Thaddeus Strassberger

In Giuseppe Verdi's little-known early tragedy, a despairing father is torn between love for his family and his duty to a corrupt city. Jacopo Foscari, son of a 15th-century Doge of Venice, is convicted of murder and treason on a trumped-up charge. His wife Lucrezia is sure of his innocence. But the Doge, trapped by the machinations of the city, is forced to make a terrible decision.

Rome, 1532. Pope Clement VII has tasked the sculptor Benvenuto Cellini with creating a bronze statue of Perseus before the end of carnival. Seeking fame and fortune, the latter accepts the commission, even though his workshop is short on both time and metal. On top of that, Cellini is head over heels in love with Teresa, the daughter of the Pope’s treasurer, Balducci, who for his part is intent on marrying his daughter to Fieramosca, Cellini’s rival in love and art. When the young lovers’ attempt to elope fails, Cellini has no choice but to carry out his task successfully if he wants to avoid certain death… Alain Altinoglu is the ideal conductor for this richly coloured masterpiece, to be staged for the first time at La Monnaie. Director Thaddeus Strassberger is bound to enchant the audience with a colourful show worthy of the finest Carnival celebrations!

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