. Unmasked, she is then declared to be ‘La Borgia’ and a virtual riot ensues as the Grimani household guards try desperately to protect her from the wrath of the young men.

ACT II Scene i. A square in Ferrara near the D’Este castle, a week later . Duke Alfonso, Lucrezia’s husband, mistakenly believes Gennaro to be his wife’s lover and plots his murder ( “Vieni la mia vendetta” ).

The young warriors goad Gennaro, saying he is in love with Lucrezia. Enraged he defaces the Borgia crest by striking off the letter ‘B’ leaving the word ORGIA (“orgy”). They all flee, but not before they are observed. Astolfo, the Major Domo of the Borgia household, arrives to invite Gennaro to visit the Duchess, but is forestalled by a group of brigands who have been hired by the Duke to abduct Gennaro.

Scene ii. The dungeons of the D’Este castle. Lucrezia enters in a rage, having been informed of the vandalism to her family name and that it was done by Maffio Orsini (who had previously defamed her name in Venice) and demands death for the perpetrator. The Duke agrees, calls for the prisoner, and, before the shocked Lucrezia, accuses Gennaro of the crime. Lucrezia, wishing to spare him, tries to deny any impropriety on Gennaro’s part. The young man is returned to the lower cells while the Duke and Duchess row fiercely over his fate. The Duke forces her to accept his condemnation to death, but gives her the choice of his doing so by sword or poison.

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Lucrezia, knowing she has an antidote, decides on the latter. Gennaro is greeted by the surprising news that the Duke has decided to pardon him. He then offers the young man a glass of wine and forces Lucrezia to serve Gennaro this fatal drink. He threatens her with her own death should she make any move to save Gennaro ( “Guai se ti sfugge un moto” ). He then leaves and Lucrezia rushes to Gennaro with an antidote. She begs him to leave the city immediately and helps him escape the palace.

ACT III Scene i. A square later that evening. Gennaro, having so narrowly escaped, is now being hunted by the Duke who has sent the same large of brigands to abduct him at nightfall.

Ready to leave for Venice, Gennaro encounters Maffio Orsini. He tells his friend that he must leave Ferrara where he risks death at every turn, but Maffio scoffs at this, though he finally agrees to Gennaro’s departure. But Gennaro can’t bring himself to leave and they sing of their undying love for each other (“Sia qual vuolsi”) . The two agree to go to the party that evening at the Negroni palace and then to leave for Venice the next morning together. The brigands realize that they do not need to do anything as the two young men are walking into a trap.

Scene ii. The party at Princess Negroni’s palace in Ferrara. During the riotous party, one of the group, Gubetta (a Borgia agent), offers a special wine. Once the others have taken a drink, Maffio sings a drinking song (“Il segreto per esser felici”) . As the wine begins to take effect, the men find that the doors are unexpectedly closed and the ladies have fled. Lucrezia enters with guards and announces that she has poisoned their wine. To Lucrezia’s horror, Gennaro steps forward and proclaims that in so doing she has also poisoned him.

Lucezia dismisses everyone, leaving her with Gennaro. He tries to lunge for her but halts when she reveals she is his mother. She begs him to take the remains of the antidote, but hearing Maffio’s death cries, he decides to die with him rather than live without him. He then dies in his mother’s arms. Horrified at the result of her actions, and gradually losing her mind, she sings of her son and her hopes that he would have been a bridge for her to the afterlife ( “Era desso il figlio mio” ).

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