Opera Daily 🎶 — Roberto Devereux and the 👑 Queen, Beverly Sills
Today we are listening to Roberto Devereux (the final of the Tudor Trilogy) where Queen Elizabeth I is forced to sign the death warrant of the man she loves, Roberto Devereux.
After great success with the “Three Queens”, Donizetti’s operas were shelved until the revival of bel canto music in the mid 20th century. Since then, several women are known for their interpretation of all three queens, including Leyla Gencer, Montserrat Caballé, Mariella Devia (an extraordinary Italian bel canto specialist), Sondra Radvanovsky, but above all “America’s Queen of Opera”, Bubbles herself, Beverly Sills.
While there are many nuanced interpretations of the role of Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux, Beverly Sills became Elisabetta during this role. She committed herself 100% to the role, taking you on her emotional journey from a queen in love to one betrayed to one overwhelmed and desperate with grief. Not every note sounds beautiful, but that’s because Sills has committed to interpreting the character and channeling what her voice can do in whatever way is necessary to convey the emotional intent. She is just like no other in this role. As you will see in the examples below, every movement Sills makes has intention and meaning, and she never breaks character.
Elisabetta was full of shrill sound and unbridled fury, Beverly Sills once explained. She’d lost the only man she’d ever loved, and she knew it all too well. The Queen of England had suddenly become a bitter, heartbroken old lady. She’d continue to be the most powerful woman in the world, but the rest of her days would be filled with frustrated, relentless rage.
(If you want to learn more about the amazing Beverly Sills, this is a great interview.)
The opera Roberto Devereux (1837) portrays the sad relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex. It is about the end of Elizabeth’s life where she is tired of the facade of royalty and nobility, and she doesn’t want it anymore. The role of Elizabeth is notoriously difficult. The American soprano Beverly Sills, who we are profiling today, once said it took five years off her career.
It is a long journey from the Elisabetta at the beginning of the opera, who is filled with love for Roberto and eagerly looks forward to seeing him. “The role of Elisabetta, I think, is the most taxing in the entire soprano bel canto repertoire,” said Beverly Sills.
Our listening examples today all come from a 1975 production of Roberto Devereux from Wolf Trap for New York City Opera with Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen of England), John Alexander (Roberto Devereux), Susanne Marsee (Sara, Duchess of Nottingham), and Richard Fredricks (Duke of Nottingham), Julius Rudel, conductor, and Tito Capobianco, director. You can listen to a full version of the opera here. You will also be able to view translations on all the examples below.
🎧 Listening Example (5 minute listen): In her Act I opening aria, “L’amor suo mi fe beata” (“His love made me so happy”), Elisabetta tells Sara (secretly in love with Roberto herself) of her great love for Roberto. She said if someone stole his love from her it would be like “stealing her crown” and that his love was like a gift from heaven.
🎧 Listening Example (7 minute listen): In this Act II trio, “Alma infida ingrato core” (Part 1 below, Part 2 here), it is revealed to Nottingham that Roberto is in love with his wife Sara, and he vows revenge. The Queen demands that he reveal who her rival is or she will sign his death warrant…he does not and she does!
🎧 Listening Example (7 minute listen): The Final Scene of Roberto Devereux. [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**] Elisabetta is still hoping Roberto Devereux will show repentance by sending her the ring and realizes she would rather he lived, even if he no longer loves her “Vivi ingrato” (Live, ungrateful one). Sara and the Duke enter with the ring, and Elisabetta begs her men to stop the execution. At that moment, however, a cannon shot announces Devereux’s death. The Duke declares he is responsible for Devereux’s demise “Sangue volli e sangue ottenni” (I wanted blood and blood I have obtained), and Elisabetta loses her mind. As she sings the aria “Quel sangue versato” (The blood you have spilled), she imagines she sees Devereux’s headless ghost and her throne turning into a tomb.
If you'd like another interpretation of Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux's finale, here it is performed by Sondra Radvanovsky at The Metropolitan Opera in 2016. Occasionally, the soprano playing Elisabetta will remove her wig and reveal a historically correct bald head while singing the final verse of “Quel sangue versato” during the last scene of the opera. This moment was made famous by Edita Gruberova.
Many sopranos make it a goal to sing as many operas in Donizetti’s Tudor trilogy as possible. However, very few managed to sing all three: Leyla Gencer, Edita Gruberova, Beverly Sills, Sondra Radvanovsky, were some. On the other hand, Joan Sutherland and Maria Callas sang Maria Stuarda and Anna Bolena, but neither attempted Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux.
Nearly all of Donizetti’s works have been overshadowed by his operas Lucia di Lammermoor and L'elisir d'amore (Elixir of Love), which we will cover! The main reason why Roberto Devereux has been almost completely forgotten is that the role of Queen Elizabeth I is nearly impossible to sing. As hard as Maria Stuarda and Anna Bolena are for the soprano, this opera takes it to the next level. Even more of a reason for us to bow at the alter of these sopranos that not only attempted these roles but mastered them. 🙏
Thank you for reading (and listening), and “see” you next Sunday!
If you missed them, check out the Three Queens kickoff post, Anna Bolena post and the Maria Stuarda post featuring an interview with mezzo soprano Kate Aldrich.
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I rarely complete a Netflix series with multiple episodes. I resent being manipulated into tuning in repeatedly to see what happens next. I also don't enjoy binge watching. A singular artistic performance, however, can draw me in and keep me transfixed for hours. So it was that I became engrossed in The Met version of "Roberto Devereux". My intention had been simply to find and bookmark it on YouTube. When I finished watching at 4 in the morning, however, I felt that hearing and seeing Beverly Sills in her prime, and in her most famous role, was well worth sacrificing a good night's sleep.
The entanglements of Queen Elizabeth, Robert Devereux, The Duke of Nottingham and his wife Sara are told in such beautiful, dramatic and emotional arias and duets. I had no idea about the sumptuousness of Beverly Sills's coloratura soprano voice, nor the intensity of her acting, when she was in her prime. This performance is one I'll treasure and watch many times over.
(See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLJp7D2DNWg&t=1396s)
"Roberto Devereux" sees love through the kaleidoscope of the emotions encompassed within its boundaries: longing, happiness, desire, jealousy, infidelity, betrayal, hurt, rage, regret and death. There were absolutely no winners in this opera. It left me feeling quite sad.
In actual history, though, James - who was proclaimed as Elizabeth's successor at the very end of the opera - emerged the winner of the battles between Elizabeth The Virgin Queen and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots. Having been reared, apart from his mother as a Protestant, having secured the favor of both the English and Scottish parliaments, and being in the line of royal succession, his ability to ascend to the English throne was assured. Note: As king, James I removed his mother's remains to Westminster Abbey for burial in a place of honor, despite her ignominious death. (https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/mary-queen-of-scots) (That boy loved his Mama!)
From Gaetano Donizetti's music, to the dazzling performances of bel canto opera stars, to the Time magazine cover of Beverly Sills as Queen Elizabeth, "The Tudor Trilogy" has ended on a very high note, indeed. Your series reflects that it was knowledgeably and lovingly curated.👩❤️👩 I was moved throughout by the singing, the narratives, the featured artist Kate Aldrich, and the research and explorations you inspire on the side. I have saved the Beverly Sills interview and the full opera "Roberto Devereux" for later.❤