In 1948, an important commemoration season is organised on the occasion of the centenary of Gaetano Donizetti’s death. Four operas by the composer from Bergamo are performed: Betly, Il campanello, La favorita and Poliuto.

Gianandrea Gavazzeni plays a leading role in the celebrations. He is the conductor of two operas (Il campanello and Poliuto) and cooperates with Bindo Missiroli on the artistic and musical choices. These events give significant momentum to the rediscovery of Donizetti’s music. The foundations are laid for the Donizetti Renaissance: the phenomenon that will lead to the recovery, re-presentation and knowledge throughout Europe of works by the musician from Bergamo that are rarely or never performed on the stage, along with his concerto, sacred and chamber music.

On the occasion of the centenary, the theatre and city administrators intend to organise important events. Bindo Missiroli, the theatre director, works to ensure that the opera season is an extraordinary one. A Committee made up of various commissions has been hard at work for a year: one commission (chaired by Ciro Caversazzi) works on promoting the celebrations, one for financial affairs (chaired by Luigi Agliardi) and an executive one (chaired by the Mayor of Bergamo, Ferruccio Galmozzi); the secretary general is, of course, Bindo Missiroli. There are numerous, high-quality projects but there is a lack of funding. The total cost of the event is around 25 million lira, 14 million of which arrives from an ordinary grant-in-aid.
Of the donors, the ‘Giornale del Popolo’ gives a list of the names of the city’s banks and a number of local companies that responded to the Committee’s appeal, pledging an amount of 100 lira for each employee, all thanks also to the work of the Industrial Union. On 22 September, the same ‘Giornale del Popolo’ reports, with irony and dismay, that the appeal to finance such an important season is not proceeding as rapidly as hoped and that it is 1.5 million lira short of target. The traders appear to be deaf to the appeal and the headline taunts: “Wealthy people that we know live in Bergamo and have not given a penny”. Giulio Zavaritt personally steps in and donates a significant sum of 50,000 lira. His is one of the most generous donations of those received by the Committee from private individuals.

Many ideas are put forward: some suggest inviting artistic groups from Paris, Brussels, London, New York and Moscow while others prefer to organise a series of concerts throughout Italy with music by Donizetti. The architect Sandro Angelini suggests launching a national competition among set designers for sketches of Donizetti operas, followed by an exhibition and retrospective collection of Donizetti’s set design with ‘small theatres’ made by the students of the Accademia Carrara, and much more.

The compromise between the dreams and the resources lead to a Season in which Betly and Il campanello, La favorita and Poliuto are performed at Teatro Donizetti, and his Messa da Requiem in Santa Maria Maggiore.

The celebrations officially kick off on 8 April 1948 (the 100th anniversary of the great composer’s death). In the morning, plaques are unveiled at his birthplace and in Via Arena, where Donizetti had attended his Charitable Music Lessons, in the heart of Upper Bergamo where Gaetano had grown up.
In the evening, at Teatro Donizetti, Umberto Giordano is the voice of the commemoration and Gianandrea Gavazzeni conducts the Messa da Requiem composed by Donizetti on the death of Vincenzo Bellini. The staging is grand with 80 orchestra members and 100 choir members. RAI broadcasts a special programme with a brief account of Donizetti’s life and a series of pieces written by him. Due to the lack of broadcasting equipment in the schools, thousands of students crowd the city’s smaller theatres: the Duse, the Nuovo and the Rubini.
Given the great expectations, the performance is also broadcast through loudspeakers on the Sentierone and in Piazza Vecchia.
Almanacs, souvenir postcards, a commemorative stamp, articles and a biography of the musician by Prof. Guido Zavadini are published.

During the autumn season, Franco Capuana conducts La Scala’s production of La Favorita, and Betly, while Gavazzeni conducts Poliuto and Il campanello.
The most famous singers are Giulietta Simionato, Gianni Poggi, Gino Bechi, Cesare Siepi, Margherita Carosio, Piero Guelfi, Fernando Corena and Raffaele Arié.
Betly and Il campanello recover a ‘minor’ Donizetti. Gavazzeni’s role in the recovery of Poliuto is decisive. He also worked hard on the score of the Messa da Requiem and on the reconstruction of the lost orchestral parts of Betly; in all this, Bindo Missiroli’s position, speaking out in favour of a programme that breaks away from the traditional repertoire, is as courageous as it is fundamental.

Again, the role played by Sandro Angelini is important and for many years he will be the point of reference for the theatre’s stage designs. In 1948, Angelini oversees the production of both Betly and Il campanello.
For Poliuto, the collaboration with the Accademia Carrara and its students, led by Pino Pizzigoni and Achille Funi, is renewed.
La Favorita is staged (as already mentioned) with the Teatro alla Scala production based on scenes and costumes by Alessandro Benois, taken up again by Mario Mantovani.

A great novelty is the new ticket office created under the portico and communicating with the interior, useful to avoid the crowds that had caused so much inconvenience for access to the stalls and boxes.
The recipe for the Donizetti Cake created by the renowned Balzer bakery in honour of Donizetti’s centenary dates back to 1948.