Although one might not expect much from a concert opera with piano, Opera Baltimore’s latest production, of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, proves that we should neither doubt the power of the piano to act as orchestra in an intimate setting nor lower our standards for acoustic, musical, or dramatic excellence simply because we are not having the traditional grand opera house experience.
And yet. The Engineer’s Club is a venue sumptuous enough to make one feel like they have, in fact, gone to a fine opera house. Audiences can enjoy refreshments with the performance, and at the performance I attended all were abuzz with excitement at both the performance itself and the general enjoyment of coming together as humans on a Friday night.
Lucrezia Borgia is an opera whose main character is a historical figure, but what unfolds is an absurd plot worthy of the drama that swirls around Lucrezia herself and her entire family to this day. Believing that a young man Lucrezia is taken with to be his rival, Lucrezia’s husband Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, orders him poisoned. Lucrezia gives the man an antidote, only for him later to ingest more poison at a raucous party where Lucrezia poisoned the wine in order to kill everyone else. It is revealed in the end that this young man, Gennaro, is in fact Lucrezia’s long-lost son, and the opera ends with a spectacular aria crackling with coloratura and emphatic use of the soprano’s lower register.
In this production, Lucrezia was played by Caitlin Crabill, a gorgeous soprano who makes you marvel at her musicianship from the very first aria. Crabill’s voice is big and beautiful as well as a model of control, with an ability to execute coloratura that not every singer who aspires to the dramatic fach has easily. In her case, not only can you hear every pitch in every run she sings, but she also can go to the softest pianissimo without losing the core of her instrument. Furthermore, she has the right amount of drama in her chest voice and impeccable diction and text delivery. She is a gem and should be singing this role everywhere, including in fully-staged productions with orchestra.
Such a leading lady needs great colleagues rounding out the cast, and Megan Marino as Maffio Orsini in particular earned attention throughout with her acting, not to mention the rich mezzo color and even, narrow vibrato of her voice. This is a trouser role that, although supposedly just friends with the tenor, ends up singing what is in essence a love duet with him when one of them declares they are leaving town. Marino really sold it with her melisma and cadenza interjections, and such moments illustrate how amazing Donizetti’s score is. Her ultimate moment came in her Act II aria “Il Segreto per esser felici.” I loved how she took time with her character during the introduction and the different ornaments she picked for the repeat.
Crabill also was well-matched by Hayden Smith, who played her son Gennaro. Acting-wise, Smith nailed his dramatic arc, going from admiring Lucrezia, to being disgusted by her, to in the end wanting to be comforted by her as he dies. His is a powerful tenor instrument, and in the same manner that I mentioned Crabill has control over her instrument, Smith likewise gave us some gorgeous falsetto piano high notes during his death scene in addition to full volume at other moments.
In the role of Duke Alfonso was Samuel Weiser. He has an amazing bass voice that I thought fit the role well. I would have loved to see more facial expression from him throughout his scenes, however, he gave us some moments of true intimidation during his confrontation scene with Lucrezia, especially while stalking around her as they waited for Gennaro to be brought to them for poisoning. This led me to want more villainous behavior from him, both in this role and others.
In general, from the soloists there were some moments where I would have loved to hear even more portamenti to schmaltz up this soap opera-esque plot even more, but overall there was incredibly thoughtful singing going on, and one of the best parts of this production was how it really let the beauty of the voices shine through. Without elaborate sets and costumes (though there were some masks featured, and everyone looked great in their concert attire), one’s attention really went to the sounds coming from the principals and chorus, and it was well worth it.
Finally, recognition must be given to the directors of this production. Mary Elizabeth Williams’s staging made full use of the beautiful venue, with cast members entering through the audience at times and the floor level being used for the chorus. The second act party scene seemed the best staging of the night, with a more active role for the chorus and Marino leading the pack as she flirted with the hostess of the wine-inundated party, the aptly named Princess Negroni.
To create the cuts for the score, Williams needed to work with conductor and pianist Husan Chun-Novak, which she did to great effect. At a little over two hours including intermission, the pace of this production did not drag. The only cut I found myself wishing they had kept in was the repeat of “Era desso il figlio mio,” the epic final aria I mentioned earlier. Still, Crabill gave us the low register we wanted and needed at that moment, plus coloratura fireworks and different variations even in the one iteration. Altogether, Chun-Novak’s playing, conducting, and general music direction throughout did Donizetti’s score credence. Dare we hope for a full production of this work from Opera Baltimore in a future season?
Maggie Ramsey
Lucrezia Borgia
by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Felice Romani (based on Victor Hugo’s play Lucrèce Borgia)
Cast and Production Staff:
Apostolo Gazella – Zinnia Frank; Ascanio Petrucci – Timothy Kjer; Maffio Orsini – Megan Marino; Jeppo Liverotto – Samual Keeler; Oloferno Vitellozzo – Norwood Robinson; Gubetta – Benjamin Ross; Gennaro – Hayden Smith; L:ucrezia Borgia – Caitlin Crabill; Duke Alfonso – Samuel Weiser; Rustighello – Peter Juengst; Chorus mezzo + Orsini cover – Annie Chester; Chorus bass – David Dimmock; Chorus bass + Don Alfonso cover – Zinnia Frank; Chorus tenor – Peter Juengst; Chorus tenor + Gennaro cover – Samual Keeler; Chorus bass – Timothy Kjer; Chorus soprano – Heather Kniotek-DeSimone; Chorus bass – Peter Murphy; Chorus soprano + Lucrezia cover – Erin Ridge; Chorus tenor – Chorus tenor – Norwood Robinson; Chorus bass – Benjamin Ross; Chorus tenor – Doug Rowland; Chorus soprano – Laura Corina Saunders; Chorus mezzo – Amanda Staub
Stage Director and Dramaturg – Mary Elizabeth Williams; Conductor & Pianist – Husan Chun-Novak; Stage Manager – Hannah Hannon; Technical Director – Roger Wood; Supertitle Operator – Kim Xinyue Zhang; Assistant Pianist – Rhys Burgess
The Engineers Club, Baltimore, MD, March 6, 2026
Top image: Caitlin Crabill as Lucrezia Borgia and Hayden Smith as Gennaro
All photos by Bart Debicki