“D’incanto”: the reopening of Bergamo’s Donizetti Theater after restoration

Starting Friday, May 28, a month-long celebration of guided tours, performances and concerts under the banner of the diverse art forms that enliven the city theater’s programmingTicket reservations starting Tuesday, May 11

Nearly a year has passed since there were hopes to reopen the doors of Bergamo’s restored Donizetti Theater to the public-a year marked by unexpected and unpredictable happenings. In spite of everything, the Donizetti Theater Foundation has continued to work and produce when possible (e.g., the all-streamed Donizetti Opera festival in November 2020) while waiting to finally welcome the public into the theater. Now the conditions for resuming performance activities seem to be more propitious, and from Friday, May 28, the public will be able to visit the restored Donizetti Theater and participate in the first activities, a month-long reopening festival that is a summation of the diverse expressions that have a home on this stage.”At last we can announce the reopening of the Donizetti Theater,” Giorgio Gori, mayor of Bergamo, stresses: a fundamental piece of our city and its cultural life is rekindled after a long and meticulous restoration, the result of the commitment of so many parties and the fruitful collaboration between the public and private sectors. I would like to thank all those who have made this achievement possible, the offices of the City of Bergamo, the Donizetti Theater Foundation, the sponsors and public and private partners, and the companies that have maintained, despite the pandemic emergency, the expectations on the timing of the completion of the construction site. After Donizetti Opera 2020, which marked, even if only by streaming and without an audience, the restart of performances in our most important theater, we are now ready to reopen to the city: on the calendar there are already many initiatives, to allow Bergamasks – who have always been great theater lovers – to return to enjoy the atmosphere of the renovated Donizetti. We are also working to improve the public space of our city center around the theater, and this 2021 will be a year of profound renewal for the Sentierone space, a system of which the Donizetti is a candidate to be the beating heart. Let’s hope that the pandemic situation will continue to improve and that we can, safely, gradually bring audiences back to our country’s theaters: culture can really be the key to grieving and mourning the pandemic in our area and to relaunch Bergamo, with the great appointment of the Italian Capital of Culture 2023, shared with its cousins in Brescia, to act as a stimulus and horizon for this sector that has been so hard hit over the past year. Welcome back Donizetti Theater.” “D’incanto” is the title of the reopening journey, which thus begins with a weekend(May 28, 29 and 30) featuring a continuous program of theatricalized, original and immersive guided tours called Donizetti On – Live from an idea, text and direction by Francesco Venturi. An audio guide makes sure that it is the theater itself that speaks – in Italian the Bergamasque actor Maurizio Donadoni, in English the voice of Claire Dowie – and lets visitors discover stories, secrets, novelties in which there will be no shortage of live surprises. “Donizetti On” will continue throughout the reopening period, with a calendar that will develop around the scheduled activities. Then will follow a series of performances (all starting at 7 p.m.) representing the different souls of the Donizetti Theater Foundation led by President Giorgio Berta and General Director Massimo Boffelli: on Wednesday, June 2, the curtain will rise on Donizetti Revolution vol. 7 the performance lecture by Francesco Micheli, artistic director of the Donizetti Opera festival with the participation of sopranos Caterina Sala and Carmela Remigio with pianist Michele D’Elia who will present the 2021 edition; then on Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5, it will be the turn of prose-whose season is directed by Maria Grazia Panigada-with the new reading Novecento by and with Alessandro Baricco with music by Nicola Tescari and set design by Tommaso Arosio and Eleonora De Leo; on Friday, June 11, it will be the turn of Bergamo Jazz – artistic director Maria Pia De Vito – which will present the premiere of a quartet composed of Michael League (electric bass), Lionel Loueke (guitar), Bill Laurence (piano) and Jeff Ballard (drums) with music also open to pop and African influences; Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19, a new date with prose with Trascendi e Sali by and with Alessandro Bergonzoni, who also signs the direction with Riccardo Rodolfi and the scenes; Friday, June 25, more jazz with Danilo Rea (piano) engaged first as a soloist and then in an unprecedented encounter with Gianluigi Trovesi (alto sax), the most international of Bergamasque jazz musicians. “We are happy and proud to finally be able to inaugurate and reopen our theater to the public: ever since the completion of the restoration work we have been waiting for this important moment”-says George Berta, President of the Donizetti Theater Foundation – “A moment that is the culmination of a long and not easy journey that has seen the constant commitment of numerous people. To all of them, but first and foremost to those who enabled us to carry out the work and those who now support us in the restart, goes my deep gratitude. The Donizetti Theater will therefore soon return with its variety of entertainment and cultural proposals, resuming its propulsive and purposeful role in the heart of the City.” This festive itinerary will then be enriched by concerts of the 58th Brescia and Bergamo International Piano Festival and a series of other events organized by the Donizetti Theater Foundation that will be announced soon. According to current arrangements, the Donizetti Theater will have a capacity of 500 spectators. All performances will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available online from Monday, May 11. A specific calendar with days of access and purchase also at the ticket office will be announced soon. In addition, as part of the reopenings granted by the new health regulations, Gaetano Donizetti’s Birthplace in Borgo Canale will also reopen to the public from the weekend of June 5 and 6 (Saturday 2-6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m.; tickets from 2 to 7 euros) and the Teatro Sociale, which can be visited with mandatory reservations every first weekend of the month (Saturday 2-6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m.; tickets from 3 to 7 euros). Restoration work on the Donizetti Theater began on February 5, 2018; the project was designed by Studio Berlucchi of Brescia, while the contract was awarded to Fantino Costruzioni Spa (Group Leader) in ATI with Notarimpresa Spa. The total initial costs, estimated at 18 million euros, were met, and coverage was guaranteed by both public agencies and a significant private contribution of about 9.5 million euros through the Art Bonus. The work involved the entire structure and was mainly aimed at the construction of orchestra rooms in the area under the stalls, the mobile orchestra pit, a new building body for dressing rooms, new ticket office, bar and bar for the public in the gallery, new offices in the west body, rehearsal room, rooms for catering and activities for the public, and of course the restoration of the boxes, the ceiling of the stalls and the foyer. A truly impressive work designed to make the Donizetti a modern theater, in line with the latest safety regulations, but above all a gathering place independent of the shows being staged, livable all year round by the city in different spaces. The Donizetti Theater-which had already welcomed audiences to the Cantiere in November 2019 for the world premiere of the opera L’ange de Nisida (a work by Gaetano Donizetti that was thought to be lost and was awarded the Abbiati Prize by the National Association of Music Critics)-returned to operation in fall 2021, welcoming the production stages of the Donizetti Opera festival, held in streaming in the absence of an audience. Meritorious Members of the Foundation A2A S.p.A Allianz S.p.A. ATB Azienda Trasporti Bergamo Banca Popolare di Bergamo S.p.A. Brembo S.p.A. Chamber of Commerce Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura di Bergamo Confindustria Bergamo – Servizi Confindustria Bergamo Fondazione Cariplo Fondazione Credito Bergamasco Gewiss S.p.A. Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali Luciana and Gianni Radici Regione Lombardia SACBO S.p.A. Aeroporto di Bergamo Gruppo Sanpellegrino – Nestlé Waters Società Italiana Acetilene e Derivati S.I.A.D. S.p.A. Supporting members of the Carvico Foundation S.p.A. Cav. Uff. Claudio Curnis Corpo Palchisti Teatro Donizetti Itema Group Letizia and Isabella Ghisalberti Montello S.p.A. Uniaque S.p.A. Ordinary members of the 3V Foundation Green Eagle S.p.A. ANCE Bergamo Automha S.p.A. Bonaldi Motori S.p.A. Chimiver Panseri S.p.A. DIACHEM Fecs Partecipazioni S.p.A. Fidelitas S.p.A. ICTeam S.p.A. IRE-OMBA S.p.A. Lovato Electric S.p.A. Nuova Demi S.p.A of Fratelli Doneda Rossini Trading S.p.A. Studio Berta Nembrini Colombini & Associati Zanetti S.p.A. We also thank all those who made the renovation of the Donizetti Theater possible through their contributions.

