Based on Victor Hugo’s play, Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia is a powder keg of horrendous crimes, fierce passion, and rivalry between powerful 18th-century Italian leaders. The notoriously cruel Lucrezia Borgia must fight for her independence and reputation, tarnished by slander and jealousy, while protecting her heart-wrenching secret. The piece paints the portrait of a determined, powerful woman, reduced to criminal revenge by a society which forbids her from straying from her path. A true epitome of bel canto, the melodramatic opera genre is embodied by large ensembles and arias replete with vocal prowess. The lead must be dazzlingly virtuosic; at the Lyon Opera, it is sung by phenomenal soprano Lidia Friedman, in a production directed by Tatjana Gürbaca. Following L’Incoronazione di Poppea and The Girl of the Golden West, Gürbaca continues her exploration of major opera sagas with her Lucrezia Borgia.