Overview
Synopsis
Suspected of being complicit in Lord Babington’s plot to have Queen Elisabetta removed from the English throne, Maria Stuarda has been imprisoned in Fotheringhay Castle and is awaiting sentencing. She forges an alliance with Lord Talbot, and a relationship with the Earl of Leicester, who persuades her to write to Elisabetta, pleading for pity and asking her to visit Maria, so that she might demonstrate her innocence.
Despite Elisabetta’s reservations, the meeting is arranged. In the park next to Fotheringhay, Maria kneels before Elisabetta, determined to show her innocence through her humility, in this act of respect. But Elisabetta has no pity for Maria, particularly now that she knows about her relationship with Leicester. She tells Maria that her opinion of her is unchanged, and she firmly believes she should stay there in the dirt. Maria is humiliated, and calls out to Leicester for support, but his previous vows to avenge Maria’s plight have been quickly forgotten.
Maria knows that her fate is sealed. There is nothing she can do now to save herself, so she summons all her anger and venom, and has her own vengeance. Here, in public, Maria tells Elisabetta exactly what she thinks of her; she is the bastard daughter of the old King’s mistress, and her illegitimacy is profaning the throne of England. Furious, Elisabetta sentences Maria to death.
In her hour of need, Maria confides in Lord Talbot, who is secretly a catholic priest. He hears her confession, and absolves her of her sins. Maria walks to the scaffold firm in the knowledge that she is going into the arms of her god.
As one of the Tudor Queens series of bel canto operas, Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda takes an imagined moment in British history and creates an opera filled with rivalry and passion, to a stunning score which requires exceptionally skilled virtuoso singers to do it real justice.
Show Information
- Music
- Gaetano Donizetti
- Libretto
- Giuseppe Bardari
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Maria Stuart by Schiller
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1834
- Genres
- Drama, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- 1567, Westminster Palace, London, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England
- Cast Size
- small
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- Professional Opera, Star Vehicle Female, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Small Cast
Context
Although Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda is now considered one of the finest examples of bel canto opera, and fits beautifully into a series of operas about the Tudor Queens, it did not achieve this popularity when it was first performed. In Naples, the opera underwent severe censorship when it upset local royalty, and it was considered risky by many due to its religious themes and the central dichotomy between the catholic Maria Stuarda, and the protestant Elisabetta.
A considerably revised
to read the context for Maria Stuarda and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
Dignitaries have gathered in the Palace of Westminster and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their Queen. With the visit of the emissaries from the French Prince, the crowd are awaiting the announcement of the Queen’s engagement to the Prince, and a much-desired union between France and England (‘Qui si attenda’).
Queen Elisabetta arrives, accompanied by her retinue. She addresses her people, explaining that she understands their desire to see this union fulfilled, but that
to read the plot for Maria Stuarda and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto |
Songs
Act One
Scene 1
- No. 1 Chorus ‘Qui si attenda’ - Chorus
Scene 2
- No. 2 Cavatina ‘Ah! quando all'ara scorgemi’ and ‘Ah dal ciel discenda un raggio’- Elisabetta
- Scene ‘Il tal giorno di contento’ - Talbot, Elisabetta, Chorus, Cecil
Scene 3
- No. 3 Scene ‘Fra voi perché non veggio Leicester?’ - Elisabetta, Cecil, Leicester
Scene 4
- ‘Hai nelle giostre, o Talbo’ - Leicester, Talbot
- No. 4 ‘Questa immago, questo foglio’ - Talbot, Leicester
- Cavatina ‘A rimiro il bel sembiante’ - Leicester
Scene 5
- No. 5 Scene and Duet ‘Sei tu confuso?’ - Elisabetta, Leicester
Act Two
Scene 1
- No. 6 Scene ‘Allenta il pie, Regina’ - Anna, Maria
- Cavatina ‘Oh nube! Che lieve per l’aria ti aggiri’ and ‘Nella pace, nel mesto riposo’ - Maria, Anna, Chorus (Offstage)
Scene 2
- No. 7 Scene and Duet ‘Ah! Non m’inganna la gioia!’ - Maria, Leicester
Scene 3
- No. 8 Scene ‘Qual loco e questo?’ - Elisabetta, Leicester, Cecil
Scene 4
- (No. 8 cont.) ‘Vieni … Deh! Mi lascia…’ - Talbot, Maria, Elisabetta, Leicester, Cecil
- No. 9 Sextett ‘È sempre la stessa, superba orgogliosa’ - Elisabetta, Talbot, Anna, Maria, Leicester, Cecil
- No. 10 Dialogue of the Two Queens ‘Deh! L’accogli!’ - Leicester, Elisabetta, Talbot, Maria, Cecil
Act Three
Scene 1
- No. 12 Scene and Duet ‘E pensi? E tardi?’ - Cecil, Elisabetta
Scene 2
- No. 13 Trio ‘Si! … Regina’ - Elisabetta, Leicester, Cecil
Scene 3
- No. 14 Scene ‘La perfida anche insultarmi volea’ - Maria
Scene 4
- (No. 14 cont.) Scene ‘Che vuoi?’ - Maria, Cecil, Talbot
Scene 5
- No. 15 Scene and Duet; The Confession ‘Oh mio buon Talbo!’ - Maria, Talbot
Scene 6
- No. 16 Hymn of Death ‘Vedeste? Vedemmo, oh truce apparato!’ - Chorus
Scene 7
- No. 17 Scene ‘Anna! Qui più sommessi favellate’ - Anna, Chorus
Scene 8
Scene 9
- No. 18 Aria del supplizio (Aria of Execution) ‘E già vicino del tuo morir l’istante’ - Cecil
Final Scene
- (No. 18 cont.) ‘Giunge il conte’ - Cecil, Maria, Leicester, Chorus
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
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Guide Written By:
Wendy Silvester
Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.