Donizetti Onidea, text and direction Francesco Venturiconsultants tothe dramaturgy Clelia Epis, Maria Teresa Galati, Alessandra Giolo, Alice Guarente, Silvia Lorenzi, Paola Rivolta with the voices of Maurizio Donadoni and Claire Dowiemusicfreely taken from the operas of GaetanoDonizettiQuartetto d’archi dell’Orchestra Donizetti Opera Massimo Spadano, Giulia Cerra, Christian Serazzi, Andrea Cavuoto sound design William Geroli live sound engineer Nicola Gualandris music recorded by Paolo Guerini assistant director Maria Teresa Galati décor Paola Rivolta and Cinzia Mascheroni English translation Elena di Giovanni

Donizetti OnLIVESax MassimilianoMilesiVioloncello GiovanniColleoniPerformer Martina GhezziFor the reopening of the Donizetti Theater, the public will be able to discover its interior thanks to an interactive and immersive audio guide in which the Theater itself guides visitors (in Italian it has the voice of Maurizio Donadoni). The project draws inspiration from the image of a Theater that, when its audience returns, glows with its own light and comes to life. In a journey through time from the 18th century to the present day, the rebirth of the Donizetti and the restart of the Bergamo community, as well as of the entire civil society, are recounted. The theater lights up, reveals itself and guides us to discover its present, past and future, offering information and anecdotes about its history and its protagonists. The tour is open to all and is also available in English. A Live version will be offered on some dates. From Friday, May 28 | Donizetti TheaterAdmissionwith reservation required.Tickets:Donizetti On Full € 8.00 | Reduced € 7.00DonizettiON Live Full € 12.00 | Reduced € 10.00

