This week the Konzerthaus Berlin is set to world premiere Donizetti’s “Dalinda,” a reworked version of the famed “Lucrezia Borgia.” The opera, which has been restored in a new version by  Eleonora Di Cintio, will star a cast of Bel Canto singers including the acclaimed tenor Luciano Ganci.

Ganci will return to the Konzerthaus for the first time in five years premiering the role of Ildemaro, a role to whom Donizetti is said to have devoted some of the most intense moments in the opera.

In a statement, Ganci said, “When I was offered the opportunity to take part in the first proper performance of ‘Dalinda,’ I decided after a lot of thought to take up the challenge and to seize this moment in opera history which will bring alive an opera that has never before seen the light of day.

“‘Dalinda’ was written by Donizetti in an attempt to evade the Bourbon censorship to which his ‘Lucrezia Borgia’ was subjected despite having been staged at La Scala in 1833. Not only did Donizetti insist on radical changes being made to the libretto by Romani, he also decided to rework the score throughout, making significant changes both to the setting and the characters. It was all to no avail, because ‘Dalinda’ also failed to meet approval at the San Carlo theatre. After that, the fate of the score included being torn apart and its autographs sold.”

Ganci will perform a new aria with its cabaletta and an arioso which Ildemaro sings before he dies.

For audiences not in Berlin for the event, Ganci has a number of upcoming performances at the Arena di Verona this summer as well as appearances in Piacenza, Tokyo, and Dusseldorf.

Recordings 

For audiences interested in listening to other Ganci recordings, the tenor has a complete recording of Verdi’s “Giovanni d’Arco” from the Teatro Regio di Parma as well as Rossini’s “Mose” from the Duomo in Milan.