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
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.❤
A community member emailed and asked for us to share Sill's singing the Cabaletta ("Ah, ritorna qual ti spero") from Act 1 - we agree this is pretty spectacular!!!
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.
"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.❤
A community member emailed and asked for us to share Sill's singing the Cabaletta ("Ah, ritorna qual ti spero") from Act 1 - we agree this is pretty spectacular!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ExPiusDkY
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!)