I recently listened to Britten's Gloriana which covers similar territory to Donizetti's Roberto Devereux. Both operas tell the story of the real life Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex who was a favourite of the elderly Queen Elizabeth. In Britten's opera Essex, a married man, is an ambitious politician and general who flirts with the elderly queen in order to obtain political advancement. He leads a bungled military campaign in Ireland followed by a half-hearted rebellion against the queen. Elizabeth reluctantly sentences her favourite to death.
Donizetti's version reduces the politics to a simple love triangle. Elizabeth loves Essex but Essex is having an affair with Sara, the Duchess of Nottingham. Essex is sentenced to death for his Irish bungling but Elizabeth signs the death warrant in a fit of jealousy because he will not reveal the name of his lover. There is some business with a scarf and a ring which Shakespeare might have made much of but Donizetti's librettist was no Shakespeare. Donizetti does something similar in his opera Maria Stuarda where, again, Elizabeth is engaged in a love triangle. It gives the impression that the court of the virgin queen was a hotbed of rampant sexuality.
Roberto Devereux is a much better opera than Maria Stuarda and what really matters is that this opera contains some of Donizetti's best music. Elizabeth is a huge part and it is brilliantly executed by the Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou, a new name to me. She is imperious in the first two acts, although she does rather overdo the hands on hips stance that would be more appropriate to Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII. In the final act she descends into madness with some extraordinary music that strains the boundaries of conventional musicality. There is good support from Andrew Schroeder and Frederica Bragaglia as the duke and duchess of Nottingham. As Essex, Massimiliano Pisapia is the equal of Luciano Pavirotti, but only if they were having a pie-eating contest. He does have his moment though in his final "Tears in Heaven" aria before going for the chop.
This production from Begamo is conventionally staged and traditionally costumed, which will please most opera lovers. It ends in enthusiastic applause for Dimitra Theodossiou. I think there is a convention that the character that the opera is named after takes the final bow. Not in this opera though where Roberto Devereux wisely gives precedence to the Queen at the final curtain.
Donizetti's version reduces the politics to a simple love triangle. Elizabeth loves Essex but Essex is having an affair with Sara, the Duchess of Nottingham. Essex is sentenced to death for his Irish bungling but Elizabeth signs the death warrant in a fit of jealousy because he will not reveal the name of his lover. There is some business with a scarf and a ring which Shakespeare might have made much of but Donizetti's librettist was no Shakespeare. Donizetti does something similar in his opera Maria Stuarda where, again, Elizabeth is engaged in a love triangle. It gives the impression that the court of the virgin queen was a hotbed of rampant sexuality.
Roberto Devereux is a much better opera than Maria Stuarda and what really matters is that this opera contains some of Donizetti's best music. Elizabeth is a huge part and it is brilliantly executed by the Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou, a new name to me. She is imperious in the first two acts, although she does rather overdo the hands on hips stance that would be more appropriate to Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII. In the final act she descends into madness with some extraordinary music that strains the boundaries of conventional musicality. There is good support from Andrew Schroeder and Frederica Bragaglia as the duke and duchess of Nottingham. As Essex, Massimiliano Pisapia is the equal of Luciano Pavirotti, but only if they were having a pie-eating contest. He does have his moment though in his final "Tears in Heaven" aria before going for the chop.
This production from Begamo is conventionally staged and traditionally costumed, which will please most opera lovers. It ends in enthusiastic applause for Dimitra Theodossiou. I think there is a convention that the character that the opera is named after takes the final bow. Not in this opera though where Roberto Devereux wisely gives precedence to the Queen at the final curtain.