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DONIZETTI REVOLUTION vol. 7byand with Francesco Micheldramaturgyin collaboration with Alberto Mattioli and with the participation of sopranos Caterina Sala and Carmela Remigio piano Michele D’Elia The Donizetti Revolution is, since the first edition, the best key to open the doors of the festival dedicated to Gaetano Donizetti: an evening to discover new details about the life, work and creativity of the orobic composer. Francesco Micheli, artistic director of the festival-accompanied by assiduous guest star Carmela Remigio and this year also by a young promise such as soprano Caterina Sala-introduces Donizetti Opera 2021 to the audience. Through an unprecedented interweaving of music, words, images and videos, it will be possible to enter the world of the Bergamasque composer, getting to know up close the operas that will make up the playbill of the upcoming festival. Wednesday, June 2, 7 p.m. | Donizetti Theatre

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Alessandro Baricco reads NOVECENTOmade by Alessandro Baricco, Tommaso Arosio, Eleonora De Leo, Nicola Tescari production Holden Studios by Scuola Holden “I had been hatching this idea for a while to try, once, to read Novecento myself, in theaters. After twenty years of staging, in every part of the world, with all styles, with artists completely different from each other, I thought that going back a bit to the original voice of Novecento could be an interesting thing, for me and for the audience. A way to hear that music again with the sound I had imagined for her. So I set up this production, imagining an elegant, light, essential and exciting performance. I asked Nicola Tescari to make me original music, to be used recorded, not live. And then with Tommaso Arosio and Eleonora De Leo I looked for a layout-not really a set design and direction, but a layout that was just right for what I wanted to do: read. Not acting, not explaining, not becoming a character. Just read a text, that text of mine. I’m sure I’m going to do it different every night, because I’m not an actor and I can’t imagine going on a stage and doing something that I already know how it’s going to end. So probably each time there will be a different color, a different duration, a different happiness. The only thing I have decided is that there will be an intermission. And that in principle I will do it indoors, no outdoor squares or theaters: reading is a fragile animal that needs recollection. A couple of years and then I’ll stop. A dozen dates a year. No more than that. So maybe I can make them all unforgettable. At least for me” (Alessandro Baricco). Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5, 7 p.m. | Donizetti Theater

Alessandro BergonzoniTRASCENDIE SALIdie conAlessandroBergonzoniregia Alessandro Bergonzoni and Riccardo Rodolfi scenes Alessandro Bergonzoni production Allibito srl Trascendi e sali: an advice but also a command. Or perhaps an observation due to a lived experience or just a thought to be developed or enclosed within a more complex concept. Because after all, Alessandro Bergonzoni throughout his artistic journey, which in recent years has taken him not only to theaters, cinemas and radio, but also to national picture galleries, prisons, hospital wards, schools and universities, to the pages of daily and weekly newspapers, in art galleries and in the large and small squares of major cultural festivals, Bergonzoni we said has become a complex “artistic system” that produces and implements its ideas in a variety of disciplines to, in the end, metabolize everything and start again somewhere else by treasuring the experience gained. And all this to an author who has not renounced his comic matrix, never satirical, adds an additional, obvious complexity for his 15th theatrical debut. Trascendi e sali comes in fact after Urge and Nessi, shows that have deeply affected Bergonzoni, in every sense, opening to him artistically and socially increasingly intricate and necessary paths. A show where unveiling follows and anticipates disappearance, where comedy does not necessarily follow a constant rhythm and where sometimes artistic roots are shown to be immediately buried again. Transcend and ascend as an artistic vector of tolerance and peace, filled with visions that, perhaps, will succeed in unleashing the positive forces existing in our being. Rather than forward it could be, artistically, a leap to the side demonstrating that sometimes for a progression it is not always necessary to follow a straight line. Where paper becomes scissors to turn into stone, where the comedian questions to confess and ask and return to point out what he evidently sees before others. Perhaps from the heights of his sets or in the direction shared with Riccardo Rodolfi. Perhaps. Definitely. Definitely maybe. Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19, 8 p.m. | Donizetti Theater

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MICHAEL LEAGUE – BILL LAURANCE – LIONEL LOUEKE – JEFF BALLARDMichaelLeague electric bass, Lionel Loueke guitar, Bill Laurence piano, Jeff Ballard drums World premiere of an unprecedented international quartet featuring two of the members of Snarky Puppy, a lineup beloved by young audiences, including in Italy: bassist Michael League and pianist Bill Laurance. They are joined by African-born guitarist Lionel Loueke (a frequent collaborator with Herbie Hancock) and drummer Jeff Ballard (former collaborator with Chick Corea and a longtime member of Brad Mehldau’s trio). The quartet will play music open to diverse influences, from jazz to pop to Africa. Friday, June 11, 7 p.m. | Donizetti Theater
DANILOREA & GIANLUIGI TROVESIDaniloRea piano, Gianluigi Trovesi alto sax Pianist among the most important on the European jazz scene, Danilo Rea (who also boasts long collaborations with Mina and Claudio Baglioni) plays Bergamo for the first time. An important occasion made even more special by the unprecedented meeting with Gianluigi Trovesi, a musician of Bergamo origins whose fame has long crossed national borders. An initial “piano solo” part by Danilo Rea will be followed by a duo with Gianluigi Trovesi: jazz standards and pop songs, including Italian ones, will serve as common ground. Friday, June 25, 7 p.m. | Donizetti Theatre