On 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 26, 27, 29 and 30 December, Scottish director David McVicar, seen on other occasions with Rigoletto, Don Carlo and Gloriana, premieres at the Teatro Real the second part of Gaetano Donizetti's Tudor Queens trilogy: Anna Bolena (1830), Maria Stuarda (1835) and Roberto Devereux (1837).
McVicar is accompanied by José Miguel Pérez-Sierra (Viva la mamma and Don Fernando, El Plazado) as musical director, and the production features soloists such as Lisette Oropesa, Yolanda Auyanet, Ismael Jordi, Silvia Tro Santafé and Aigul Akhmetshina, among others.
Audiences are whisked away to an exciting historical setting: the turbulent 16th century, where two queens, Mary Stuart of Scotland and Elizabeth I of England, face each other in a struggle for ruling power, love and survival.
Beyond the political conflict, the opera explores an intriguing love triangle in which both queens vie for the affection of the handsome Earl of Leicester, who in turn is torn between his loyalty to Elizabeth I and his fascination with the captive Mary.
Mary Stuart, deposed queen of Scotland, lives as a prisoner in the court of Elizabeth I. The production explores her longing for freedom, her pride and her determination to recover the throne that was taken from her. However, it all culminates with the tragic execution of Mary, reflecting on the price of power, betrayal and the fragility of life.
Cast and Creative Team:
- Musical direction - José Miguel Pérez-Sierra
- Stage direction - David McVicar
- Stage design - Hannah Postlethwaite
- Wardrobe - Brigitte Reiffenstuel
- Lighting - Lizzie Powell
- Movement direction - Gareth Mole
- Choir director - José Luis Basso
Cast:
- Elisabetta - Aigul Akhmetshina (14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29 Dec) and Silvia Tro Santafé (16, 19, 27, 30 Dec)
- Maria Stuarda - Lisette Oropesa (14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29 Dec) and Yolanda Auyanet (16, 19, 27, 30 Dec)
- Roberto, Earl of Leicester - Ismael Jordi (14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29 Dec) and Airam Hernández (16, 19, 27, 30 Dec)
- Giorgio Talbot - Roberto Tagliavini (14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29 Dec) and Krzysztof Baczyk (16, 19, 27, 30 Dec)
- Lord Guglielmo Cecil -Andrzej Filonczyk (14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29 Dec) and Simon Mechlinski (16, 19, 27, 30 Dec)
- Anna Kennedy - Elissa Pfaender (14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29 Dec) and Mercedes Gancedo (16, 19, 27, 30 Dec)
- Choir and Orchestra - Teatro Real Choir and Orchestra
Programme:
Lyrical tragedy in two acts
- Music by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
- Libretto by Giuseppe Bardari, based on Andrea Maffei's translation of Maria Stuarda, by Friedrich von Schiller
- First performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 30 December 1835
- Teatro Real première
- New production by the Teatro Real, in co-production with the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Donizetti Opera Festival - Bergamo and La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels
