Maria Stuarda

Lyric drama in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. GAETANO DONIZETTI Queen of Scotland at barely six days old, queen of France for only one year, and claimant to the English throne, Mary Stuart was imprisoned for 19 years by Elizabeth I before being executed. This fascinating destiny inspired literature. From the rivalry between the beautiful Catholic queen and the Protestant virgin, Schiller drew a play that Donizetti set to music. Like its heroine, the opera had bad luck. Premiered at the San Carlo in Naples in an abridged version, Maria Stuarda was banned. Recovering the original version, Malibran had it staged at La Scala in Milan. A new ban followed. It was not until 1967 that Leyla Gencer and Shirley Verrett made the work triumph at the Florence Musical May Festival. Today, it is one of the peaks of Donizetti’s output, alongside Lucia di Lammermoor, L’Elisir d'amore, Don Pasquale… LYRIC DRAMA IN 2 ACTS Libretto by Giuseppe BARDARI Premiere in Naples, Teatro San Carlo, October 18, 1834 Last performance at the Opéra de Marseille, November 2, 2016 CONCERT VERSION Musical direction: Michele SPOTTI Maria Stuarda: Jessica PRATT Elisabetta: Teresa IERVOLINO Anna Kennedy: Amandine AMMIRATI Roberto: John OSBORN Cecil: Patrick BOLLEIRE Talbot: Manuel FUENTES Orchestra and Choir of the Opéra de Marseille